Introduction: Understanding Your Dog’s Trust
A 2018 study showed that when confronted with a new and strange situation, puppies will get the same boost in confidence from the presence of a human as they would from the presence of another dog. From a young age, dogs are wired to form deep bonds with us, but how can you tell if your dog has truly placed their trust in you? We’re going to be going over the top nine signs that your fur baby does indeed trust you—from how they play to how they eat to how they let you pet them. We’re going to be deep diving into the relationship between you and your puppy.
Sign Number One: To Bite or Not to Bite
No, this isn’t about actual bites. As part of play, dogs will often put their mouths around the arms or legs of their humans as if they’re pretending to bite but then not actually apply any pressure. This is their way of slightly teasing you, but it’s also a sign of their trust in you. Your dog knows better than to play like this with somebody they don’t know very well because that person might freak out and assume that they were actually about to be bitten. Your fur baby knows that they can play with you like this because they know that you know they wouldn’t hurt you. They know they can trust you because they know you trust them. What could be sweeter than that?
Sign Number Two: Sharing is Caring
For a species that is famously so social, dogs aren’t always that good at sharing. A lot of dogs are prone to a behavior known as resource guarding, which is when they become so obsessive about their food or toys that they start to behave aggressively if anybody so much as comes near them. Even dogs who aren’t quite as possessive will generally be a bit difficult about being made to give up the toy that they are actively playing with right at this moment. But if your dog truly trusts you, then they’ll not only let you share their toys, but they’ll even hand over the object that they’re playing with if you ask for it firmly enough.
Sign Number Three: A Dog’s Dinner
When you toss your dog a treat, how do they eat it? Many dogs will be quite happy to take their treat from you, but instead of gobbling it up right away, they’ll carry it off in their mouths to a corner and eat it facing the wall, as if they’re worried that you’re about to change your mind and grab it back. Dogs can be as possessive about food as they can be about toys, worrying that somebody’s going to steal it from them. But if they trust you a lot, they’ll know that you would never steal their food and they’ll happily eat it next to you.
Sign Number Four: Whisker Wisdom
Did you know that your puppy can move their whiskers? Not many people do, but it’s one of the many ways that our canine companions can express their emotions. If your dog’s whiskers are sticking straight out in front of their face, then that’s a sign that they’re feeling stressed or upset. They’re flaring their whiskers out to look out for any potential threat. Relaxed whiskers, meanwhile, mean a relaxed puppy. Of course, if your dog really trusts you, then the expression they’ll wear most of the time around you will be a happy and excited one. This involves raising the whiskers in the air, especially above the eyes, giving your puppy an adorable happy, wide-eyed look.
Sign Number Five: Furry Felonies
Where have your socks gone, and what happened to your pen? You might wonder if there could be a cat burglar on the loose, but in fact, “dog burglar” might be a better way to describe it. Dogs will often steal their humans’ clothes or small items that they’ve handled a lot and squirrel them away somewhere around the house, often in their bed or amongst their toys. This might feel a bit like a betrayal—your dog is literally stealing from you, after all—but it’s actually another sign of your fur baby’s trust in you. Clothes that you’ve worn and objects you’ve handled carry your scent. For your puppy, that scent, the scent of the person who they love and trust most in the world, is associated with safety and security. Stealing your belongings and hiding them somewhere allows them to have access to that scent while you’re out of the house, helping them feel closer to you.
Sign Number Six: K9 Cuddles
Sometimes after a hard day, the only thing you need to make yourself feel better is a nice hug—and who better to provide it than your furry best friend? Surprisingly, however, your fur baby might not enjoy being hugged as much as you enjoy hugging them. Dogs aren’t natural huggers; they don’t really like being confined or immobilized, which is what tends to happen when they’re wrapped up in a human’s arms. They often struggle when held too close to another animal. If your dog does allow you to hug them without making a fuss, then you can take that as a sign of extreme love and trust. They’re essentially setting aside their key instincts for the sake of your well-being and trusting that you won’t take advantage of them.
Sign Number Seven: Tongue Kisses
Being kissed by your dog can be a bit of a conflicting experience. On the one hand, it’s a show of love—your pup is trying to kiss you—but on the other hand, you’re getting covered in dog saliva, which is no doubt absolutely swimming in germs, especially if your dog is choosing to kiss you on the mouth. Dog owners tend to be fairly split as to whether doggy mouth kisses are irredeemably gross or completely fine. But once you’ve learned the secret meaning behind the gesture, you might find your mind changed (or maybe not). The obsession with trying to lick your mouth actually goes all the way back to when your fur baby was an actual baby. Puppies will lick their mama dog’s mouth to try and get her to—brace yourself—vomit up food for them to eat. Don’t worry—your dog isn’t expecting you to throw up food for them. Licking your mouth is their way of showing you that they love and trust you just as much as they used to love and trust their mama.
Sign Number Eight: Handshakes
Training your dog to give paw and let you shake hands with them is a very fun trick to teach them once they’ve mastered the basics of “Sit,” “Stay,” “Come here,” “Roll over,” etc. Not only is it fun to come home and pretend that they’re a tiny little businessman that you can formally shake hands with, but it also means that if they ever suffer some kind of injury in their paws, you’ve got an easy way to get them to let you check it out. But it’s easy to forget how much of a sign of trust it is when your dog lets you take their paw in your hand. Remember, it’s not really equivalent to shaking a human’s hand—more like having somebody grab a hold of your foot and shake it while you stand awkwardly on one leg. When your dog gives you their paw, it means that they’re trusting you to keep them upright and help them maintain their balance. You’re literally supporting them.