The dog is an animal capable of feeling a whole range of emotions. In his relationships with humans and his congeners, he is likely to show behavior that suggests that he is in love. However, can we really talk about love among our doggie friends? Does the feeling of love exist or is it a question of a bad interpretation of the man who thus perceives these actions under cover of anthropomorphism? Let’s take a look at this case.
Feelings and emotions in dogs
The dog is an animal that feels emotions like us humans. Joy, fear, stress, anguish, anxiety, anger, excitement… he experiences a whole range of sensations throughout his life. The dog is indeed endowed with a certain sensitivity which allows him to feel certain emotions and to adapt to the reactions of his relatives, his environment and all those he meets, meets or frequents. . He manifests them in particular through his behavior, his postures, his facial expressions, etc.
Can we, for all that, speak of feelings in dogs? A feeling requires a relatively deep awareness of its feelings, its environment and those who compose it, and an exploitation of these according to these different parameters. The dog is well endowed with certain feelings related to its environment, which can allow us to speak of feelings, but the feelings of dogs are clearly different from human feelings. So we must not confuse the two and attribute to our doggie friends the wrong “feelings”.
Can we talk about feelings of love in dogs?
The dog is quite likely to show its need or desire to see one of its congeners of the opposite sex. Nevertheless, we cannot speak of a feeling of love there. Indeed, it is not a question of feeling, but of the natural need for reproduction.
In male dogs, simple contact with a female in heat is likely to trigger a reaction. The animal then manifests its desire to reproduce by seeking this proximity with the bitch, by barking, moaning or even waving, but it does not seek, in this, to satisfy a feeling of love.
The female, on the other hand, shows a need for production only when she is in heat. She will then seek to be in contact with male dogs in order to mate to be impregnated. Here again, it is not a question of a feeling of love, but of a natural need for reproduction that it seems important for the animal to satisfy.
As proof that this is a natural need for reproduction, dogs and bitches no longer react the same way once they are sterilized or neutered. The temporary absence of contact between two animals of the opposite sex who know each other is therefore not explained by the lack of a loved one, but by the impossibility of reproducing. This “lack” disappears after such a surgical intervention insofar as the animals are no longer “directed” by their hormonal needs.
Love or the feeling of love designates a feeling which results, let us remember, in a pronounced taste for another person or a source of pleasure. This therefore requires a certain perception of feelings and a real awareness of this feeling. It is therefore difficult to speak of love in the dog, which does not seem to feel this type of feeling. To say that a dog is in love leads more to anthropomorphism than to evoking a truth.
As you will have understood, in dogs, we should speak more of attachment than of feelings of love. Thus, when this interest in an animal of the opposite sex persists beyond the breeding period and the strict reproductive need, it is essentially a particular attachment.
And what about friendship in dogs?
If we cannot speak of a feeling of love, we can all the same note that two doggies can be particularly close and attached to each other. This is particularly the case with dogs that live together in the same household or in a geographical proximity that allows them to spend a lot of time together. These animals are thus brought to frequent each other permanently or very regularly, mainly because of the influence of man, which can generate an attachment which is not natural, but which is very concrete.
However, it is difficult to speak truly of friendship, because we cannot say that this type of feeling is well felt by the dog. However, the attachment of the animals concerned is very obvious and real, to the point of establishing a strong relationship between the two individuals.
Feelings, emotions: how does the dog express them?
The emotions that the dog feels and the possible feelings that are attributed to him cannot be manifested as in humans. If our body “speaks”, it is above all our words that allow us to express what we feel. The dog, on the other hand, does not speak in the same way as us. To express his feelings, he uses other means, such as facial expressions, sound expressions or body postures.
For example, dog handlers have certainly already been able to observe their little companion:
- trembling or moaning when frightened;
- growling in the face of danger, an unknown or stressful situation;
- turning the head away to show a refusal;
- crying or moaning to indicate pain;
- jumping around to show joy or excitement;
- waving the tail of happiness;
- displaying a blank stare to show fatigue or discomfort;
- rub or lick it to show your attachment, etc.
It is through this that the dog will express himself and communicate to those around him his state of mind and his feelings. The interpretation of these signs then makes it possible to provide an appropriate response.
The dog towards the man: can we speak of love in this case?
We have said that the feeling of love in the sense in which we understand it in humans cannot concern the dog. Indeed, in addition to feeling a real sincere attachment, the doggie cannot “fall in love” with one of his congeners. But what about his feelings towards humans, and especially towards his master?
Again, we cannot say that the dog is in love with its human. Nevertheless, we can affirm that he feels a strong bond of attachment for him, just as he can feel for animal species that do not belong to his own.
The dog shows his attachment to his master in many ways. It can be barking, small moans, licking, jumping in excitement, intense stares, petting and rubbing, etc. Some doggies follow their human almost everywhere! We cannot speak of love, but of a strong attachment which pushes the dog to feel the need for such closeness and such manifestation.
Be careful, however, because if this proximity is touching, it must not generate a hyperattachment of the animal towards its master. Indeed, hyperattachment leads the dog to seek the permanent presence of his human, to the point of no longer supporting the slightest absence. Don’t be moved by this cute “need for you”, because your pet is in pain. Indeed, hyperattachment leads to behavioral problems which will result in various problems, both physical and psychological in the dog. This one does not support that his master is no longer permanently visible, he can adopt a destructive behavior, uncleanliness, aggressiveness, etc. The situation can very quickly degenerate and become unbearable for the master as for the dog. It is therefore imperative to be accompanied by a professional such as a canine behaviorist to put in place appropriate solutions.