Why Are Dogs So Loyal?
There’s something almost mysterious about a dog’s loyalty.
Lewie, being the ultimate loyal lap dog
You can bring home an eight-week-old puppy who barely knows you, and before long, you’re their person. Or you can adopt an older dog, who has had a life before you, and somehow, before you know it, they’re a constant companion - as though the two of you have always belonged together.
It almost feels like dogs come with a factory setting that says: Find your people. Love them. Stay with them.
And apparently, there’s some science behind this.
Thousands of years of living alongside humans didn’t just teach dogs how to live in our houses. It actually helped shape the way they bond with us. Researchers have found that dogs form attachment relationships with their humans very similar to the bonds children form with caregivers. We become what researchers call a “secure base” - the person they look to for safety and reassurance. And yes, this even applies to our giant livestock guardian dog Mo. Ron is his person, his secure base.
Even more fascinating is what happens when your dog simply looks at you.
Studies have found that when dogs and their humans gaze at each other, levels of oxytocin, a hormone involved in bonding and attachment, can increase in both. In other words, that feeling you get when your dog stares into your eyes isn’t entirely in your imagination. You really are bonding, though sometimes I think our lab, Lewie, is trying to telepathically get me to give him a treat!
After living with dogs for most of our lives, I also think loyalty looks different depending on the dog. Mo’s loyalty has always felt almost ancient. He’s an Anatolian mix, and his version of love is watching over us. Being nearby. Keeping track of where everyone is. Making sure everything is okay.
Mo showing his loyalty by guarding us from the little dog down the street
Lewie is completely different. His loyalty feels almost childlike. He wants closeness. Affection. Togetherness. If Mo seems to think his job is to protect the family, Lewie seems to think his job is simply to be part of it. Same loyalty. Different language.
And maybe that’s one of the extraordinary things about dogs. We spend so much time thinking about the kind of dog we want. Some of us research breeds, breeders, and get a puppy - or we visit shelters, pick the dog, fill out the adoption paperwork, and bring the dog home.
But then something happens.
They choose us back.
And once they do, they can love us with a devotion so uncomplicated that it can make you wonder whether dogs understand loyalty better than we ever will.