They wag their tails to greet us and are happy to cuddle at night, but do our beloved dogs actually feel the same love for us as we do for them?
“Houdt hij echt van mij of wil hij gewoon zo snel mogelijk zijn eten?”, vragen velen zich af als hun hond voor een lege eetkom met puppy oogjes zit te kijken. Kunnen honden echt van mensen houden zoals wij van hen houden?
What makes dogs so remarkable is not only their intelligence, but their ability to form loving relationships with other species. In short, the ability to feel and express love.
Love and science
In science, the term love is vague and not really measurable, but the degree of attachment is. Dogs have been shown to become psychologically attached to their owners. “Dogs really look up to their owners in a way similar to the love between child and parent,” Wynne adds.
Oxytocin, also known as the cuddle hormone or happiness hormone, is an important substance in the brain that is responsible for feelings of intimacy and commitment. In both humans and dogs, oxytocin is present in the brain. Oxytocin stimulates the dog's “pleasure center. It is produced when seeing food but also when the owner appears. Even the smell of the owner is enough to trigger this happiness hormone.
Want to strengthen the bond between you and your dog? Here are some tips.
Try to translate a dog's body language into human language. What do the signals your dog gives you mean? Stress, fright, joy...? How does a certain behavior come about and what triggers it?
Do many activities together with your dog and try to work together in the process. For example, you can run an obstacle course together and try to finish it together. Is walking not for you? Then you can possibly play a search, pull or fetch game. Buytoys intended for these types of games so the toys will last longer. Motivate your dog by adding some variety here and there. Changing toys, games or locations can work wonders.
Have fun!