If you’ve been wondering whether or not your Golden Retriever loves you, this post will show you a number of ways to find out and what you can do to make it love you more.
So, does my Golden Retriever love me? The main ways to tell if a Golden Retriever loves you are if it gets excited when it sees you, it rubs its nose on you often, it often makes eye contact with you, it puts itself in vulnerable positions around you, it leans on you, it licks you or if it brings things to you.
There are actually many ways that a Golden Retriever will show you that it loves you and there are a number of things that you can do to make it love you more.
Ways that your Golden Retriever could show that it loves you
It follows your orders
If your Golden Retriever tends to listen to what you say and it does what you tell it to, this would be a sign that it loves you. This is because it shows that it trusts you and that it believes that you care about it.
It protects you and your home
If your Golden Retriever did not love you then it would not have any interest in protecting you or your home. If your Golden Retriever often becomes protective when there is a stranger at the door or when someone it doesn’t know is around you, it would be a sign that it loves you and that it does not want something bad to happen to you.
It noses you
Sometimes dogs will “nose” people which is where they put their nose on them and smell them in order to gather information about where they have been. If your Golden Retriever noses you a lot it would be a sign that it loves you since it shows that it wants to know where you have been, how healthy you are and that you are ok.
It makes eye contact with you
When your Golden Retriever looks at you in the eyes it releases Oxytocin which is a hormone that promotes bonding (source). So, if your Golden Retriever often makes eye contact with you, it would be a sign that it loves you.
It puts itself into vulnerable positions
If your Golden Retriever often puts itself in vulnerable positions around you by doing things such as laying on its back it would be a sign that it loves you. This is because it shows that it trusts you and that it feels comfortable around you.
It licks you
Another sign your Golden Retriever loves you would be if it licks you a lot. This is because dogs will groom each other by licking them and they will lick when they are being submissive. So, licking you would be a sign that it considers you as a part of its pack and that it respects you.
It gets excited when you come home
If your Golden Retriever becomes excited when you come home then this would be another sign that it loves you since it is pleased to see you and that you are ok.
It leans on you
Dogs will often lean on their owners when they trust them and it would be a sign that your Golden Retriever loves you if it often does it with you.
It gets you to rub its belly
If your Golden Retriever often gets you to rub its belly it would be another sign that it loves you. This is because it would be putting itself into a vulnerable position when it does it and it shows that it trusts you.
It doesn’t hide from you
If your Golden Retriever doesn’t try and hide from you when you are around even that would be a sign that it loves you. This is because it suggests that it trusts you and it does not feel unsafe around you.
It keeps pace with you on walks
One way your Golden Retriever will show that it loves you is by keeping up with you on walks. If your Golden Retriever did not love you it would not be willing to keep pace with you especially when off the leash since it would not trust you and it would not be interested in being near you.
However, if it does not keep pace with you on walks, it would not mean that it does not love you since it is common for Golden Retrievers to want to sniff things when on walks.
It brings things to you
If it often brings gifts to you, this would be a sign that it loves you. This is because it shows that it considers you as a member of its pack and that it wants to show that it cares about you.
It follows you around
If your Golden Retriever tends to follow you around a lot it would also be a sign that it loves you. If it did not trust you then it would not want to stay near you and following you around suggests that you will be able to make it happy.
Things to consider
Not showing signs of affection doesn’t mean that it doesn’t love you
If your Golden Retriever does not show many signs of affection around you it does not necessarily mean that it does not love you. This is because dogs will show affection in many different ways and your Golden Retriever might be showing affection towards you in ways that you don’t realize.
If it stopped showing affection suddenly
It would also help to consider whether or not it stopped showing affection suddenly. If it did then it would help to consider what else happened when it started doing it since it might be the case that there was an event such as becoming ill that caused it to start.
How to get your Golden Retriever to love you more
Below are some things you can do in order to get your Golden Retriever to love you more and to be as happy as possible around you.
Give it exercise
Golden Retrievers are meant to get a lot of exerise in order to stay healthy and happy. Generally, it is recommended to give them around an hour of exercise per day. If yours is not getting that much it would help to make sure that it does.
Feed it right
It would also help to make sure that you have been feeding it correctly. Generally, it is recommended for Golden Retrievers to get between 989 and 1272 calories daily but it would help to confirm this with your vet. You can also look here to see what you should be feeding it.
Take it for yearly checkups
It is also important to take it for yearly checkups so that potential problems can be spotted earlier making them easier to treat.
Give it training
It would also help to give it lots of training so that you have a healthy relationship with your Golden Retriever and so that it learns to behave the way you want it to. If you have not given it much training, it would help to start with the basics and then to build up from there.
Avoid punishing it
It would also help to avoid punishing it when it does not behave the way you want it to. If you punish it, your Golden Retriever might not understand why and it could lead to it having feelings of resentment. Instead, it would help to train it using positive reinforcement training.