Can Dogs Fall In Love?

Love is possibly the strongest feeling anyone can ever feel. Although… Have you ever wondered if dogs can fall in love?

It is common to hear allusions to the love that these animals feel for humans and, in fact, the endocrine system of dogs seems to indicate that they come to feel something very similar to love. However, is this feeling the same between them?

Apparently, the answer to this question is still positive, because dogs can develop strong emotions with others and at different levels of depth. . What has been shown is that humans and dogs share the same chemical (hormonal) changes when they see or come into contact with those they care about.

what science says

The scientific investigations in charge of studying the emotions of dogs have come to the conclusion that a dog’s mind is roughly equivalent to that of a two-and-a-half-year-old human being in relation to your mental capacity, emotions and learning.

Although the full range of emotions is not fully developed in dogs, the basis is there and they tend (like young children) to love deeply.

In a study carried out by the North American University of Emory (Atlanta) it was found that a part of the brain that is precisely associated with positive emotions has similar reactions between dogs and people. . We can interpret, as a result, that humans and dogs feel (at least emotionally) experiences such as friendship, love, attachment, etc.

emotional reality

This set of hormones results in a way of feeling and reacting to different stimuli. And not just in relation to human beings, as it transcends their peers and includes animals of different species.

However, you can’t say dogs love just as humans love , because love, in addition to a series of sensations that result from stimuli and the action of hormones, has a conceptual and symbolic level in the human race.

Dogs do not have this ability to conceptualize about the events that occur to them, especially subjective values ​​(among them, love). That’s why they react impulsively guided by their instincts and do what they feel .

This is why dogs tend to show great displays of affection or contempt, as their feelings are, so to speak, pure.

love and coexistence

Since dogs have a solid, hierarchically consolidated social structure, they tend to develop very strong bonds with members of their herd, especially the Alpha.

Coexistence profoundly influences this process , because the longer a dog lives with a person or other animal, the greater the level of bonding he will feel.

However, cases of dogs that react euphoric to seeing their owners or former friends playing, even years after they’ve last seen each other .

Ways to show affection

Dogs have many ways of saying they love their owner or another animal without “saying it” in words . Some of the ways they find to show how much they love us are as follows:

Follows the person with whom he feels protected or with whom he feels safe.

• It wags its tail when it sees you (one of the most visible forms of affection).
• Invite to play, especially with the toys you like.
• Sleeps soundly close to you.
• He seeks comfort when he is scared or nervous.
• Cleans (licks) the person or animal you trust.