Every dog has something that gets them really excited, whether it’s hearing the jingle of a leash or being asked, “Do you want to go for a ride?”
But there’s something else that gets their hearts pumping, and the news is delighting people everywhere! It all comes down to three beautiful words: “I love you.”
Canine Cottages, a company in the U.K., recently teamed up with some dog behavior specialists to learn a little more about how our pups show affection, whether it comes from licks, jumps, or tail wags.
They began monitoring various pets’ heart rates when their parents came home from work or gave them hugs, and the results were so wholesome!
While the study made plenty of fun findings, the most surprising one was that a dog’s heart rate increases by around 46.2 percent when they hear their humans say “I love you.”
The feeling is mutual! A human’s heart rate jumps by a little over 10 percent when they see their pup. Our only question is how could it not? Look at this sweet face!
Another interesting discovery was that a dog’s heart rate decreases by about 22 percent when they’re being cuddled by their loved ones.
In other words, they’re relaxed when they’re with us! We have the ability to calm them down simply by sitting with them.
The study also broke down what different behaviors mean for pups and their owners.
For instance, lounging belly-up is a sign of trust, while growling at strangers when they’re with their families is a show of loyalty and protection. Even better, sharing their favorite toys is an expression love and jumping on their parents when they see them literally happens because they are unable to control their excitement!
The next time we see our dogs eagerly wagging their tails at the sight of us, we’ll be sure to say “I love you” to get them even more excited! It just goes to show that expressing our affection makes a difference in how our pets feel – and is further proof of how much we mean to them! No wonder dogs are everyone’s best friend.
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