Dogs do love their humans and there are many ways they express it. One of the things I found interesting when researching this topic was that there have been studies done on dog’s love. For one of the studies, the dogs were presented with different smells. That study showed that the dogs were most excited by their human’s scent than any other smell including food.
One of the easiest ways to see a dog expressing love is when they are excited to see you. As soon as you open the front door (or sometimes it even starts when they hear the garage door open) your dog is in a fury of excitement trying to jump on you, lick your face, and wagging their tail.
A second way dogs show their love is by them seeking physical contact. The dog may try to lean into you for you to pet them. This may also come in the form of nuzzling or cuddling next to or on you. Along with them seeking physical contact comes them wanting to sleep with or near you because you are in their pack. It’s a sign of trust and security.
Dogs may share their toys with their owners as a sign of affection. Many dogs I know will bring their most prized possession to their owner to share. It could be their favorite stuffed animal, ball, frisbee etc.
Dog’s will show their love by maintaining eye contact with their owners. This can be great for training and it helps to deepen the bond with their owner. Don’t force a dog to make eye contact though, it will likely make them uncomfortable.
There are many more signs of dog’s showing affection but lastly for today, dogs can smile. Some dogs can actually learn how to smile. Some dogs will smile better than others. If you see your dog smiling at you, you should smile back at them to show them you love them too!
