9 Ways to Tell if Your Chihuahua Loves You

Most people who have chihuahuas or any other dog love them very much, just like they love their own kids. You may feel like they love you as you cuddle with your chihuahuas and look up into their warm brown or incredible blue eyes.

But how to make sure your chihuahua really loves you or if you are giving it human traits? This article will help you figure out if your chihuahua loves you and how she/he feels about you.

Is it a proper love or Personification?

Personification called also “anthropomorphize” is the fact of giving human form, qualities, or personality to things that are not human such as animals, god,s, etc.  People who have pets often do this. Which makes for funny memes and videos. But can our chihuahuas really make us believe that they love us too? Or is it just personification?

Most dog owners would say true love, and they’ll be happy to hear that this is what science says too. Research in the field of psychology has shown that dogs can love! But they don’t feel more complex emotions like shame, which makes many funny memes not true. Stay tuned to know more.

How Psychological Research Confirms The Idea That Dogs Love Their Humans

Dr. Stanley Coren wrote in Psychology Today that dogs in general including our chihuahuas have the same feelings as a two-year-old kid. Consequently, dogs can also feel love, joy, fear, anger, and disgust, just like humans are two years old.

What is the difference between dogs and other canines when it comes to love toward humans?

When people want to learn more about their dogs, which are called “Canis familiaris,” they often look at their ancestors, which are called “Canis lupus.” Even though gray wolves are the wild ancestors of the dogs we keep as pets, they look and act very differently.

Science.org talks about an experiment where dogs and their people, as well as wolves and their people, used eye contact, petting, and talking to measure the amount of oxytocin in their bodies. By the way, Oxytocin is a hormone that has been linked to the bond between mothers and babies. Eye contact was the main focus of this experiment.

In this experiment, the wolves and dogs reacted in very different ways. Wolves know that making eye contact is a threat, so their levels of oxytocin did not rise. But the dogs’ oxytocin levels went up. This is because they learned that making eye contact with humans is not dangerous and is actually good for the relationship. (see fig. below)

This is another piece of evidence that dogs love their humans. You can have a deep dive into this experiment by reading this article Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds

How much do chihuahuas love their owners?

Some dogs may love their people more than others. Dr. Stanley Coren wrote for Psychology Today that an experiment was done with a group of dogs that had lived together in a kennel since they were puppies and were cared for by the same person. The goal was to see if the dogs were more attached to each other, or to the person who took care of them.

When they were in a strange place and wanted to feel safe. These puppies chose their caretaker over their litter mates. This means that a dog who lives at home may be more likely to look for comfort in his or her owner.

Dogs have also shown that they remember loved ones who have died, but they can’t understand what death means. Dr. Stanley Coren talks more about this in this article for Psychology Today.

9 Ways Chihuahuas Show Love to Their Parents

If a chihuahua loves a person, he is friendly and shows affection toward that person. Chihuahuas show they love, care, or are attached by:

1. Trying to get a person’s attention by making eye contact, sitting next to them, nudging them, etc.
2. Seeking comfort from their favorite person when they are in a new or scary situation.
3. If a chihuahua is totally at ease with a person, he or she won’t mind rolling onto their back. So, if your dog rolls over to get a belly rub, that shows how much they like you.
4. On a walk, they “check-in” with their owner by walking next to them, looking up at them, or nudging their hand.
5. Picking to be near their favorite person. Some chihuahuas are called “velcro dogs” or their owner’s “shadow” because they follow them literally everywhere, even to the bathroom.
6. your chihuahua is glad to see you. When you walk in the door, your dog may jump, bark, and get too excited. Or maybe he is quieter and just wags his tail to the right when he hears you say hello.
7. Your chihuahua gives you presents. he or she might bring you his/her favorite toy to play with, but more often he gives it to you as a gift. He wants the person he loves to “share” his favorite thing with him.
8. Only food is more important to your chihuahua than you. Your dog wants you more than food. Dogs including chihuahuas only live in the present. When they are hungry and someone gives them a bowl of food, they will pass up the chance to talk to people in favor of a good meal. When the bowl is empty, however, dogs want you. After they eat, many chihuahuas want to cuddle with their owners.
9. Your chihuahua does not care about your appearance. If your dog cuddles you when you have stinky morning breath, after you’ve worked out and are sweaty, or when your hair is a mess, it’s probably because he loves you. Chihuahuas really do love us no matter what we do or say.

How Can People Show Their Chihuahuas That They Care About Them?

The best way to show your chihuahua that you love him or she is to build a strong relationship with him or her. For this to happen, a person and their dog need to spend a lot of time together. Here are some ways you can spend quality time with your chihuahua alone:

• Give your chihuahua the basic care he or she needs, like food and water, grooming, veterinary care, exercise, playtime, a safe place to live, and a private area to sleep. This helps your dog connect with you by feeling safe, cared for, and at ease.
• When something scary is happening to your chihuahua, like going to the vet, stay with him or her to comfort and support him or her. This shows your dog that he can trust you.
• Find ways to include your chihuahua in as many parts of your life as possible. Because chihuahuas are lap dogs you do various activities with them easily. For instance, eat at restaurants that allow dogs, shop at stores that are dog friendly, take your dog on vacation with you, bring your dog to work, etc. Spending more time together is the only way to make your relationship stronger.
• Work on training, whether it’s basic obedience, advanced obedience, or tricks. Not only does training help your chihuahua be better behaved, which makes living with your dog more pleasant, but it also gives dogs the pack structure they need to grow and bond. The best thing for dogs to do is to follow a pack leader.
• Take part in a dog sport like obedience, Flyball, trick dog, agility, barn hunt, etc. Working with your dog to learn a sport and compete in it gives you a chance to work as a team and grow closer.
• Some professionals believe that letting your dog sleep in your bed makes your relationship with your dog stronger. Because sleeping in the same bed shows your dog that he or she is a member of your pack. Also, some dog owners think that when their dogs slept in their beds, it helped them train them better.

Last word

Research in psychology has shown that dogs do love people. Spend quality time with your chihuahua to show him or her that you love him or her and to strengthen the love that your tiny dog has for you.

How does your chihuahua show you that he or she loves you? How do you show your dog you care? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

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