It’s an age-old question: Why are dogs loyal? Some might argue that it’s just because we give them food and shelter, but any dog lover knows there’s more to it than that. After all, we give food and shelter to hamsters and goldfish. But those animals usually aren’t quite as devoted as dogs. Pooches cry when we leave the house, jump for joy when we come home and live and breath for our affection. So why is this? Exactly why are dogs so loyal to their humans?
Many dog trainers and other animal experts believe this pack mentality also causes dogs to be loyal to their humans. They think pooches view people as just another member of the pack. So dogs don’t just love a good cuddle — they also think loyalty will keep them alive. In fact, you’ll frequently hear trainers say that during obedience training, you need to assert yourself as the “alpha dog.” If your dog views you as the head of their pack, they’ll follow your lead.
In fact, archeological evidence, like buried dog bones near human settlements, only really date back 13,000 years. So it stands to reason that the current theory is that wolves evolved into dogs without the help of humans. But once dogs and humans started counting on one another, they became inextricably linked.
Researchers first theorized that dogs as we know them today evolved from wolves after they began cohabiting with humans. However, more recent studies have found a different conclusion. Experts now believe that dogs split off from their wolf ancestors approximately 135,000 years ago — before dogs or wolves started living with humans.
Looking to dog psychology for answers: dogs are pack animals
Dogs are also pack animals and long to belong to a pack. They are much like humans in that way – it is said that no man is an island and the same can be said for a dog. To your loyal dog, your family is their pack and they have adopted you as their own.
Loyalty in a pack is crucial. In order for a pack to survive in the wild, their members must work together to overcome dangers. Trusting, co-operating and putting the pack’s interests first are all a natural part of surviving. It would explain why dogs often put their own lives in danger to protect their owners; their pack instincts require it of them.
But that cannot explain everything. After all, your dog still loves you when you return from a long vacation and you have not been feeding them during that time. And what about Hachito, the loyal dog who used to greet his owner each day at the train station after work – and continued to wait for him for nine years after he died? Neither pack instincts nor reciprocal relationships can explain that. But something else might.
There is no denying that one of your dog’s most defining traits is their loyalty. This loyalty can be overwhelming and humbling, and has often been cited as an example of what human beings can learn from dogs.
But life lessons aside, where does your dog’s loyalty come from? Yes, you feed them and play with them and have your own deep sense of love for them, but does that fully explain the depth of emotion they hold for you?
In this article, we explore loyal dogs, why dogs are loyal and when that loyalty may need to be contained.
The concept of a loyal dog has been peddled so much in today’s media and advertisements that you can be forgiven for questioning its premise: are dogs really loyal?
Let us get the question out of the way: yes, they really are. The stories of dogs who wait endlessly for their owners or who are overjoyed to greet them years later are not made up. You can see the evidence in your own dog, who is delighted when you return home from work and greets you as if they haven’t seen you in weeks. If that is not deep loyalty, we do not know what is.
Dogs Loyal- Faithful Dogs who never leave you alone- Video Compilation
Everyone knows that dogs are some of the most loyal animals to exist. These pets adore their owners just as much as we love them, but why are dogs so loyal? Is it environmental, genetic, or even our influence over them. Furthermore, what is the benefit of their species having such loyalty? Or perhaps it is just a stereotype?
We will be answering all these questions and more so you know everything regarding dogs and their loyalty. All the reasons we have are backed by science and researched thoroughly by behaviorists. Therefore you know you’re getting facts and evidence to support each reason for loyalty.