Decoding your dog's love language

No matter what’s going on in the world, we can count on our dogs to be there for us. That’s held true for many people throughout the past year.

80% of dog parents stating that their dog has positively impacted their mental health during the pandemic.
49% saying they got a new dog during the pandemic.

Dogs steal our hearts by offering us unconditional love, much needed companionship, and offering stress relief.

For Valentine’s Day 2021, many pet parents are paying their pups back in kind. Sixty percent of US dog owners say their dog is their valentine this year, which can only mean sweet moments and plenty of well-deserved treats on the horizon. We at Rover learned more about dog love languages and how pet parents plan to celebrate with their furry family members this February 14 in a survey of 1,000 US-based dog owners conducted in January 2021. Here’s what we uncovered:

Do you know your dog’s love language? Most pet parents think they do, with 88% saying that they know exactly how to tug on their pups’ heartstrings.

Most dog owners (41%) report that physical touch, including petting and cuddles on the couch, is their dog’s top love language, followed by quality time (21%) which includes things like playing fetch or going for a walk.

About 13% of pet parents saying receiving gifts like toys are treats make their dogs happiest, with words of affirmation (who’s a good dog?!) at 11%, and acts of service (grooming, feeding, etc.) coming in last at 8% of respondents.

No matter what their dog’s top love language is, the majority (69%) of pet parents plan to buy their dogs a gift for Valentine’s Day this year. Over half also said that this year’s gift would be more significant than it has been in years past, which could just be a sweet way of saying thank you for helping their humans through a tough year.

About half of dog owners say treats and food top the list of potential gifts for their furry valentines, with the same amount of people saying they’re getting a gift because they want to show their dog they care and 40% saying it’s simply because their dog brings joy to their life.

Our dogs are like us in more ways than we may realize, including the core of how they like to give and receive love. The five common love languages actually translate quite well to dogs, once you see it from their perspective. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your dog this year by decoding their love language—which of these five sound the most like your pup?

Words of affirmation are the cute songs you sing to your dog when you think no one’s listening and the “who’s a good dog?” you coo when they’re being especially cute. For pups who prefer acts of service, things like a good groom with their favorite brush or being served dinner by their favorite person make them happiest.

Some dogs are all about receiving gifts, and would love nothing more than to go on a mini pet store shopping spree to pick out a new toy and perhaps get a tasty treat or two. Dogs who enjoy quality time above all else can’t wait to play a game of fetch or go on a nice long walk with you. And finally, pups who can never get enough cuddles on the couch or scratches behind the ears are likely most into physical touch.

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