People who say that pets donât understand human emotions clearly have never had their laps nuzzled or tears licked away during an ugly-cry session. They have a special way of picking us when weâre down, and their unconditional love can be a salve through lifeâs trying moments.Â
If youâve ever wondered what your pet is thinking as they comfort you when you cry, youâre not alone. The extent to which animals â primarily dogs â can understand and empathize with human sadness is the topic of some pretty fascinating ongoing research. So, grab the tissues â weâre exploring the latest on why and how dogs respond to tears. Spoiler alert (as if the headline didnât give it away): they do â sometimes.
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Have you ever found yourself sobbing into a pillow after a rough day, only to find your furry friend suddenly by your side, offering what seems like comfort? Or perhaps you’ve wondered if those puppy-dog eyes staring at you while you cry actually understand what’s happening? As a dog owner myself, I’ve often wondered if my pup truly understands when I’m upset.
The question “do dogs know what crying is?” turns out to be more fascinating than you might think. Let’s dive into what science tells us about our canine companions’ emotional intelligence.
The Short Answer: Yes, But It’s Complicated
Dogs definitely know when you’re crying, but not exactly in the way humans understand crying. While they may not grasp the concept of tears as expressions of sadness, they absolutely recognize that something is different about you when you cry.
Research shows that dogs can detect changes in your:
- Facial expressions
- Voice tone
- Body language
- Breathing patterns
- Overall demeanor
The Science Behind Dogs Understanding Human Emotions
According to a 2018 study by Sanford Burt, and Meyers-Manor dogs not only recognize when their owners are distressed but often try to do something about it. The researchers conducted an experiment where dog owners were placed in a room and pretended to cry, with their dogs outside the door.
The results? Many dogs attempted to push through the door to “rescue” their crying owners. What’s even more interesting is that dogs who managed to get through the door showed less stress than those who couldn’t reach their owners. This suggests that dogs weren’t just confused by the crying—they were motivated to help.
“Stress level measures also showed how dogs who were able to push through the door and ‘rescue’ their owners showed less stress So, they were upset by the crying, but they could still act,” the study reported
What’s Really Happening When Your Dog Responds to Your Tears
When you cry, your dog experiences something called “emotional contagion” This doesn’t mean they fully empathize with your specific feelings, but rather they pick up on your emotional state and respond to it
A 2017 study found that a dog’s heart rate actually increases when they see humans crying. This physiological response indicates that your dog is reacting to your emotional distress, even if they don’t understand the exact reason for your tears.
Linda Simon, a licensed veterinarian, explains that dogs can feel a range of emotions including happiness, frustration, love, boredom, joy, grief, loyalty and sadness. However, they express these emotions differently than humans do.
How Dogs React When You Cry
When your dog sees you crying, they might respond in several ways:
- Physical comfort – Sitting or lying next to you
- Pawing at you – Placing their paw on your face, lap, or arm
- Licking your face – Sometimes interpreted as “wiping away tears”
- Bringing toys – Trying to distract you from your sadness
- Staring intensely – Analyzing your unusual behavior
- Whining – Communicating their concern
- Leaning against you – Offering physical support
I remember one time when I had a particularly rough day and started crying while sitting on my couch. My dog, who was napping across the room, immediately perked up, came over, and rested his head on my lap. He didn’t move until I had calmed down. It was like he knew I needed support, even if he didn’t understand why I was upset.
Do Dogs Cry Like Humans?
Here’s where things get interesting. Dogs have tear ducts and produce tears, but not for emotional reasons like humans do.
“Humans appear to be the only animals that cry tears of emotion,” explains Dr. Simon.
When dogs produce tears, it’s typically for physiological reasons:
- Keeping their eyes clean
- Protecting their eyes
- Lubricating their eyes
Unlike human tear ducts, canine tear ducts are structured differently. They funnel liquid back into the dog’s body rather than spilling tears over their cheeks. So if you see your dog “crying” tears, it’s more likely due to:
- A blocked tear duct
- Allergies
- Foreign object in the eye
- Eye infection
- Eye injury
How Dogs Express Sadness
Even though dogs don’t cry emotional tears, they definitely express sadness in other ways:
- Whimpering or whining – A behavior that starts in puppyhood to call for their mother
- Shaking or trembling – Especially after being reprimanded
- Hiding – Retreating to a safe space like under a bed or in their crate
- Seeking extra affection – Becoming more clingy when sad
- Ignoring you – Sometimes showing sadness by turning away
- Unique personal cues – Special behaviors only you would recognize
Can Dogs Cry Tears of Joy?
Interestingly, recent research suggests that dogs might actually produce tears in positive emotional situations. A 2022 study published in Current Biology found that dogs produced more tears when reunited with their owners after being separated for several hours. This tear production was linked to oxytocin, the bonding hormone.
When researchers compared dogs’ reactions to seeing their owners versus familiar non-owners, there was significantly less tear volume with the non-owners. This suggests that dogs’ emotional bond with their specific human can trigger physiological responses similar to crying—but from happiness, not sadness!
Do Dogs Comfort You When You Cry?
Many dog owners swear their pets try to comfort them when they’re upset. The science supports this observation. Dogs often attempt to soothe their distressed owners, though their motivation might be more complex than pure empathy.
When your dog comforts you during crying, it could be:
- They’re responding to your distress signals
- They want to alleviate their own stress caused by your emotions
- They’ve learned that certain behaviors get positive responses when you’re upset
- Their natural pack instincts encourage them to support a “pack member” in distress
How to Train Your Dog to Comfort You When You Cry
Because dogs naturally respond to human emotions, you can actually enhance their comforting behaviors through training. Here’s a simple method I’ve used with my own dog:
- Choose a command word like “cuddles” or “comfort”
- Pretend to be upset and have treats ready
- When your dog approaches, use your command word and give a treat
- Add physical affection like hugging when they respond
- Practice for short sessions over several days
- Eventually, your dog will associate the command with providing comfort
After just a few practice sessions, many dogs will learn to offer comfort on command, which can be helpful during genuine emotional moments.
A Dog’s Emotional Understanding: Like a Toddler
Research indicates that a dog’s emotional awareness is comparable to that of a 2-3 year old child. They can recognize basic emotions and respond to them, but they don’t fully comprehend complex emotional states.
Think about how a toddler might respond when seeing an adult cry. They notice something’s wrong and might offer a hug, but they don’t understand the nuanced reasons behind the tears. Dogs function similarly—they know you’re upset but can’t conceptualize abstract causes like job stress or relationship problems.
When Your Dog Ignores Your Crying
Sometimes, your dog might seem to ignore you when you cry. This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t care. They might:
- Feel overwhelmed by your emotions
- Be giving you space
- Not know how to help
- Be confused by your behavior
Dogs, like people, have different personalities and ways of responding to emotional situations. Some are natural comforters, while others might feel uncomfortable around strong emotions.
So, do dogs know what crying is? The answer is both yes and no. They definitely recognize when you’re upset and experiencing strong emotions. They can detect the physical and behavioral changes that come with crying. However, they don’t understand the concept of tears as emotional expressions in the way humans do.
What’s beautiful about the dog-human relationship is that even without fully understanding our emotions, dogs still respond to our distress and often try to help in their own way. Their ability to sense our emotional states and offer comfort is one of the many reasons they’ve earned the title of “man’s best friend.”
Next time you find yourself crying and your furry friend comes to your side, remember—they might not understand exactly why you’re sad, but they definitely know something’s wrong and want to help. And sometimes, that silent understanding is exactly what we need.
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Separate researchopens in new tab found that dogsâ cortisol levels increased after listening to a recording of an infant crying, suggesting some level of cross-species empathy. But interestingly enough, positive emotions donât seem to be as contagious as sad ones. For another one of her studiesopens in new tab, Manor and her team tested how pups reacted to human laughter. They found that laughing did not seem to impact dogsâ stress response or person-oriented behaviors (ie., eye contact, nuzzling, licking, barking) to the extent that crying did.Â
âThat tells us that thereâs something unique about the crying emotion that may elicit responses,â she explains.Â
So far we know, based on research that has tracked dog behavior as well as physiological metrics, like heart rate variability, that crying is stimulating to pups â even more so than other displays of human emotion. Still, the question remains: why? Related article
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Itâs not in your head: Dogs do seem to be attentive to crying.
âItâs pretty extensively established that dogs do respond to human crying,â Julia Manor, Ph.D.opens in new tab, an animal cognition and neuroscience researcher and associate professor at Ripon College, tells us. âThis has been found in audio recordings and live demonstrations with children and adults.âÂ
For example, in her own work, Manor has found that pet dogs are more likely to engage with whomever is pretending to cry in the room that theyâre in â be it their guardian or a stranger. âWhen the stranger pretended to cry, rather than approaching their usual source of comfort, their owner, dogs sniffed, nuzzled and licked the stranger instead,â the 2012 study readsopens in new tab.
How do you know if a dog is crying?
FAQ
Why do dogs Cry?
Dogs cry as a form of communication, expressing distress, anxiety, or pain. They may also cry due to loneliness or boredom. Sometimes, dogs cry out of fear or when they feel threatened. Dogs can cry when they are seeking attention or trying to alert their owners of something.
Do dogs Cry Like humans?
Your sweet pooch could suffer from dog depression or dog anxiety, and they certainly make noises that sound a lot like crying to us, particularly if we’re trying to train them not to sleep on our bed at night. We just had to find out if those heartbreaking puppy sounds mean that dogs can cry like humans, so we asked the experts. Do dogs cry?
Can dogs tell when you’re crying?
Dogs can tell when you’re crying and recognize changes in your emotions. A 2017 study found that a dog’s heart rate is influenced by human emotional expressions such as crying and tears. ‘It has been shown that dogs react with arousal to crying humans in true-to-life settings.’
Why do dogs cry when left alone?
Sometimes, dogs cry out of fear or when they feel threatened. Dogs can cry when they are seeking attention or trying to alert their owners of something. Health issues, such as injuries or illnesses, can also lead to crying in dogs. Separation anxiety is another common reason for dogs to cry when left alone.
What does it mean if a dog Crys?
When dogs cry, here’s what it could mean. Whimpering or whining. This is one of the first ways that dogs learn to communicate, as puppies instinctually use this noise to “cry out” for their mother. As adult animals, they may continue to use whimpering to communicate with you, particularly if you are responsive to it.
Do dogs cuddle when you cry?
Dogs can sense when you cry or feel depressed, and it’s possible to train a dog to comfort you when you cry. We’ve done this in our home by using the word command ‘cuddles’.
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How did my dog know I was crying?
dogs can detect sadness through a combination of sensory cues, learned associations, and innate intuition. they can also sense increased levels of hormones-some can even smell diseases.
Why does my dog stare at me when I cry?