Does my dog love me?

Science is uncertain

Whether dogs can feel real love for their humans is very controversial among scientists. But a dog's head is not very different from ours. The brains of dogs and humans are built from similar structures. However, there are different "priorities". The differences are mainly found in the cortex, the cerebral cortex. Animal researchers assume that the main difference between humans and dogs is that the communication of the cerebral cortex with the other brain regions is not as well developed in dogs as in humans.

The consciousness of self

One thing is certain: Dogs can recognize people very well by their faces and read and understand their feelings and moods from their facial expressions. But they do not recognize themselves in a mirror. For a long time science assumed that they lack the so-called ego-consciousness. A prerequisite for being able to develop real feelings.
Today we know that dogs do not pass the so-called mirror test because, unlike humans or apes, they do not have to rely on their sense of sight as their main source of information. The own identity and the identity of others is mainly determined by dogs by their sense of smell and hearing. Dogs could therefore actually have an ego-consciousness.

Hormones

The hormone balance may allow conclusions to be drawn as to whether the dog's affection could be love. Researchers from the Japanese universities of Tokyo and Kanagawa have found that dogs release the hormone oxytocin more when they spend time with their owners or with other dogs of the same species. This so-called "cuddling hormone" also influences the binding behavior in humans. It increases our willingness to get closer to others or to trust them.

Romance

For the scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human History in Jena, love is always based on a romantic feeling. But this goes far beyond the cooperative, communicative and cognitive abilities of dogs. Therefore, they doubt that the affection of dogs for humans could be love.

My pawfect Valentine

The fact that dogs can feel emotions and show their feelings is considered by researchers to be largely confirmed. This is shown by numerous studies by brain and behavioural researchers. Presumably this also applies to feelings such as fear, joy, sadness and suffering. But whether they can also feel love is difficult for us humans to fathom and there is no objective, scientifically reliable evidence for this yet.

But most dog owners do not need this evidence at all.