We all know what beautiful loving creatures dogs are and how they bring great joy to our lives.
We know our dogs love us.
But have you ever wondered if your dog knows how much you love them?
Well, it turns out, they do.
At least that’s what science said.
I mean, it was already pretty obvious but there are studies that has data that points to it actually being true.
Dr. Brian Hare, who studies canine cognition and works withs Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind dog food, says that data all point to the fact that your dog knows how much you love them.
He’s being paid by a company that makes brain food for dogs to come up with this research, so we’ll take it for what it’s worth but we didn’t really need science to tell us this stuff.
“Yes, your dog knows how much you love him! Dogs and humans have a very special relationship, where dogs have actually hijacked the human oxytocin bonding pathway that is normally reserved for our babies,” Hare tells People.
“When you stare at your dog, both your oxytocin levels go up, the same as when you pet them and play with them. It makes you both feel good and reinforces your bonding.”
Ever catch your dog staring at you for no reason?
Hare says that means your dog is basically “hugging you” with their eyes.
And when you tell your dog that you love them, their heart rate actually goes up.
Canine Cottages, a site that books dog-friendly lodging in the UK, placed heart rate monitoring collars on four dogs and tracked them for seven days.
Their average heart rate went up from 67 beats per minute to 98 beats per minute when they were told “I love you.”
So not only do they understand that you love them, but it means that they love you too.
“It’s amazing to see that our dogs’ heart rates increase when they are told they are loved, showing excitement, and decreases when having cuddles, showing contentedness,” Canine Cottages’ campaign manager Shannon Keary said.
“It’s also interesting to see all the weird and wonderful ways our pets show their love for us. From this data, we can now officially say that our dogs really do love us!”
And the feeling is mutual.
When humans see their dogs, their heart rate goes up about 10.4 percent.
Conversely, when you cuddle with your dog, it has a calming effect on them.
It can cause their heart rate to drop from an average of 67 beats per minute to 52 beats per minute.
This also has a calming effect on humans.
Harvard Health Publishing shows that people who have dogs have lower blood pressure and while this doesn’t show a direct cause and effect, they speculate that this is because dogs have a calming effect on humans.
Though it could also be attributed to the fact that dogs might also help their owners get more exercise by taking them on walks, according to Reader’s Digest.
Some even think that dogs can say “I love you” back. Watch the video below and decide for yourself.
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