How do you know a dog loves you?

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I've had my rescue dog for nearly a year & he is the light of my life. He is very affectionate & eager to please (but has a cheeky side), and seems happy & settled. But how do you know if a dog loves you? He's my first dog so I'm learning a lot as I go - insights from more experienced dog owners would be really helpful

My boy who sadly passed away in January was a rescue and never, ever wagged his tail for anyone other than me. And that was only after a year or so of knowing me. He'd such such awful cruelty in his life.

He was the absolute light of my life, I miss him so much. 😢

Walks past every person in the room to greet me first.

Oh and looks at me like this......

This. Daft creature 😍

@BadHabitsOn awwww That sounds like true loving you ♥️ I'm so very sorry for your loss , you were his whole person and saved him xxx

@foxy3 Thank you ❤ he saved me too, we were the very best of friends and I'll forever be missing a piece of me now that he's gone 💔

Whenever our dog foolishly eats something they shouldn't have, they glue themselves to my leg until feeling better. No one else in the family will do.

@BadHabitsOn much love to you , they leave the largest print on your heart don't they xx I like to believe we will be with them again , they are too pure for most of this world aren't they ♥️xx

Ooh but, what does he love most, you or a sausage?

@foxy3 They are, there's no love like a dog's love.

I wonder the same thing! But then DDog comes and plonks himself down on my lap for a nap, or joins me in bed in the morning and I think, yeah, he's good.

Such gorgeous loved dogs in your photos!!

Mine will give very human hugs and kisses. He's a lab, and will stand on his hind legs whilst I'm sitting down and wrap his front legs round my neck before bumping his mouth against my lips. Never known a dog like him, he's wonderful.

You can't tell if it loves you. It is an animal and would probably eat you if there was nothing else.

There's always one!

@ode2me yes mine ha very good taste so of course would eat me .... whi chi also shows he loves me 😋

Also trying to get next to me in the quilt hence the mistype ...

I always take the fact that my side of tge bed is where he chooses to lay as a sign he loves me. In the day, that's his spot, in the night. He cuddles upto me.
He shows preference to me. He let's me do things no one else would get away with (I'm chief of eyedropper, medications, and getting glass from his paws if he has an accident!)
He gets angry at my husband and eats his stuff if I go out with DH.
He lays with me when I nap, if someone comes up, he places a paw over me and watches until they leave.
He sits on my lap.
I'm quite heavily pregnant- I wake up often with his head on my bump.

He won't let anyone near me when we walk. He steals things that smell like me and puts them on his bed.
He watches me intently.

We are convinced that our dog smiles at us. He opens his mouth in a particular way. He looks pretty gormless but very cute. He does this mainly in the evenings before he goes for his pre bedtime snooze.

Oh and....he follows me to the toilet and stands with his head on my leg. Just waiting until I'm ready to get up. I think he's obsessed.

He also tries to pee on the tyres of the nice car because its the newer car, I'm trying to keep it nice. He isn't allowed in it, he's had the odd revenge pee when DH walks him alone. I'm sure it's planned vengeance from him. The old car was ours... he used to go everywhere with me in it.

Walking in the hills yesterday, DH went a different way with the dog - and she came running back to find me and make sure I knew the way up...or she was wondering where the treats were.

She lies cuddled up on the sofa with me.

But she really loves my MIL - I've never seen a dogs so excited to see another person.

my old pug is not very bright but the expression on her face when she finds me tells me all I need to know

Such lovely lovely dogs!

Watches me like a hawk
When I make my bed in the morning and I'm going off out to work (I mostly WFH) I'll leave a worn jumper or PJs on my bed because she likes to lie on top of them and watch me get ready
She will then sleep on them all day and not leave the bedroom despite others being in the house to hang out with. They call her but she's happy to sleep through the whole day if I'm not there.
When I'm home she's my shadow Im always bloody tripping over her

My beautiful girl is an old lady now but she still just wants to be close to me. She comes and nuzzles you for a head scratch and is beside herself with exitement when you give her ears an extended scratch. She is just the loveliest, most gorgeous of girls and I am so dreading the day when she is not here.

I always go downstairs 1st in the morning and let my 2 out. When DH does it, I can hear him having to physically shove them outside because they're too desperate to get upstairs to me and when they do, it's a mad race to get there first and they bark like loons.

I luffs them both to bits.

When I was ill flopped on the sofa my dog brought me her Bonio and tried to shove it in my mouth.