Every time we come home, dogs enthusiastically greet us. Excitedly giving a warm hug or constantly circling around you, following you wherever you go. So why do dogs enthusiastically greet their owners? It is said that a long time ago, dogs’ ancestors were wolves, and many of dogs’ behaviors are similar to wolves.

In a book by a neurologist about dogs, it was mentioned that scientists used MRI to understand the thoughts in dogs’ brains: “Some among ancient wolf packs liked living with humans, they gradually evolved into dogs, while the remaining wolves did not want any contact with humans. We clearly see that wolves and dogs express emotions in the same way; they both greet each other by licking faces. For these social animals, licking is an important social tool and also helps discover whether companions have brought food back.”

So this is actually the nature of wolves. After more than ten thousand years of evolution, dogs still carry some habits that wolves no longer have. Wolves greet companions with different relationships in different ways, and wild dogs do too, but pet dogs socialize in ways more human-like, such as with eye contact and gestures.

Scientists’ research shows that the scent of familiar people can activate the reward circuits in a dog’s brain. Other scents cannot do this, even those of dogs they are familiar with. This doesn’t mean they consider us part of their family, but rather that we occupy a very special position in a dog’s brain. Dogs see other dogs as their own kind and humans as another species. Even more surprisingly, dogs seek help from humans when in trouble rather than from their own kind. Because dogs know only humans have dog food and the ability to help them, so many, many years ago, a group of wolves chose to stay and develop together with humans.

A dog’s welcoming ritual is not only an emotional social bond but may also be a sign of curiosity. When dogs jump on you, they try to lick your face. Part of this is greeting, but at the same time, they are discerning your scent to figure out where you’ve been today, and whether the girl you dated was the last visit. So, dogs’ enthusiastic welcome may also come from curiosity. If you’ve spent some time with other dogs, your dog will sniff and know, and then they will sniff even more intensely.

Dogs often do not willingly leave their owners and find it difficult to voluntarily give up their relationship with their owners. If sufficiently encouraged, they may temporarily choose to walk alone, but they do so because they know the emotional bond with their owner always exists.

All dogs need a way to welcome you because the happiest time for them only begins when you come home. They need your companionship, which is also the reason why they evolved from wolves into dogs. If you don’t like this way, you can tell them how to behave, but do not reject it.

Therefore, forming a proper way to interact with dogs will better cultivate the relationship between owners and dogs~