Animals are some of the best creatures on earth and without them, most of us probably wouldn’t have known what love and responsibility mean. The idea that animals can love was impossible to imagine especially for some scientists, but over time more and more research has been discovered and has confirmed the emotional side of animals. When it comes to dogs, of course, they can’t externalize their feelings in words, but they can let you know their feelings with small gestures. 

In fact, everyone knows that dogs are man’s best friends. Just like many other animals, dogs are extremely intelligent, adorable companions and trustworthy. They give and teach us a lot of things and in return, they do not ask for much. All that your pet wants from you is for you to show them affection and kindness. In other words, you can’t adopt a pet, whether we talk about dogs, cats or exotic animals, if you do not have enough time to take care of it, because they have special needs, such as daily walking, food and different medicines. 

There is a question that many people ask: do our dogs love us back? Well, the answer is yes and I bet that you can feel it. Even though it can’t talk to you physically, it does not mean that your dogs can’t express their emotions in so many different ways. Animals can love you unconditionally and your pet shows you this every day, from giving you broken items to guarding you while sitting on the toilet. 

So, read on to find out some ways your dog is showing that it loves you, according to vets!

It has a positive reaction when is hearing your name

If you have a pet you know that animals can learn their name and respond to it, but sometimes they will also recognize their owner’s name and have a positive reaction when hearing it. So, if you pay attention to the behavior of your dog you will see that it get excited when someone is calling you. 

“Over time, dogs learn to recognize human names. If they hear a loved one’s name mentioned who isn’t present, they’ll get excited at the thought that they might appear,” said Jamie Richardson, veterinarian and medical chief of staff at Small Door Veterinary, told Insider.

If your pet brings you broken items it means that it loves you

It is said that your dog can actually show you love and trust by giving you broken things. Well, it seems that cats can do the same – when they bring you dead mice it means that they want to protect you because in their mind, you can’t hunt for yourself and they want to help you not die of hunger.

“Some dogs will show their affection for you and faith in your intelligence by bringing you items that need ‘fixing,'” said Michelle L. Szydlowski, veterinary technician and an anthrozoology instructor at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida.

So, if your dog brings you a dead animal or a toy that needs to be fixed it means that your pet really loves you!

“Every snack you make, every meal you bake, every bite you take… I’ll be watching you”

As you probably know, dogs love to watch you while you eat, but this behavior has several hidden meanings. For instance, if your dog is guarding you while you eat, sit on the toilet, relax or shower, it wants to show you that it loves you enough to protect you even if there is no real danger around you. So, they want to make sure that you are safe no matter what kind of activity you do.  

“Guarding behavior is often a sign that your dog feels you belong to its pack. A guarding dog might sit next to the table, facing away from you while you eat or stand immediately in front of another dog if you are sitting nearby,” said Szydlowski.

But even though this is a cute and pretty habit, many animal experts recommend you discouraging this guarding behavior because it can actually lead to several behavioral issues and your pet could also develop territorial-related problems.

Your dog can herd your family members

When you are in the park, together with your dog and family, try to focus on its behavior. If you see that your dog is trying to keep your family members going in the same direction, it means that it activated the herding behavior. 

“Herding is a way of showing affection for the ‘pack.’ For example, if someone in the family or another pet steps off the sidewalk, some dogs will herd the wayward member back onto the sidewalk and safety,” said Szydlowski.

Nonetheless, you will see this behavior more in certain dog breeds, such as border collies and Australian shepherds, because they originally controlled the herds of cows and sheep.

If your dog will rub its face on you it means it loves you

If you see that your dog often rubs its face on you that is because it wants to show you love and affection. 

“It’s a common way to show affection. By rubbing their face on you, your dog is marking you as theirs,” says Sara Ochoa, veterinarian and veterinary consultant for DogLab.

But you should also be careful about this behavior because if you see that your dog rubs its face on every surface that appears in front of it, you have to call your veterinarian. Some dogs do this when suffering from an infection or mites.

It gets agitated when you lie down to take a nap

How do you know your pet loves you? Well, all you have to do is to play dead or take a nap and if you see that your beloved furry friend gets agitated, it means that it adores you and cares about you. This is pretty nice, right?

“Some dogs will lick your head and face desperately if they think you are unconscious or unresponsive,” said Szydlowski.

There are a lot of funny, but cute videos of dogs seeing their owners pretending they are dead. Their reactions are priceless! But if you want to sleep for a couple of minutes you can get your pet out of the bedroom.

Holding eye contact 

If your dog likes to stare at you, it means that it really loves you. So, you have a strong connection with your beloved pet if you maintain eye contact. According to some animal experts, when your dog stares at you, its brain releases oxytocin, which is also known as the love hormone. You have to keep in mind that forcing eye contact can make your dog uncomfortable and aggressive in some cases. 

“From the time they are puppies, dogs appear to be driven to establish eye contact with humans, which can be a marker of attachment,” says Rebecca Greenstein, veterinarian and medical advisor for Rover.

Dogs can show you their feelings through their facial expressions

in case you did not know this before, dogs can develop facial expressions that can help them communicate with their owners. So, if you had any doubts that your dog smiled or winked at you, now you can be sure that it did!  

“[Pet] dogs can raise their inner eyebrows much more dramatically than wild dogs, and this sympathetic, adorable expression is thought to induce feelings of care and nurturing in their human owners,” said Greenstein.

They will give you their toys

Dogs usually love active games, and throwing the tennis ball is one of them. However, it adores to play these games because it wants to share its toys with you, and if it does it, then it really loves you. In fact, it is just a way to show you affection. So, I hope you have enough time to play with it every single day!

“If your dog really loves you, they will often bring their favorite toy. This is their way of sharing their stuff with you and showing they care,” said Ochoa.

Your dog can feel when you are sad

According to many studies and animal experts, humans and animals can have a strong connection and they can feel when someone is not feeling good. For instance, if you are sad or depressed and you had a difficult day at work, your pet can feel it and will try to show you affection when you need it the most.  

“Dogs can innately sense when you are sad or struggling with something. They will find a way to cuddle up to you, rest their head on you, or generally find a way to be close to you during these times,” said Richardson.

Dogs will use cuddling to create a stronger connection with you

Believe it or not, humans are not that different from animals and we use the same signals when we want to show our love for other creatures and beings. In other words, whether we are talking about humans or pets, we all want to cuddle when we have a feeling for someone or something. 

“Gentle touching and nuzzling mimic maternal affection between puppies and their original dog moms. These physical activities induce the release of the feel-good hormone, oxytocin, in both species,” said Greenstein.

It is always happy when you get home

The truth is that your dog always gets excited when you get home, even though you have left it alone all day. So, if your dog jumps, licks your face, barks and brings you its favorite toy, the chances are it loves you more than anything. 

In addition, if it brings you dirty clothes and shoes it means that it wants affection.