The takeaway: It's totally fine to treat your dog like a child, just don't forget that they're a dog and may need a specific and separate set of rules and boundaries in order to cohabitate with others.
Whether you're a pet parent or a pet sitter, it's not a very good idea to treat your dog like a baby. But it is a good idea to treat our furry friends like you would a 5-year-old child. That means teaching them boundaries, manners, and discipline.
For many young Americans, dogs seem to be replacing children as a late-20's family addition. And since previous studies have indicated that dogs form bonds with their "parents" in much the same way that human babies do, it's only fair that we love them back in the same way.
Researchers looked at 37 pet dogs from volunteers to see how they reacted to baby speak, or 'dog-directed speech' (DDS). They discovered that, compared to a regular voice, DDS grabbed the dogs' attention and held it longer. It's also believed this type of speech can strengthen the bond between pooches and their owners.
As writer M.A Wallace puts it: “We love [dogs] because they aren't human, then spend their lives treating them like people. We don't really want them to be animals — wild, free, ultimately unknowable — we want them to be like us, but more static and predictable. Something we can control.”
For years, dogs have been pack animals, which is one of their wired responses to hierarchy. A dog releases dopamine in the presence of a child, so you know that even their biology makes it enjoyable to play with babies.
The abnormal education of humanizing a dog can result in serious consequences to their health, both physically and psychologically. Treating your dog like a human can cause; Stress:which is triggered because the animal cannot satisfy its instinctive needs, such as running when walking or exploring its environment.
Dogs are good at reading us, and they usually know when we are being affectionate, such as when we kiss them. Because they love affection from us, most dogs do like being kissed. However, they don't like the act of being kissed but rather that we give them attention and show affection.
Do you talk to your pup just like you would a baby? Well, turns out, dogs love that! Studies show that dogs bond easily with humans who form high-pitched speech patterns. Just like babies, pups respond to easy and positive language interactions.
So, yes, a puppy can definitely think of you as his “mother” — that is, his provider and protector — and develop as strong an emotional bond with you as if you were blood-related. Your puppy will also quickly learn to pick you out among strangers, both by sight and through his powerful sense of smell.
There's a long, fancy word for treating dogs like humans, and it's called anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is defined as the “attribution of human traits, emotions, and intentions to non-human entities and is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology” (Oxford Dictionary, 1885).
Our brains are hardwired to love dogs
According to Psychology Today, the human mind naturally creates the need for people to develop close relationships as a means for survival. This basic survival instinct is what drives people to develop close relationships – and those relationships extend to our furry friends.
If we look at this behavior from a scientific standpoint, your dog can sense love because they can sense the levels of oxytocin in your brain rise when you are feeling happy to see them. They use their sense of smell to detect this rise in your hormone, oxytocin, which is your happiness hormone.
dogs love us and see us as their family. dogs rely on humans for affection, protection and everything else. dogs are the only non-primate animal to look people in the eyes; in fact, they seek out eye contact. dogs are hopelessly devoted to humans, prioritizing the scent of humans over anything else.
Always, always ask permission before picking up a dog. If a pet shows signs of discomfort or tries to get away, you must let him go. If a pet appears injured, don't pick him up — get an adult to help.
Experts in dog behavior believe that, in general, dogs do not like being embraced. However, every dog has a unique personality. Some may dislike hugs more strongly than others, and some may actually adore them. The closest thing our furry family members do to a hug is something referred to as 'standing over'.
Do dogs like it when you talk to them? Of course they do! Talking to your dog might seem one-sided, but you don't need a verbal response to know chatting with your furry best friend is a good idea.
You're Not Weird — You're Just Smart
Interestingly, recent research has shown that talking to our pets is not only normal, but perhaps even a sign of intelligence.
Once you bring a dog into your home, you become part of their pack. They enjoy sleeping with you because it makes them feel safe and comfortable. Sleeping together gives dogs an emotional connection to their owners. Dogs feel love and gratitude towards you, just like you feel towards them.
Yes, your dog knows how much you love him! Dogs and humans have a very special relationship, where dogs have hijacked the human oxytocin bonding pathway normally reserved for our babies. When you stare at your dog, both your oxytocin levels go up, the same as when you pet them and play with them.
Yelling – Yelling is definitely one of the main things that dogs hate about human behaviour. Yelling at your dog, or even someone else for that matter may severely scare or even upset your dog. No one likes being yelled at, not even your dog.
Domestic dogs must see their human as the alpha. This means that under your pup's love and affection exists a tremendous amount of respect for a dog to see you as the pack leader. If your pup shows certain signs, they have granted you the role of alpha.
And O'Hare's work showed that dogs are naturally more sociable with humans than they are with other dogs – they'll approach, wagging and interested, and often choose the human over another dog.