by Nicole Gadda
Do our dogs really love us? The science says yes!
We recently rescued a 10-week old puppy. She’s an absolute sweetheart — full of puppy cuddles, floppy paws, and boundless energy. She became attached to us immediately. She spends most of her time either following us like shadows or rolled over on her back, hoping for a belly rub. Despite this, we couldn’t help but wonder: does our pup love us the way we love her? Or is she just happy because of what we provide to her?
Humans first domesticated dogs more than 20,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherers still roamed the land. Scientists have speculated that this bond first started because humans shared their extra meat with wolves. Hunter-gatherers likely took in orphaned wolf pups, only to realize later that, when tamed, the wolves made excellent hunting partners. The dogs of today–including everything from the Great Dane to the tiny, fluffy Pomeranian–are all descendants of the gray wolf.
Humans communicate with other humans by gazing through the eyes, and it seems that this trait of ours may have rubbed off on our domesticated wolf pals. A study published in 2015 found that gazing behavior shared between a dog and its owner increases levels of oxytocin. The so-called “love drug,” oxytocin is a hormone that is released during childbirth and breastfeeding, and plays a role in emotional bonding, relationship-building, trust, and empathy. When a human gazes into the eyes of their canine companion and vice versa, oxytocin is released, which reinforces their trust and strengthens their bond.
But, do dogs truly love us the way that we love them? Or have they simply evolved to expect food from humans, the way their wolfy ancestors did from the hunter-gatherers all those years ago?
However, the ability of dogs to communicate with humans doesn’t just stop there. Researchers have found that dogs can accurately read the expressions of humans, distinguishing a happy face from an angry face with accuracy. Similarly to the way we can tell if a friend is excited or upset by the tone of their voice, scientists have discovered that dogs can interpret our emotions through how we talk, as well. It turns out dogs really can sense when their humans are sad, which means all those times they curl up next to us after a bad day is because they can read our emotions and likely want to help us feel better.
But how do we know dogs love us, and not just some random stranger with a Milk-bone in their pocket? A 2015 study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to measure the brain activity of dogs to see how they responded to their own scent, their humans’ scent, familiar dogs, unfamiliar dogs, and strangers. The researchers found that when the pups smelled their owners, it activated a reward center in their brain called the caudate nucleus, which is involved in learning, memory, reward, and emotion. No other scents triggered the same reward center response, meaning the brain activity was solely triggered by the bond shared between dogs and their owners.
Truth be told, we didn’t really need to read the scientific evidence on whether dogs love their humans to know our pup truly loves us. I’m sure many other dog owners can relate–it’s impossible to not feel the unconditional love they have for us. But, knowing so many different research groups are interested in the same question is an immense testament to just how ingrained dogs have become in our lives. The bond between dogs and humans has been strengthening for 20,000 years since wolves were first domesticated–the true epitome of “man’s best friend.”
