The Science Of Dogs: Do They Really Love Their Owners?

Do you love your dog? Does your dog love you? It's obvious: YES! But how did you come up with that? Clearly you know what your own feelings are – you're feeling them. For example, do you like warm grapefruit? Nope! See? It's easy. But when it comes to your pooch, you can't pick their brain to come up with a definitive answer. Instead you have to pick up on signals. How they react to you, how they wag their tails, lick your face, jump on your legs (or lap!) and nuzzel you with their face. All of those signals point to love, right? But what does science say?

Have you heard of Oxytocin? That's the scientific name, but most people know it as the “love hormone”. When you are with someone you love, your brain releases this hormone and its can cause feelings of happiness. Low doses of this hormone occur when you hug someone or shake a persons hand, too. But what does this have to do with you and your dog? Well, you might be surprised.

Original Image Source: Matt Deavenport

Are your dog falling in love with your? Continue over to page 2 and find out what scientists recently discovered.