Most dogs show their love in ways that don’t look like the movies. No, they have a few habits that the majority of people tend to brush off as random or annoying, even though they’re simply trying to show their owners that they love them. These things tend to only happen around the person a dog feels closest to. Here are eight ways your dog shows you matter more than you think.
1. They trail you from room to room
One thing that almost every dog does is act like their owner’s shadow, regardless of whether something exciting is actually happening. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs will follow the person with whom they’re socially bonded. Staying close to their human feels normal for a dog. It’s almost as though they’re moving as a group.
Sure, it might seem like they’re pestering you for food or walks, but the truth is, they sometimes simply want to be where you are. They don’t care whether you’re folding laundry or doing something equally as boring.
2. They bring you a gift instead of playing with it
You might think that your dog is being gross when it drops a slobbery toy at your feet. You might even assume it’s asking to play fetch. However, that’s not always the case, as veterinarians at VCA Animal Hospitals have said that dogs sometimes carry objects to their owners as a way of sharing their toys with them.
It’s essentially a kind of social contact. Your pup is bringing you stuff because it’s trying to present it to you, no matter whether that’s a sock or a rope toy. It could even be a random stick. Either way, they’re trying to give you a gift, so you may want to show your appreciation for it.
3. They jump up to get their face closer to yours
So many dog owners see their dog jumping as bad behavior. But there’s a simple reason behind it. It turns out that dogs naturally greet each other face-to-face, meaning that their jumping up is a way for them to close the distance between your face & theirs. After all, you’re much taller than they are.
In fact, trainers like Patricia McConnell have said that greeting height is quite important to dogs because of how essential facial cues are to canine communication. They’re trying to position themselves near you more so than cause chaos.
4. They look into your eyes longer than they do with others
Like humans, eye contact is very telling with dogs, and that’s why you should pay attention when your dog is looking at you. It’s something that a research team, led by Miho Nagasawa, looked into. Apparently, when owners & dogs look into each other’s eyes, oxytocin levels rise, and that’s the same hormone that helps with bonding.
Of course, not every time that your dog looks at you is deep or even emotional. But a dog that makes eye contact with you for slightly longer than with strangers is a dog that is closely bonded with you.
5. They check your reaction when something seems weird
When your dog hears a strange noise, you might notice that it looks at you before deciding what to do. It’s a rather telling look. Dogs tend to look at their owners for cues when they’re dealing with something unfamiliar, and it’s something that researcher Isabella Merola referred to as “social referencing.”
In other words, your dog is watching your face to work out whether they should relax or stay alert. Your reaction to what’s happening matters to them quite a bit.
6. They explore more confidently when you’re nearby
Standing close to your dog matters more to them than you might think, although it might seem like they’re keen to get away from you. They’re actually wandering further away or investigating more because you’re nearby. They feel more confident knowing that you’re around to help them, should anything go wrong.
Researcher Lisa Horn and her team wrote about such behavior, calling it the “secure base effect,” and you can think of it as how young kids behave when they’re around their caregivers. They’re braver and more curious because there’s someone around they trust.
7. They press their body against you on purpose
All those photos on Instagram might make you think that every dog cuddles in a cute way. That’s not true. In some cases, dogs will simply lean against their owners or sit against their legs, perhaps rest their side on their owner’s foot. Any kind of physical contact in this way is a good sign that your dog feels both comfortable & familiar with you.
You’ll probably notice that your dog stays glued to you on the couch, even when there’s plenty of empty space for it to use. It says a lot about the relationship between the two of you.
8. They interrupt when you give attention to a rival
Did you know that dogs can get jealous? You might’ve seen it when you’re looking at your phone or doing something that takes your attention away from your pup. Chances are, your dog will wedge itself between you & the phone or the other pet.
They might also gently paw or block your lap as a way of demanding your attention right there and then. It feels quite personal. Really, your dog is trying to remind you that you’re one unit, rather than whatever thing is competing for your love.
An important thing to know is that dogs don’t all show closeness in the same way, as some are clingy and some are calm. Many factors influence how your dog shows its love for you. These include age, breed traits, past training, as well as external things like how your home is laid out. If your dog doesn’t do the things above, it doesn’t mean it hates you. It might just show its love in a different way.
