How can you tell who your dog loves most?

Reviewed by Vanessa Farner, DVM on July 08, 2021

Signs Your Dog Loves You
What Science Says About Puppy Love

Does my dog love me or just my food? If you’ve asked yourself this question, you’re one of the thousands of dog owners who have wondered the same thing. Are they the ultimate scam artists, or do they truly love us?

The short answer: yes. Dogs do love us, and they show it in a lot of different ways.

Here are some ways you can tell if your pup is showing some love:

They’re excited to see you. All dog owners are familiar with this scene. You open your front door to a thunderstorm of furry playfulness. Your dog might jump on you, lick your face, and they’ll definitely wag their tail. Being excited and happy to see you is one way you can be assured they love and miss you.

They seek physical contact. This can come in the form of a quick nuzzle, a cuddle, or the famous lean. All of these signal that your pup wants to show affection. It’s best to let them do this on their own terms, so resist the urge to trap them in a tight hug.

They want to sleep near you. Dogs, by nature, sleep in a pack next to each other. They place their noses to the wind to pick up on any smells that might signal a threat. When your pup snuggles beside you or wants to sleep in your room, it’s a sign that they trust you and feel safe.

They give you puppy eyes. Holding eye contact is a big move for dogs, and it’s reserved for someone they love and trust. In the wild, dead-on eye contact is an aggressive move. They use this tactic to intimidate each other and establish dominance. When your dog looks your right in the eyes and holds eye contact without their pupils getting bigger, they're gazing at you lovingly.

They check on you. Cooking, watching tv, bathroom visits — your dog is there through it all — or at least they try to be. Your pup might pop in your bedroom once to say hi, or they might be your permanent shadow around the house. Checking up on you is just one way your dog shows affection. They're making sure you’re ok!

They’ll lick you. When your dog licks you, it could be for a few different reasons, but ultimately it’s an affectionate gesture. They want your attention and want to interact. They could be gearing up to play or just giving an affectionate lick before a cuddle. Either way, they want to show you they care.

They share their toys. Your dog might sometimes tease you with their toy when they want to play, but in a true gesture of affection, they’ll present it as a gift. They want to share their most prized possession with the person they care about. Sounds like a whole lot of love.

You’re only second place when there’s food involved. A pup that loves you will prioritize you above all—except a big bowl of food. That’s the only time they’ll be totally and completely smitten with something else.

Researchers on a quest to answer this age-old question conducted magnetic image resonance tests (MRI) on several trained dogs to look at their brain activity. When presented with a selection of different smells, the dogs were more excited by their human’s scent than by any other smell, including, notably, food. Research also tells us some dogs prefer praise over food, or want both equally.

Another study showed that dogs’ brain activity went through the roof when they listened to happy sounds, like praise. The same study also showed many similarities between the way both humans and dogs process sounds.

In a nutshell, dogs are naturally wired to pick up on changes in our voice and mood. That’s why, of all the animals in the world, dogs are our best friends.

If you have been wondering if you are your dog’s favorite person, this post will show you 13 ways you can tell.

The most common signs that you are your dog’s favorite person are that they follow you around, they get anxious when you are leaving, they try to get your attention the most, they make eye contact with you the most and they protect you the most.

There are actually a number of ways you can tell if you are your dog’s favorite person and there are a number of things you can do to become your dog’s favorite person.

They follow your orders

One way you dog might be showing you that you are their favorite person is by listening to your commands. If they do what you tell them to, it would be a sign that they trust and respect you as their leader.

They follow you around specifically

If your dog follows you around specifically and they do not follow other people around as much, it would also be a sign that you are your dog’s favorite person.

They try to get your attention the most

Another sign that you are your dog’s favorite person is if your dog tries to get your attention the most. Ways they might be trying to get your attention could include putting their paws on you, sitting near you or licking you.

They protect you

If your dog becomes protective when people are around you, it would also be a sign that you are your dog’s favorite person. This is because it suggests that your dog wants you to be safe and that your dog does not want other people coming near you.

They nose you

Sometimes dogs will “nose” people which is where they put their nose on them and smell them, usually so that they can gather information about where they have been. If your dog noses you a lot it would be a sign that they love you since it shows that they want to know where you have been, how healthy you are, and that you are ok.

They make eye contact with you

When dogs look at their owners in the eyes it releases Oxytocin which is a hormone that promotes bonding (source). This means that, if your dog makes eye contact with you a lot, it would be a sign that your dog loves you and that you are their chosen person.

They put themselves into vulnerable positions around you

Another way your dog might have been showing that you are their chosen person is by putting themselves into vulnerable positions around you. If it puts itself in vulnerable positions when it is around you, such as by laying on its back, it would suggest that it trusts you and that it feels comfortable around you.

They lick you the most

If your dog often licks youm this would also be a sign that it has chosen you. This is because dogs will groom each other by licking them and they will lick when they are being submissive. So, licking you would be a sign that it considers you as a part of its pack and that it respects you.

They get excited when you come home

Another way that your dog might be showing that it loves you the most is by getting excited when you come home. If it does, it would suggest that it is glad to see you, that you are ok and that it enjoys having you around.

They wait for you to come home

If your dog waits for you to come home by doings such as sleeping by the front door, it would also be a sign that you are their favorite person. This would be especially the case if your dog does it when other family members are still home.

They want you to rub their belly

If your dog often wants you to rub their belly, it would also be another sign that your dog loves you. This is because it puts itself into a vulnerable position when you rub its belly so it shows that it trusts you and that it feels comfortable with you.

They lean on you

If your dog often leans on you, then this would also be a sign that it loves you. This is because it would show that it trusts you, it feels more comfortable when it is very close to you and that it feels more secure when it is with you.

They bring things to you

Another sign that you are your dog’s favorite person would be if it brings you gifts. This is because it shows that it wants to make you happy and that it wants you to be ok.

Things to consider

Not showing affection does not mean that they do not like you

It is important to be aware that not showing affection does not necessarily mean that your dog does not love you. Dogs will show affection in many different ways and it could be the case that your dog is actually showing you affection but in ways that you are not recognizing.

How to become my dog’s favorite person?

Below are some things you can do to become your dog’s favorite person.

Be the one to feed your dog

It would be very helpful to be the one to feed your dog. By doing so, you will become a lot more important to your dog because you will be the one that provides its precious meals.

Give your dog the most attention

It would also help to try to give your dog the most attention by doing things such as playing with it, petting it or rubbing its belly. By doing so, you should be able to get your dog to come to you when it wants attention.

Be the one to exercise your dog

It would also help to be the one that gives your dog exercise so that your dog sees you as the person that provides it with walks.

Give your dog training

In order to maintain a healthy relationship with your dog, and so that it is well behaved, it is important to give it lots of training. By giving it lots of training you will be able to get it to behave the way you want it to and to get it to be more responsive to your command. If you have not given it much training, it would help to start with the basics and then to build up from there.