As dog owners, we all adore our pets and often consider them members of our families. Animal behaviorists are suggesting that this is because we bond with them in a way similar to how we bond with our children.
Looking into a dog’s eyes triggers a release of the “love hormone” called oxytocin. This release happens in both the owner and the dog, causing an instant bond. This process is a natural system that occurs between a parent and a baby. The mother stares into her baby’s eyes, resulting in a rise in the baby’s oxytocin levels, which then causes the baby to stare back into the mother’s eyes, and the cycle of mutual gazing continues. Unknowingly, our dogs imitate this hormonal response to win over our hearts.
The discovery of this chemical reaction explains our deep connections to our pets, but it also answers other questions. For example, the oxytocin release could be one of the reasons that service dogs are so helpful for people with autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. An expert at Duke University states, “A finding of this magnitude will need to be replicated because it potentially has such far-reaching implications.”
Now that we know that the oxytocin-gaze cycle is one of the reasons why we are so fond of our pets, we will be able to use this information to further understand our puppy love. If you have a particular bonding routine with your dog be sure to mention this to your dog sitter so that they can do this whilst your are away.