It’s the season of love, and we’re ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our dogs! You may be familiar with the Five Love Languages, which describe five ways that we receive love from others. But what about how our pups need our love? Find out your dog’s love language below!
1. Physical Touch
If your dog’s first reaction to meeting a new human is to roll over for a belly rub, their love language might be physical touch. Dogs with this love language can usually be found bumping your hand for pets, climbing into your lap to give stinky kisses, or smothering you as they climb into your bed for the night (of course, they don’t sleep in their own beds – they could never be away from you for that long). If physical touch is your dog’s love language, make sure to spend some extra time snuggling them and getting all of their itchy spots this Valentine’s Day – they will return that love tenfold!
2. Quality Time
Is your dog never more than 2 feet away from you? Would you describe them as a “Velcro dog”? Then your dog’s love language is quality time. Dogs who value quality time will bring you their favorite toy, again and again, to ask you to play or get excited when they see their collar and leash come out for some quality time on a walk with you. All they want this Valentine’s Day is more time hanging with their best friend, so carve out a few hours to spend with your dog doing their favorite activities!
3. Receiving Gifts
Remember that time your dog pulled the biggest bone or nicest toy off the shelf at the pet store and claimed it as their own? Yeah, their love language is probably receiving gifts. Your dog knows what they want, and they feel most loved when a thoughtful gift is given to them! On February 14th, present your dog with their favorite kind of chew or toy and watch their eyes light up as they realize it’s all for them -and promptly destroy it quicker than you imagined or intended!
4. Acts of Service
Very few dogs’ love language is acts of service, but those who do receive love this way are the most obvious. These dogs are hilariously needy – they bring you their leash to ask you to walk them, they pick up their food bowl at dinner time and present it to you for filling – all they want is for you to do something for them! This may sound selfish, but don’t misread your dog’s intentions. Dogs with this love language provide you with all of the joy and emotional support in the world, and all they ask in return is for a responsibility or two to be taken off their plate. Maybe you should bark at the squirrel in the backyard today and give them a break from their guard dog duties!
5. Words of Affirmation
Everyone knows a dog that receives love through words of affirmation. Their sole motivation in life is hearing those two sweet words – “Good Dog!” These dogs will go to extremes to earn your praise and are unbelievably smart in their tactics. This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to tell your dog just how much they mean to you and how good they really are!
