Dogs Recognize Their Owners
Dogs can identify their owners through multiple senses including sight, smell, and sound. According to Petfinder, dogs have an excellent sense of smell and can remember a person’s unique scent. They are also able to recognize their owner’s face, although their vision is not as precise as a human’s. Additionally, research from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary found that dogs can distinguish their owner’s voice from a stranger’s voice (CNN). When a dog recognizes their owner through one of these senses, whether hearing them arrive home or smelling their scent, they often get very excited.
Dogs Miss Their Owners
Dogs can develop separation anxiety when left alone for long periods without their owners. According to a study published in Psychology Today, dogs miss their owners more acutely the longer they are apart (Source). Dogs have been observed to exhibit anxious behaviors like barking, whining, pacing, and loss of appetite when separated from their owners (Source). This is because dogs form strong social bonds with their human families.
Some signs that a dog misses their owner include looking for them around the house, waiting eagerly by the door or window, loss of appetite, vocalizations like whining or howling, destructive behaviors, and depression. Dogs can start to miss their owners within minutes of being left alone. The feeling intensifies up to 2 hours after separation. Dogs may continue to miss their person more and more until they are happily reunited.
Excited Behaviors
Dogs show their excitement in many ways when they see their owner after a period of absence. The most common behaviors indicating a dog’s happiness and excitement include wagging their tail, jumping up, whimpering, barking, pacing, and running around in circles.
A wagging tail is one of the clearest signs a dog is excited and happy. As soon as a dog sees its owner, its tail will likely start wagging back and forth rapidly. A loose, energetic wag indicates the dog is delighted. Dogs may also wag their whole rear end along with their tail when overcome with excitement.
Dogs often jump up on owners when greeting them as another way to express their sheer joy. They may also whimper or bark repeatedly to release their pent up energy. Pacing by the door while waiting for their owner or running circles around them are other common behaviors of an excited dog.
According to PetMD, “When a dog is happy, their eyes and eyelids will be open and relaxed, their gaze will be soft, and they will blink often. Narrowed eyes and a tense gaze often indicate aggression.” https://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/is-my-dog-happy
Oxytocin Release
When dogs see their owners after an absence, both the dog and owner experience an increase in oxytocin levels, the “love hormone” associated with affection and bonding (Marshall-Pescini, 2019). This oxytocin release creates positive feelings and reinforces the bond between dog and owner.
Researchers have found that when owners interact positively with their dogs, such as through petting or cuddling, both dog and human see increased oxytocin levels. This is similar to the oxytocin feedback loop seen between mothers and infants (Perkins, 2022). The release of oxytocin facilitates social bonding and feelings of calmness and wellbeing.
Seeing their beloved owner after a period of absence triggers excited behaviors in dogs. This reunion excitement is driven by a surge of oxytocin for both the dog and owner. The oxytocin release reinforces their mutual affection and sense of attachment.
Scent and Hearing Recognition
Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and hearing that allows them to recognize their owners in unique ways. A dog’s nose is tens of thousands times more sensitive than a human’s, with over 300 million scent receptors compared to our 5 million. This allows dogs to pick up on and remember each person’s distinct scent signature, even if they’ve been apart for long periods. According to research, dogs can detect and recognize their owner’s scent from distances over a football field away.
In addition to their powerful noses, dogs also rely on their keen sense of hearing to identify familiar voices and footsteps. A dog can recognize their owner’s voice even when there are many other noises around. They also associate the unique sound of your gait and footsteps with your arrival. When a dog detects their beloved owner’s scent or hears their familiar footsteps approaching, they often get incredibly excited. Their tail begins wagging, they jump up, bark, whine, and run to the door or window in gleeful anticipation of your return.
Breed Differences
Some breeds are more excitable than others when seeing owners. Herding and working dogs tend to be very excited compared to toy breeds or companion dogs according to a study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The study surveyed over 14,000 dog owners about their dogs’ behavior and found significant differences between breeds. Herding dogs like border collies and Australian shepherds were most likely to express high energy and exuberance when reunited with their owners. In contrast, toy and companion breeds like Chihuahuas, pugs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels were calmer. This is likely due to genetics, as herding dogs were bred to work closely with people and get activated on command. Breeds developed just for companionship can be more mellow and docile.
Puppy Excitement
Puppies are especially excitable when seeing owners after separation. They jump and nip at their owners in enthusiastic greeting. This is because puppies are still learning manners and emotional regulation. Puppies form deep bonds with their owners starting at a very young age, so they miss their person and family while separated.
According to a Reddit post, a puppy gets completely overwhelmed with excitement when their owner returns after just 20 minutes away. The puppy cries, spins in circles, jumps up, and showers their owner with puppy kisses.
Puppies should be gently trained not to jump up or nip when greeting. With positive reinforcement training, they can learn to sit calmly for petting upon their owner’s return. However, these behaviors come from a place of pure love and missing their person. Puppies express their joy at reunions the only way they know how at their young age.
Training Calm Greetings
With training, dogs can learn to calmly greet owners. This prevents jumping up, barking, and other overexcited behaviors. According to research from Battersea, you can train a calm greeting by reinforcing positive behavior.
Start by having a friend ring the doorbell. Reward your dog for staying seated as the friend enters. Repeat this training with multiple people. Over time, reward intermittent calm greetings to solidify the behavior. Setting up a reward system and remaining consistent is key. With practice, your dog will learn to control its excitement.
Playing with Toys
Dogs often bring toys to eagerly greet owners when they return home, hoping their human will engage in playtime with them. This behavior stems from dogs associating their owners’ arrival with fun, interactive play sessions. According to petMD, “It doesn’t take very long for a dog to learn that it’s playtime when you return home. When your dog brings you a toy, it is his way of saying, ‘Let’s play!’”
Some reasons dogs bring toys to greet their owners include:
- Excitement at their return – Dogs miss their owners when they are gone and are eager to interact with them upon their return.
- Anticipation of playtime – Dogs associate owners coming home with engaging play sessions.
- Boredom while alone – Bringing a toy helps redirect their energy.
- Seeking attention – Toy bringing draws the owner’s focus to the dog.
While eager greetings are endearing, excessive toy bringing can become problematic. Training dogs to wait calmly for playtime allows for a less frenzied reunion. Using treats and praise, owners can reinforce patience and teach dogs to wait until given a toy or play command. This helps dogs channel their excitement in a more composed manner.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dogs do get very excited to see their owners after time apart due to their strong bond and ability to recognize them. Dogs are able to recognize their owners through scent, sight, and sound. When reunited with an owner after separation, dogs often demonstrate excited behaviors like jumping, barking, tail wagging, and whimpering. These behaviors are driven by a surge of oxytocin, the “love hormone”. While the excitement is often interpreted by owners as happiness to see them, it can be counterproductive in training calm greetings. With proper training using positive reinforcement methods, dogs can learn to control their initial impulse and channel their excitement into calmer behaviors on reunion. Overall, the unique relationship between dogs and their owners leads to genuine expressions of joy when they are happily reunited.