Peaceful or joyful eye-to-eye gazing indicates that the dog is completely comfortable around you.
This may not be the case for every dog, though. So long as the dog’s tail wags roughly parallel to the ground and they seem happy in other ways, it’s most likely an affectionate wag.
If you tend to walk the dog together with a spouse, partner, sibling, parent, friend, etc. , take note of who the dog tends to check in on most often. That’s probably who they love most!
Of course, different dogs have different levels of general excitement, so you’ll have to compare how they respond to you versus how they respond to other people. For instance, if the dog gets excited when anyone comes in the door but gets REALLY excited when you come in, that’s a good sign.
It’s easy for a dog to get excited around someone they like. However, it demonstrates a higher degree of trust and affection if they can quickly calm down in your presence.
So, instead of getting upset that only your slippers end up with teeth marks and slobber in them, brag to everyone else in the house that it’s a sign of your most-favored status!
They’ll respond more quickly because they want to be around you and want to please you. If the dog isn’t very good at obeying commands in general, the mere fact that they tend to obey you more often might be the sign of their affection.
Not surprisingly, the quality of the care you give and the amount of affection you show during this early age will impact the strength of their bond with you. This doesn’t mean you can’t forge a deep bond with a dog you adopted as an adult, though. It may take more time to build up trust, comfort, and affection, but most dogs want to and will bond with the person who gives them loving care.
Even if you haven’t been the most attentive human companion, it’s never too late to start!
You can overcome negative associations a dog has formed, but it may take more time and effort to build a strong and loving bond. The most important thing you can do is make sure they have positive experiences with you right from the start.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have an “opposites attract” scenario occur, and plenty of sociable dogs and shy people (and vice versa) develop loving bonds. But, having similar personalities simply tends to make the process easier.
While you should avoid staring back at unfamiliar dogs who look at you, it’s a good thing to return the affectionate gaze of dog who knows and loves you.
For those who like to see their dog as their “kid,” it’s worth noting that this is very similar to the advice given to help parents bond with their children.
In many ways, human-canine relationships aren’t all that different from human-human ones: you get what you give.
