Why Are Dogs Loyal?

While some may believe dogs are loyal because they rely on their human companions for food and shelter, others believe dogs are capable of developing relational and emotional bonds with the people who care for them. While it̵7;s impossible to determine exactly what a dog thinks or feels, the answer, likely, is somewhere in the middle.

  1. Bonding

    • Just as puppies bond with their mother and their siblings shortly after birth, dogs begin to form an attachment with their human companions once adopted. A human who shows love and attention to a dog through physical contact, playing and interaction, obedience training, and by providing food and shelter, earns his dog's trust.

    Pack Mentality

    • Dogs are pack animals, and have a pack mentality, whether it's with other dogs, humans or a combination of both. Dogs instinctually crave interaction and involvement with their pack and want to be contributing, active members. Domesticated dogs can take pleasure from doing things on behalf of their human companions and being rewarded in the form of love and attention. This also leads to a willingness and desire to please, often interpreted as loyalty.

    Protection

    • Pack animals protect others in their pack, and in domesticated dogs, this can translate to loyalty toward human companions. A dog who growls when a stranger comes by or barks when another dog enters the yard is showing loyalty to his pack through protective measures. He'll protect his people, their belongings and his territory as a means of taking an active role in his family pack.

    Routine

    • Stories have been told about dogs who wait by the door every evening for a master who passed away months or years before. Part of a dog̵7;s sense of loyalty may stem from the established routine in his life, which his human companions are at the center of. If your dog waits for your child̵7;s school bus, brings in the paper or demonstrates other acts of loyalty, he may be acting, in part, from a learned routine.

    Trust

    • The loyalty of your dog will grow over time as he learns he can trust you to provide him with the necessities of life. A dog who has been abandoned or abused may have initial trust issues that it will take time to overcome. Even though dogs don't have the same type of feelings as humans, they do experience emotions including joy, excitement and fear, and they can understand unfairness and mistreatment. Maintain a strong and loving bond with your pup by being as loyal to him as he is to you.