A Scientific Quiz to Measure Your Dog’s Love for You
The quiz on this page uses the most recent scientific data on how dogs show affection to their owners. Dr. Gregory Berns, the author of How Dogs Love Us, believes that our puppies have the same brain structure to produce emotions as humans. So, they might like, hate, or even miss you.
He used MRI scans and brain imaging techniques to find out how our loyal animal friends think. And we used the findings of his work to create the internet’s most accurate Dog Love Quiz.
Note that dogs, compared to felines, express their feelings in unique ways. So, we would recommend taking the Cat Love Quiz instead if you are a kitten parent.
How Does It Work?
The test consists of twenty report-style questions about your pet’s behavior and reactions—as well as yours. The goal is to answer questions like, “Does my dog love me back?” or “How much does it like me?” To do so, we created a three-step process that takes less than five minutes to complete.
Here is everything you need to know about our Puppy Love Detector tool.
· Looking for Love Signs
Depending on the dog breed, you may encounter different signs of love/dislike. So, we inspect the most common signals of your pet’s feelings during the first part of the test.
· Analyzing Your Behavior
It is not exclusively about your dog. You, as its owner, play an important role in the creation and expression of emotions. So, we investigate your traits and actions to make the quiz results 100% accurate.
· Excluding Red Flags
Some characteristics and attributes of your pet might be warning signs that it is not happy with its owner. So, we need to exclude such possibilities before answering questions like, “Does my puppy love me?” You need to be as honest and accurate as possible during this final stage. Otherwise, the test results might become less precise and inaccurate.
6-Question Checklist: Does My Dog Love Me?
You can find out how much your dog loves you by answering the following 6 questions with Yes or No.
- Does your pet gaze at you?
- Does it often yawn when you yawn?
- Does your puppy bring its favorite toy to you?
- Does it wag its tail in an upward position around you?
- Does your dog play with your clothes and personal stuff?
- Does it let to pet its forehead and cuddle with it?
The more “Yes” answers on this checklist, the more doggy love there is for you. However, you can take the quiz for a detailed and in-depth analysis of your pet’s feelings for you.
5 Body Language Signs Your Dog Likes You Back
Unlike humans, puppies rely on your actions (as opposed to your words) to understand how you feel about them. And you should use the same strategy when it comes to doggy communication. Here are the top body language signs that your dog is using to say, “I love you!”
1. Raising eyebrows while sticking out its tongue.
A 2017 study published in the Scientific Reports showed that puppies produce more facial expressions when humans are looking at them. So, if your furry buddy raises its eyebrows and shows you its tongue, it is a way of expressing affection and trust.
2. Wagging its tail in a particular way.
Your dog loves you more than you could imagine if it wags its tail when you are around. Of course, different wagging styles indicate distinctive meanings. So, use the table below to decipher what your pet’s tail move means.
| Tail Wagging Style | Meaning |
| High | Your dog loves you |
| Lower | Your dog is nervous |
| Slow and stiff | Your dog is angry |
Dr. Carlo Siracus provides the above information, believing that “puppies use their tail movement to speak to us.”
3. Yawning when you yawn.
When your dog yawns after you, it is a clear sign of its attention and focus on your movement. And that means your furry friend likes you—a lot.
4. Gazing into your eyes.
Unlike cats, who hate gazing at your eyes, dogs do so to express their affection for you.
5. Leaning on or sleeping with you.
Our loyal furry friends are pack animals. And they tend to trust in their pack’s members only. So, if your dog is leaning on you or sleeping with you, it is clearly in love with you.
Red Flags That Your Dog Does NOT Like You
You want to know if your puppy loves you. But it is not as simple as that. Sometimes, you may do things that hurt your pet’s feelings. And that can lead to a love-hate relationship downhill. If your puppy demonstrates the following actions, it has lost its interest in you—or maybe never had it in the first place.
Ignoring you and your commands.
Your pet should see you as the pack’s leader and, therefore, follow your orders. If that is not the case, you might want to work on your relationship and strengthen your bond.
Hiding away from you.
Yelling or treating your pet poorly results in a broken relationship, leading to your dog losing interest in you. So, something is wrong if it is trying to avoid you or hide from you.
Slow, stiff tail wagging around you.
One clear sign that your dog probably hates you (or something about you) is slow and stiff tail movement. It is a red flag, indicating your pet is in a defensive and aggressive mode for some reason.
Things to Know About the Dog Love Quiz
Please note that puppies are emotional beings. And they may go through mental health issues if treated poorly or aggressively. Make sure to consult a professional breeder or vet in case the test results indicate your dog does not love you. Otherwise, the situation might turn into something even worse, such as separation anxiety, depression, or even OCD.
