Hint: It’s genetic. Scamp the dog relaxing on the couch.

Be the person your dog thinks you are – how true this seems to be.  Dogs are always happy when you walk in the door.  They follow you from room to room.  (I have a pack of three that follow me.)  They love to sit next to you and snuggle.

“I’m awesome,” you think.  “And I’m the bringer of food and treats.  No wonder my dog loves to be around me.”  Well, yes…and there are also other reasons.  It turns out there are five dog genes that are related to your dog’s ability to socialize.

Humans bred dogs to be domesticated – in other words, reliant on humans.  This makes it even harder to understand why some abandon their dogs – we are the reason they are so attached to us.  Wolves, dogs’ ancestors, have, among others, two characteristics that are very different than dogs.

1.  Wolves shy away and hide from humans.

2.  Wolves don’t go to a human for “help” with a task, as dogs do.

 

Continue reading at Psychology Today