Dogs are some of the most affectionate, intelligent, and loyal companions that humans can have. Loyalty, in particular, is a defining trait of pet dogs. A dog’s loyalty can be overwhelming and heartwarming to experience. Indeed, canine loyalty is often cited as an example of something humans can learn from their four-legged friends. But have you ever wondered why are dogs so loyal?
Yes, dogs are among the most loyal and emotional animals that humans live with. They can form incredibly strong bonds with humans and have been known to put their own lives in danger to save their owner’s life.
It’s in the genes
Domestic dogs that live in our homes as pets are descendants of wolves. In ancient times, humans took in wolves and tamed them with food and shelter in return for protection. This relationship is in a dog’s genes. A modern-day pet dog’s loyalty to his humans is a byproduct of this ancient relationship.
This also explains why some dogs develop a closer relationship with one member of the family than others. The close relationship and loyalty are usually to the person who feeds the dog and takes care of her.
Dogs are pack animals
The other explanation for a dog’s loyalty is that dogs are pack animals and loyalty to the pack is crucial for survival in the wild. Thus, it is a dog’s inherent nature to be trusting, loyal, and cooperative with their pack members (human family).
It’s all about the smell
Yet another hypothesis is that smell is important to dogs and they develop loyalty to their owner’s scent. Experiments using brain scans in dogs have confirmed this theory, showing that areas of a dog’s brain associated with love and joy light up when given their owner’s scent.
Yet, none of these explanations can completely explain a dog’s loyalty. For instance, your dog still loves you after you return from a long trip during which time he or she was fed by other people. Also, there have been reports of a dog waiting for their owner for years and years at a particular spot after the owner has unfortunately passed on.
It depends. Trained dogs will protect their owners if attacked. Untrained dogs or regular domestic pet dogs may or may not do anything if their owner is getting mugged or a break-in occurs.
While surveys have been done to find the naughtiest dog breed in America, there hasn’t been a similar survey done on canine loyalty (to our knowledge). However, here are some dog breeds that are known to be extremely loyal: