Dogs are the most loyal and faithful companions humans could ever have.
They’ll love you without second thoughts, threats, conditions, and prejudice.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a prince or a pauper—they’ll stay by your side through thick and thin, with an unconditional and everlasting love.
You may love several dogs throughout your life, but a dog will love you for the rest of theirs, and this kind of love is so great that it extends to your entire family and loved ones.
A dog will always be there to love and protect you, as well as everyone or everything that matters to you, until their last breath. This is a promise that needs not to be spoken.
There’s something very special about dogs that makes you feel an exceptionally strong connection with them as if they’re filling a void in your restless soul, making you feel more comfortable in your own skin. As a result, you can’t help but give everything you got to do the same for them.
Simply stated, you know your dog loves you and you absolutely love them back. By all means, you want them to know this. But, how do you show love for your furry best friend without making them feel confused or uncomfortable?
A common mistake people tend to make is to treat them like human beings or, more often than not, babies.
Treating them this way makes them confused and robs them of their identity as dogs, which may lead to behavioral problems. You must accept them for who they are by letting them be in their own nature.
To help you show better affection, here are three ways to show love for your dog without smothering them:
1. Feed Them
Just like people, dogs feel loved when you prepare hearty meals for them. You can give them a well-balanced meal, or you can give them nutritious snacks in between the major meals. A well-nourished dog is a well-loved dog.
This can be done by giving them treats or formulas aside from their favorite dog food. Websites such as Native Pet offer such products, which can make dog nourishment easy for you and tasty for them.
There are also several types of human food that you can give to your dog as a snack or a mix to their regular dog food to improve its taste, aroma, and nutrition.
You can even make your own dog food recipe with such ingredients in lieu of highly processed dog food from supermarkets and pet stores, which could, sometimes, trigger diet-related issues, such as allergies or stomach sensitivities.
2. Touch Them
Nothing can be as blissful to dogs as the touch of their beloved humans. This can be extremely relaxing for dogs, especially when rubbed in their nerve centers.
Dogs have different nerve centers, such as their ears, tummy, and in between their toes, that send a sense of pleasure through their entire body when you rub them. This kind of affection that you give to your dog will send them straight to doggie daydream, and, in return, will make your bond even stronger.
Some people even massage their dogs to help relieve them of any stress and anxiety caused by their environment or their day-to-day lives. You can do this on any random day, or when you’re bathing them.
Snuggling with your dog is also another way to show affection through touch. You can lie with them on the couch or in your bed, and cuddle all their dog worries away.
If you don’t want them on your couch or on your bed, you can snuggle with them on the floor. This kind of gesture will show your dog a deep sense of devotion and make them feel more comfortable in their own space.
Just be careful not to give them big hugs because this can make them feel threatened or trapped, and may even lead to biting. Although hugging is a sweet and caring gesture for humans, this display of affection might be unwelcome to them.
3. Communicate With Them
While snuggling may be a very effective way to show some doggie love, it may not be enough. You must make eye contact with your dog because doing so releases your dog’s love hormones known as oxytocin, making your bonding experience stronger. This also builds more trust between you and your dog.
Dogs are also known to be perceptive of human speech more than you think, so it’s natural for you to talk to your dog. They also like it when you baby-talk them because the tone is as loving to them as it is to human beings.
However, it’s still important that you use your dog’s voice when talking to them, especially when giving them commands. Your dog voice is similar to barking in the dog lexicon.
Dogs are also receptive to facial expressions and body language. They can easily identify your emotions just by looking at your face no matter how much you try to hide it.
Raising your eyebrows while greeting them will show them how happy you are to see them. Moreover, they understand body language better than human speech because this is how they naturally communicate.
It’s important that you take the time to get to know your dog better to improve communication between you two. This will make it a lot easier to show love for your dog.
Bonus Tip
Playing with your dog will make it easier for you to train them, which can help prevent mental health and behavioral problems, and at the same time stimulate their senses. This can be the most fun way of showing your dog your love and care for them.
As a case in point, playing with your dog is vital in improving their quality of life. This way, you’d be able to make exercising a fun time for them. Doing this regularly will help your dog live a longer life so you can spend more time with them, making their short life worthwhile. Furthermore, dogs don’t live as long as humans do, so every moment they spend with you is seven times more precious to them.
