Why does my dog leave me when I cry?

Why Does My Dog Leave Me When I Cry? [5 Reasons]

Today’s article is all about “Why does my dog leave me when I cry?”. If your canine doesn’t comfort you when you cry, you might be wondering what you can do about it. This article will help you with the causes and what you can do about it. 

So, why does my dog leave me when I cry? The most common reasons include anxiety, confusion, and intimidation.

However, there are a variety of things that you can consider while finding out the real cause.

Why Do dogs leave You when you cry?

Our furry friends are receptive to our moods. Several studies say dogs do recognize the positive and negative emotions in us. It is something they do very naturally.

One study by Learning and Behaviour magazine selected 34 canines and their proprietors for a test. 

A clean plastic door separated the people and the canines so that one was still visible to the other. The door was secured with magnets and was not locked.

On occasion, the proprietors hummed out loud the song of twinkle twinkle little star. On other occasions, every proprietor pretended to cry.

It has become clear that canines recognized the distinction between the song and the sound of their proprietor’s emotional distress.

The canines that drove open the door to get to their proprietor did so quickly when they perceived their proprietor was upset. The canines seemed to recognize the specific emotional states. 

But that does not apply to this post.

What is applicable is why canines would possibly choose not to comfort their proprietor. The canines that did not open the door during the test did not do so because they had been bloodless or aloof to their proprietor’s suffering.

It was either due to the fact they had been uncertain of how to reply or because they have become anxious. 

Whilst the studies help the concept that a canine can recognize the distinction between happiness and sadness, it may not constantly be clear what’s expected of them at that moment.

Imagine an infant in this situation. A two-year vintage would possibly place a hand at the knee of a person crying or provide a toy or hug. Another toddler would possibly experience uncertainty or anxiety.

They might also additionally step away or visit any other person. It does not imply that the kid does not love that adult. It just means their emotional reaction has not evolved sufficiently to offer an appropriate reaction.

Dogs may additionally experience being overwhelmed or intimidated by a large show of emotion. Their natural reaction could be to step away.

Dogs may be exceptionally receptive to our emotional states, however, we must not confuse some of those responses with rejection.

Do dogs understand when you cry?

No, canines don’t understand when you cry, they are sensitive to emotional contagion.

This means that they only respond to our emotions, they do not understand what we are feeling. 

Matured canines have a mind similar to an infant. Hence, even if they don’t know what you are feeling, they will comfort you.

Reasons why your dog does not comfort you when you cry?

Confusion

Confusion might be the reason for your dog leaving you when you cry.

This can be evident if your pooch pays attention to you when you cry. But he shows signs of confusion like turning his head.

Intimidation

Intimidation can be one of the reasons for the cause. This can be seen if your pooch tends to avoid you when you cry.

He may also avoid you if you cry suddenly after getting mad at something. 

Anxiety

Another potential reason is that your pooch becomes anxious when you cry. This can be true if he starts crying himself.

He thinks he is in trouble

This might be the case that your canine does not comfort you because he thinks he is in trouble.

This can be more likely if your dog avoids you and if you have recently punished him when crying before. 

He thinks you are okay

Another common reason is that your pooch thinks you are ok.

This may be more likely if he does not behave differently when you cry.

What do dogs normally do when you’re sad?

Just like us, every canine acts differently when people are sad. There is some awkwardness that they don’t know.

In such situations, it is difficult for them to find out what to do. Hence, they may try to do anything to make their human smile. 

Therefore, here are the most common behaviors that a dog shows when his owner is crying or sad.

  • Physical touch
  • Distraction method
  • Giving you space

Physical touch

If you have a very friendly canine, then he may handle your sadness with physical touch. It is similar to how humans who are close to you will comfort you with a hug. 

Your canine will show comfort by giving his paw and will like your hand. Sometimes, he may put his head on your lap.

Giving you space

Some canines experience that their parents are having some emotional problem.

In fact, they do not understand what it is. Hence, they walk away from you until they think that you’re ok. 

Distracting you

Your pooch may try to distract you and make you laugh.

He may give you a ball for playing fetch, try to pull your clothes, or he will do things that he does when he wants to go for a walk. 

What to do about your dog not comforting you?

Reward him for showing affection

Sometimes your pooch doesn’t know that you want him to comfort you.

Hence, reward him when he does try to comfort you.

Avoid encouraging him not to show affection

Try to avoid punishing him when he shows affection. Else, he might think that you don’t want him to.

Instead, it would help to give him rewards when he shows affection

Final words

In conclusion, I would say that it is very normal if your dog leaves you when you cry. Some canines comfort their owners when they see them crying. But, many canines do not.

You can make them learn to comfort you with the methods I have mentioned above. But, in my opinion, it is better to keep your pooch as he is.

I hope you enjoyed the article. We will be back with more interesting and informative pieces of writing. Till then, stay connected. Thank you.

Frequently asked questions

Can dogs sense a good person?

Canines can sense whether a person is good or bad. Your pooch may know the decisions an individual has made, but he can easily pick up the signs of anger, danger, fear, and nervousness. Canines notice particular things about people that even other people are not aware of.

Can dogs sense when you are sad?

Much research shows that your canine can hear when you are happy or sad. Canines’ ability to communicate with their humans is unmatching to any other species in the animal community. They can sense human emotions, read facial expressions, and follow pointing gestures.

Why do dogs freak out when you cry?

Most experts say that a canine may show emotional contagion. It occurs when an animal or a person responds to any emotion of another person without understanding the emotion.