We know our dogs have feelings, and we’ve all caught our pet looking particularly forlorn, wearing a plaintive stare and glassy eyes. What else to think, but our dog is sad! You might even attribute their whining, whimpering, or even squinty eyes to a dog being sad. But when it comes to shedding tears because of sadness, do dogs cry like we do?
A small 2022 study with 18 dogs found that tear volume increased in dogs when they reunited with their owners due to increased levels of oxytocin (aka the “love” hormone). These teary results did not occur when dogs met with someone who wasn’t their dog parent. Does an increase in tear volume mean your dog is crying though?
It would depend on your definition of crying.
While dogs don’t actually cry in the same way humans do—in other words, their sad feelings don’t prompt a large flow of tears, they are able to experience emotions that we associate with crying. However, according to research, humans still remain the only animals on the planet to shed tears as a result of their emotional state.
But we can unpack this larger question into several others. Why is my dog shedding tears at all? Do dogs cry in some other way? And if they can’t cry, are we imagining other dog emotions?
Do Dogs Cry Tears? Not Intentionally
Flickr / @spantossed
Dogs do have tear ducts, of course. These function to keep the eyes comfortable and clear of discharge, and they drain back into the nasal cavity rather than dripping from the eye. This means something may be amiss if your dog is leaking tears. In dogs, tears could be caused by:
- a developing eye infection
- a blocked tear duct (also known as epiphora)
- allergies
- damage to the surface of the eye
If you notice your dog’s eyes watering, take a closer look to make sure there’s nothing on the surface of the eye. If the “crying” or leaking continues over a period of days, be sure to check with your veterinarian.
Other Ways Your Dog May Be “Crying” From Joy or Sadness
Flickr / @ArcheiaMuriel
Whether you associate crying with sadness or happiness, your dog may have their own ways of expressing those emotions beyond shedding tears.
Signs your dog is sad may include:
- Sudden drop in energy
- Squinty or smaller eyes
- High-pitched vocalizations, such as whining or whimpering
- Less excitement around treats
Crying out of happiness in dogs may look more like:
- Loud vocalizations, such as barking and whining
- Relaxed but excited body wiggles (some jumping may occur)
- Wagging tail, accompanied by lots of eye contact
- Attempts to lick your face
It’s tricky to draw a one-to-one comparison between dog and human emotions. Humans are, of course, more nuanced in our emotional and psychological composition. While dogs can feel a range of emotions, they’re usually reacting to their surroundings and impulses, rather than experiencing strong bursts of feeling. We have to remember that dogs learn to adjust their behavior in order to suit their needs, so some expressions that appear emotional can in fact be “manipulative,” in a rather innocent way.
Flickr / @Ramesh Kamath
More on Dog Emotions
That’s not to say our dogs are constantly playing tricks on us; it’s just another reminder that we can never be 100% certain of what our dogs are feeling. Even so, we can usually decipher their messages and respond. This is the primary source of our bond with the canine species, one that’s undoubtedly emotional. We thrive in response to their joy, attention, and affection. And they thrive in ours.
We also know that dogs will make unusual and distinct vocalizations if they see their owners have been physically injured in some way. This tells us that dogs not only express strain or emotional ache, but they also have the capacity for empathy of some kind.
Whether dogs truly feel compassion, as humans understand it, is indeed another question. Whatever the answer may be, their ability to read our distress and provide comfort is one key reason they’ve won us over completely.
