7 Ways to Tell Your Dog You Love Them

It’s fairly common to question how much our dogs love us. This may drive us to delve deeper into understanding how dogs manifest their love for us. However, in evaluating how our furry friends feel about us, we may overlook how they perceive the love we have for them.

Here’s how to tell your dog you love them in a language they can understand.

1. Get to know your dog

While dogs can be aesthetically pleasing due to their genetic heritage and standardization of dog breeds, each dog is a unique individual. Your pets have a personality all their own, formed with great sensitivity and remarkable intelligence.

If you miss out on opportunities to get to know them, you may never realize the full extent of their unique personality. Study their body language to understand what they like, what bothers them, their favorite food, or the toy they enjoy playing with the most.

Observe their body positions, how they approach different stimuli in their environment as well as listening to your voice. When you pay attention, you will see your dog speaks with his or her entire body without having to emit a single sound.

2. Train and educate your dog

Educating your dog is fundamental in creating a harmonious home life for both you and your dog, as well as when they’re out and about. Dogs are very intelligent animals; they have a lot of energy that needs to be channeled correctly to overcome stress and reduce the possibility of behavioral problems. Initializing basic training is the best way to stimulate the body and strengthen the mind of your dog.

Socializing is essential in teaching your dog how to relate to people and other animals as well as how to play nice with others. Experts recommend you spend about 15 minutes per day teaching your dog basic commands. It’s important to keep a record of your practice daily so each command becomes second nature. Remember to use positive reinforcement to reward your dog for good attitudes and successful listening. This will also help stimulate your dog’s cognitive ability.

3. Learn how to say “I love you” in dog language

While barking and howling are important aspects of canine expression, your dog uses his or her entire body and facial expressions to talk to you all the time, without necessarily making any sounds. They also excrete hormones to communicate in ways you won’t be able to perceive. Their tail, ears, eyes, legs and body position are used to express emotion, desire, fear, mood, and thought.

Dogs show their affection with many different attitudes such as following you around the home, paying close attention to your movement, obeying your requests, or simply enjoying a nice nap by your side.

If you seek to learn more about dogs’ body language, you’ll learn there are many ways to say “I love you in their own language. If you like to sleep next to your dog, for example, you should know dogs only have the ability to relax with those they consider part of their pack or family.

You can also spend more time playing with your dog, exercising with them, or doing any activity you might do alone, together, such as relieving stress. These are simple, positive, and healthy ways to make your dog happy and display your affection.

By knowing how to interpret, and respond, to your dog’s body language, you can help your dog feel more secure and confident. This helps enormously to both boost their self-esteem and strengthen your bond.

4. Dedicate quality time to your dog

The hectic routines of our day-to-day lives and responsibilities can make it difficult to share as much time with our dogs as we would like. What we can do is invest quality time with our best friend when we do have the opportunity. Unforgettable moments are the ones we share with the ones we love, no matter where or when.

During the week, try to set aside at least 30-40 minutes of intensive play time with your dog daily. If you do, you’ll discover that physical activity and mental stimulation is as important for you as for your pet. If you enjoy activities like walking, hiking or running already, it’s a good idea to bring your dog along. You can also have fun at home playing games and cuddling when you can.

On weekends, you may have more opportunity to spend quality time, so feel free to go out on new adventures with your canine friend.

5. Prepare your dog’s favorite food

Who doesn’t like to be surprised when their favorite dish is prepared by someone special? Our dogs are no exception. Just like humans, aromas and flavors open up memories and feelings of closeness in our dogs. As you may already know, your dog has a remarkable appetite, so this may be an even more special treat for canines than for people. Take advantage of a free day and surprise your dog with a homemade treat. Like many humans, delectable food and love often go hand in hand.

6. Spoil your dog appropriately

Pampering your dog is a clear and effective way to show your dog love. But it’s important to realize not every way we show affection makes them feel comfortable. For example, most dogs will not enjoy it when we hug them tightly. Additionally, it’s important when pampering our dog, not to overprotect them or prevent them from interacting with other dogs, even much larger ones.

Giving affection to your dog shouldn’t mean giving them anything they want, especially if it means not training them. Overprotecting our dogs can be dangerous and even harmful to their health. Dogs need to be allowed to express themselves with an appropriate amount of freedom.

7. Respect your dog’s nature

Many people equate loving or showing affection towards their dog with treating them like babies. It’s important to understand a dog is a dog and needs to be treated as such. This doesn’t mean we love them less; it simply means canine nature is different from human nature. A dog deserves to be respected for his or her canine needs.

By treating a dog as if he or she is a human being, we might make a serious mistake, stop respecting their nature, and relapse into over protection. Many owners reprimand their dog for behavior inherent to their canine nature, such as sniffing, eating dirt, and certain canine cleaning behaviors. In these situations, we are not caring for our dogs, but trying to suppress their own nature in a way they can’t understand. This can cause confusion and stress in the dog.

Loving your dog for who they are means understanding who they are.

In what ways do you show love to your dog? What do you think should be added to this list? Please comment below…