Yes, Even Pets Have a Love Language — Here’s How to Tell Which One Is Yours

One of the best things about having a pet is showing them love and it always being reciprocated. After all, there’s nothing like being welcomed home by your furry friend after a long day away. It’s nice to know that no matter what, our pets will love us unconditionally. But as a pet owner, it’s important to know how that love can be manifested in different ways. Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, explains this in his book in which he details the five ways a person can show and receive love: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch or quality time. While the book, originally published in 1992, was written with humans in mind, these love languages can very much be applied to pets, too. But how can you tell which love language your pet speaks?

The makers of Seresto® collars know how important understanding your pet’s love language can be in helping strengthen your bond. That’s why they’ve teamed up with country music star Chris Lane to celebrate the love languages we share with our pets—something he knows all about thanks to his two dogs Chloe and Cooper. “We have a special bond with our dogs and have learned a lot about what makes them happy,” says Lane. “There are so many ways we show our love to Cooper and Chloe and how they show their love for us.” Cooper, who loves playtime and especially hide-and-seek, has quality time as his love language whereas Chloe, who enjoys cuddling, likes to receive love through physical touch.

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Lane and his wife, Lauren Bushnell Lane, also show their love for Cooper and Chloe by helping protect them from ticks and fleas. “With the new baby, the tour and everything in between, we’ve never been busier,” he says. “We rely on Seresto® to protect our dogs from fleas and ticks so we can focus on enjoying our time together.” We all know that keeping your furry friends happy and protecting them from harm is the foundation of a strong relationship with your pet. To better understand how you can make them happy, read below for how the different love languages show up in pets. You may be surprised to learn their love language is completely different from what you originally thought!

Words of Affirmation

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For people, words of affirmation can look like compliments or words of encouragement, and it’s the same for pets, too. If your pet wags their tail or jumps up and down every time they hear “I love you!” or “Good boy/girl!” then their love language is probably words of affirmation. They also show their love verbally, whether that’s a purr or bark. So, if your pet leans more toward vocal expression, then that may also be a sign words of affirmation is their love language.

Acts of Service

Does your pet light up when you take them outside or schedule an impromptu puppy play date? Perhaps their favorite thing is when you wipe their paws after they’ve walked in the snow or mud. If this describes your pet, then it looks like your pet’s love language is acts of service. Pets that have this love language enjoy when their owners do things for them, whether that’s making sure their water bowl is filled, putting on their jacket when it’s raining outside or bringing them to the groomer. No matter the method, going the extra mile to do something special for your pet is sure to put a smile on their face.

Receiving Gifts

Christmas comes every day when you have a pet whose love language is receiving gifts. Pets who have this as a love language tend to enjoy getting treats or receiving a new chew toy to play with. They also show their love by giving gifts to their owners too. More often than not, you don’t necessarily want this gift (getting a dead mouse thrown at your feet doesn’t exactly scream “love”), but the sentiment is there and for that, we love our pets even more.

Quality Time

If your pet’s love language is quality time and you’ve had the opportunity to work from home for the past year and half, then chances are your pet has never been happier! If he or she goes crazy every time you leave the house only to act crazier when you return then this is most definitely their love language. Pets with quality time as a love language take pleasure in going on long walks or following you around the house. If your pet speaks this love language, be sure to give them your undivided attention and lots of playtime to keep them happy.

Physical Touch

If a good scratch behind the ears or a nice, long belly rub brings a smile to your buddy’s face, then their love language is most certainly physical touch. This is a popular one for pets as one of the top ways pets show love is by sitting or cuddling with their owner. Other signs your pet’s love language is physical touch include wanting to lay on your lap, offering their head for lots of rubs or giving you lots of kisses. If your pet frequently does any of the items listed, showering them with affection is a sure-fire way to show you love them.

The article was created by SheKnows for Seresto®. 

This article discusses the New York Times bestselling book The 5 Love Languages® by Dr. Gary D. Chapman and references THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES, LOVE LANGUAGE, and other formative common law and registered “LOVE LANGUAGE” trademarks owned by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, none of which have any affiliation with this site. For more information on The 5 Love Languages® or to take the Love LanguageTM quiz, please visit www.5lovelanguages.com.

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