The human brain is what allows us to be the only animals that are aware of our own death. This slightly disturbing ability is what allows us to ask ourselves other types of questions that worry us. For people who love their animals, one of those questions is: How does my dog know I love him?
If you're also wondering, don't miss this article on our site where we'll answer this and other related questions.
How does my dog know I love him?
There are certain acts on our part that can make our dog understand that we love him and that we seek his well-being, such as:
- Go for a walk with him: Dogs like to go for a walk, and even more so with a member of their group with who has a strong social and affective bond. So, going for a walk with your dog is the main way to show him how important he is to you and how much you love him.
- Give him freedom on walks: taking him for a walk and allowing him some freedom to sniff, mark a tree or socialize with other dogs is something that the dogs will also appreciate and understand that you do it because you want it.
- Don't punish him: punishment, in addition to not being effective, can seriously damage the relationship with your dog, so it is always opt for positive reinforcement. Treating your dog with love and understanding will also be another way of making him understand that you love him.
- Caring about him: worrying about learning, knowing and understanding the dog's gestures and body language is a fundamental fact. That a dog feels understood when he "speaks" posturally, generates a great attachment relationship with his human caretaker and, therefore, lets the dog know the consideration that he has
- Protect him from danger: Protecting your dog from situations that frighten him and, therefore, making him feel safe with you is essential for his well-being and tranquility. In addition, it will generate a state of confidence that he will unfailingly associate with you, the source of his serenity.
- Spend time with him: Spending time with your dog without the need for physical activity is another way of showing him that you love him.
- Play with him: Perhaps the most obvious act to make a dog feel loved by his guardian is to play interactively with the. When a dog associates his companion with entertaining moments of play, without a doubt this will generate a strong emotional bond for the animal.
Now you know how your dog knows you love him, but… and vice versa? In this other article on our site we explain how to know if your dog loves you?
Do dogs feel kisses?
Physically, there is no doubt that yes, now the issue of whether he interprets them as we humans interpret kisses, surely notIn fact, there are dogs that have an excellent relationship with their guardians, but can't stand it when they kiss them. Demonstrations of affection as typically human as kisses are very difficult for animals to understand.
Now then, if dogs don't feel kisses, how do you show a dog that you love him? The best way, without a doubt, is spending as much time with him and generating a state of well-being. If, in addition, the dog associates this well-being with his human caretaker, he will surely take it as a demonstration of affection on his part.
The truth is that no matter how lovingly you kiss a dog, it will be very difficult for him (not to say that it will be impossible) to take it as a sign of love or affection in the terms that we humans do.
For more information, you can consult this other article on our site on How to make your dog happy?
How do you know if a dog is happy?
If dogs do not have the capacity to fully understand the demonstrations of affection or love that people give them, if they cannot know that they are wanted or loved, if many times excessive gestures From affection they even become annoying, how do they know that we love them? And if they don't know we love them, will they be happy? And if they were, how do we, the people, know that the dog that lives with us is happy?
All these questions, an exclusive product of the exceptional human mind, can even reach (and in many cases they do) severely distress those who ask them.
The best advice to get the closest thing to a real, rational and not imaginary and idealized answer is carefully observe the dog's daily behaviorsin question and learn the basics of canine communication, emphasizing its body language and gestures.
Signs that a dog is happy
A dog with a relaxed attitude, who does not show fear in the presence of his guardian, who has a facial expression with eyes wide open, ears in a normal position, tail lowered but not tucked between his legs, a posture of invitation to the game and that he approaches his tutor as soon as he sees him arrive, suggests a good relationship with him. It is a parameter that suggests a state of happiness or well-being of the animal. For more information, check out this other article on 5 signs your dog is happy.
Another parameter is to know that the dog in its daily routine can develop and execute the typical behavior patterns of a dog, that is: go for walks, smell and leave chemical messages to other dogs, carry out a task such as warning if there are strangers within the territory, interact with congeners, entertain themselves by nibbling on a bone or some substitute that acts as such, etc., in addition to the typical postures of a happy dog.
In short, a dog that is allowed to do dog things and that also has a strong, positive and affectionate bond with its human companion, it could be inferred with a high degree of realism, that that dog is happy.
