How does your dog show affection?

[irotas]

People are often convinced that their dog adores them, but I've never really heard anyone explain what exactly it is their dog does that gives them that impression.

I think the closest thing Manni does to show affection is he'll occasionally climb up on the couch next to me and rest his head on my legs or stomach. Other than that, all I can really think of is he follows me around the house and will lay down on the floor as close to me as possible.

So I'm curious what YOUR dog does to show his affection towards you.

 

[ACooper]

Phoebe is a very "pet me, hug me, then leave me alone" kind of girl unless you are a child. Then she is all about laying on, licking, sleeping as close to them as possible. She will do anything to please a child, and she does what we adults ask her because she "has to" LOL

Orson is the real affectionate one in this house. He HAS to be touching me or my husband. He will lean on us while we are standing, He has to put his head in our lap as much as possible. At 73 lbs he tries his best to fit his whole body in our laps, He waits at the bathroom door if I happen to shut him out. He sits on our feet if that is the only option open. He just really wants us to know that we belong to HIM

 

[milos_mommy]

Milo...he licks my face, sits on my lap, snuggles with me, always brings me toys, comes to me when he wants something before anyone else, when i get home his whole body wags with excitement. This morning, he slept downstairs in my mom's room (instead of with me) and i was on the couch when he woke up, he was walking into the den but as soon as he saw me he started galloping, then jumped on my lap, kissed my face, and snuggled into me. He always wants to be with me, whether he's going outside or i'm going outside, etc.

 

[Dizzy]

Wow.... Bodhi is the love bug.

She snuggles, she loves being squeezed. She's a little shadow.

I suppose we have our "moments" when we go to bed - she sleeps on my bed...

She will lay and gaze at me... I can't really describe WHAT she does.. it's HOW she does it.

I suppose I just know, the same way I know anyone else loves me.

 

[Dizzy]

lol - you just have to look at my avatar She loves her mum.

 

[Beanie]

It's a lot of things.... just the way we interact. Yesterday I bought a children's book about a dog and lay on the floor to read it to Auggie, and he lay under my arm looking at the book the whole time I read it, and when I was done he turned his head up to kiss me on the cheek, like he was saying thanks for reading the book to him. LOL, I don't know - I think Dizzy is right, it's just the way you know it, the way you feel it. How can you put it into words!

 

[BostonBanker]

it's just the way you know it, the way you feel it. How can you put it into words!

Exactly. Meg always wants to snuggle, but she's like that with everyone (granted, she likes everyone, so it is probably affection). But there is just something extra there when we are snuggling, or when she gives "that" look - when we are both in the middle of something and happen to glance up and make eye contact. For a brief second, the eye's squint, the ears go back, and the nubbin gives a little wiggle. Everything about it says, "Hey, I'm glad you're right there." I'm sure there is a similar expression on my face, too (minus the nubbin).

 

[milos_mommy]

Exactly. Meg always wants to snuggle, but she's like that with everyone (granted, she likes everyone, so it is probably affection). But there is just something extra there when we are snuggling, or when she gives "that" look - when we are both in the middle of something and happen to glance up and make eye contact. For a brief second, the eye's squint, the ears go back, and the nubbin gives a little wiggle. Everything about it says, "Hey, I'm glad you're right there." I'm sure there is a similar expression on my face, too (minus the nubbin).

don't you love having a nubbed doggie? I don't think i'll ever love a dogs tail as much as Milo's nubbin.

 

[Scooter]

Zoe goes between my legs and stops until I scratch her butt. She also licks me to death, and rubs her head on my leg. She's very affectionate!

 

[BostonBanker]

don't you love having a nubbed doggie? I don't think i'll ever love a dogs tail as much as Milo's nubbin.

The nubbin does have a certain, special appeal. Although I don't approve of docking myself and would never have it done to one of my dogs (Meg's came that way), I have fallen in love with it.

 

[Cheza]

Cheza's not a snugglebutt, but when she wants some company she'll do a dane-sit on your lap

 

[shadowfacedanes]

Hannah's not a kisser, but she does love to put her face up to my face and breath on me as she leans her whole entire body against me.

One of her most soothing signs of affection is when I am gloomy or stressed, she'll go get one of her favorite toys, lay it in my lap, and then lay her head on my lap and sigh. She doesn't want to play when she does this, but it's almost like she's giving me one of her favorite things in order to make me feel better.

I just love this dog!!

 

[smkie]

Victor leans a little against people and their hands just naturally migrate towards him. IF he is impatient he will nudge but it isn't getting the response he wants so this is his more subtler techinque and it really works well.
Mary will look at you and then thump her tail reallllly hard and wait for you to call her. I have noticed that she wacks that tail against things that make a lot of noise too. Mary likes to be asked over.

 

[Spirit2010]

Hershey will put his head on my lap or put his head near my legs, and basically thats his way. Whisper, her way, I'm not sure of yet. lol, shes an adventerous puppy. lol

 

[ToscasMom]

Tosca, besides being physically affectionate, has this look when she looks at me. The Collie down ears, the eyebrow position, the whole Collie-love face thing she does just tells me she loves me. I bet anyone here who owns or knows a Collie knows just what I mean. And sometimes she just comes up to me face to face and nudges me. She's a kisser too but not a slobberer. She also makes special noises toward me that spell Love in my mind.

 

[RD]

Ripley's ultimate display of affection is to climb into your lap, rest his elbows on your chest and try to shove his dime-sized nose into your nostril. His second-to-ultimate display of affection is to shove his butt underneath your foot, and demand that you scratch it.

Dakota's display of affection (rather, who he likes) is displayed by where he chooses to sit/lie down. If he'll lie down and sleep right next to someone, he likes them. If he isn't comfortable sitting near them for more than a few minutes, he's probably not crazy about them.

Eve... is friends with everyone. Everybody gets the squinty eyes and pinned back ears. Everyone gets the wiggle butt and sometimes she just can't help but scoot over to them and ask politely for some scratches. They get the same affection that I do, and a lot of people don't think she's very loyal, but I beg to differ. At my word, she'll change her complete attitude. If something's going on with me, she drops whatever she's doing to see what's up. If she's tired or hungry or irritated with something, she stares at me and tries to tell me about it. When she's not working, though, she gives the same affection to everyone that she gives to me.

I'm definitely not Eve's whole world. I guess I'm not used to a social butterfly, because both Ripley and Dakota are content to be left alone by anyone they aren't friends with, and it takes them some time to accept new people. Eve thinks of everyone as a friend she hasn't met yet. She's an eternal optimist, but that's okay. I guess she balances me out. At a moment's notice, when I need her, Eve will drop her world completely and force herself into mine. The bond we have isn't really evident by the way she flits around and makes friends, but I can tell it's there. We couldn't understand each other so well without it.

/sap

 

[Whisper]

Lucy loves to sit on people's laps. She loves to lick and give kisses. She gets wiggly and happy with people she likes. She of course does that with me, too, and some affection she shows me is resting her head on me and relaxing when I hold her. She only relaxes like that with me. She loves to cuddle up with me and sleep right on or next to me.
Millie is more affectionate to me and a little more reserved with others unless she knows them well. She comes up and rests her head on my lap and sighs, and looks up at me with those soft brown eyes. It melts my heart. She scoots really close and looks at someone hoping for some petting. When I am having a panic attack or when I'm very upset or crying (like when I lost Blossom) she comes over to me and leans against me, gives my hand a lick or two, and sighs, and stays there until I'm feeking better. Sometimes she comes to check on me a few minute later by getting up, walking by, giving my hand a lick or two, looks up in my eyes and after a few seconds leans on me then goes to lie down at my feet. She thumps her tail at my smallest smile or gesture.
The way she looks at me and reads me is what gets me. She gives the sweetest, most loving expression that I couldn't explain how special it is.

(My sappiness is over now.)

 

[Denaluvscorgis]

I can tell just by the way they look at me. They also snuggle into me...lick me.

 

[BostonBanker]

Eve... is friends with everyone. Everybody gets the squinty eyes and pinned back ears. Everyone gets the wiggle butt and sometimes she just can't help but scoot over to them and ask politely for some scratches. They get the same affection that I do, and a lot of people don't think she's very loyal, but I beg to differ. At my word, she'll change her complete attitude.

Very well said. Meg is the same way, and I constantly get the, "See, she loves me as much as you!" thing from people she's just met. And she kind of does . She just thinks people are fantastic. But as soon as I turn my shoulders to walk away, she's up and coming with me. And it is all fine with me.

 

[Charliesmommy]

Charlie is a snuggler too but I really know he loves me because when I go sit out in the back yard (HIS area) and read he gets sooooo happy. He doesn't bother me, he just prances around my chair in big circles, wagging his tail and it's like he's singing "my mom's out here with me, my mom's out here with me"