Why love for a dog goes above and beyond affection

Society today shows we deeply love and adore our dogs — we spoil them with cozy beds, endless affection, and bins overflowing with toys. And while love is a beautiful thing, it’s not all a dog needs to thrive. In fact, too much affection without structure can often create confusion, frustration, or even unwanted behavior. You see, dogs don’t wake up wondering if they’re loved — they feel love through leadership, structure, and shared experiences out in nature. What they truly crave is clarity: clear direction, calm energy, and purposeful interaction.Affection feels good — for us and for them — but timing matters.

If we constantly pet, coddle, or soothe our dogs when they’re anxious, excited, or demanding, we accidentally reinforce those very states of mind. The message becomes muddled and let’s be honest, we crave the deepest connection with dogs possible.

Unbeknownst to many, in a dog’s natural world they don’t receive affection and they remain successful and thriving without it. The real brownie points with a dog are adventures, play, and true contentment for the world around them. Love them, yes. But love them how a dog deserves to be loved! Understand that affection is more for us than it is for them. Save affection for moments of calmness, relaxation, and trust — that’s when it nurtures balance instead of instability.

Physical touch is not my personal primary love language and I noticed a massive shift within my relationship with my sensitive back of the pack dog, Jax. The more intimacy I shared with him from a physical standpoint, think couch cuddles, sleeping in bed with me, and affection the worse off his behavior was. He was territorial of my home and of me and not to mention, I wasn’t getting the best sleep with him alongside.

When I prioritized less of my emotions and tapped more into what he needed the results were instantaneous and right before my eyes. I am grateful that my relationship with my dog can go above physical touch— clear communication and connection is felt in a way I could have never imagined with a dog and I hope dog owners all across the world can experience this, too.