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Since your dachshund can’t speak up and tell you how much they love you, you might wonder how they show their affection. Some ways are pretty obvious, but others are quite abnormal.
How Do Dachshunds Show Affection:
Dachshunds have many ways of showing affection. They often demonstrate their affection towards you by wanting to cuddle, licking you, making eye contact, pawing or poking at you with their nose, with their facial expressions, and even by taking things that are yours.
In this post you’ll discover all the interesting ways your dachshund shows affection.
#5 is probably the most irritating and #7 is really quite funny.
Let’s dive right in to the first way your dachshund may show affection, eye contact.
Table of Contents
Top 8 Ways Dachshunds Show Affection
1) Eye Contact
It’s commonly thought that when a dog won’t break eye contact with you it means they’re attempting to assert their dominance.
In a sense, whoever breaks eye contact first, is the submissive of the two having the stare off.
However, this may not be entirely true. Or not true in all situations.
A study done in 2015 found that when a person stares into the eyes of their dog, it increases their oxytocin levels as well as their dogs.
Oxytocin is typically referred to as the happiness hormone. It’s responsible for giving you a warm, loving feeling.
Which means based on this study, your dachshund holds eye contact with you as a sign of affection.
It’s because of your bond with them that causes their oxytocin levels to rise.
If you were a stranger, eye contact wouldn’t do anything for them.
But because you’re their beloved owner and leader of their pack.
They feel happy when staring at you, which would only happen if they loved you dearly.
2) Big Welcomes, Sad Goodbyes
You could be gone for only 5 minutes and your dachshund would still give you a big welcome.
Dog’s don’t have the best understanding of time or how much of it has passed.
So when they see you come home, they aren’t sure if it’s been 10 minutes or hours, but one thing they’re sure of is. They missed you.
And a clear sign of affection is when they demonstrate they missed you with kisses, jumping (even though frowned upon), and crazy tail wagging.
If you didn’t mean a whole lot to them they wouldn’t give you such a grand entrance!
The same goes with how sad they are to see you go.
They might do whatever it takes to go with you.
Tie themselves in between your legs, poke their nose at the door waiting to go, pouting/sighing, etc.
Then they rush to whatever window they can see you out of and watch you leave.
Their heart is sad and hopeful that you return soon.
If that’s not demonstrating their immense affection for you, I’m not sure what will.
3) Licking
Dog’s lick for many reasons.
Some people debate whether dog’s licking you is a form of kissing to them.
Even if it’s not a kiss in the way that you and I see kisses (as a form of affection).
Your dachshund may lick you for other reasons that still demonstrate their love and affection towards you.
For example, when your dachshund was just a pup, their mother would lick them to keep them clean and healthy.
Since their mother loved them, they saw this as a labor of love. Which then makes them feel like licking is a labor of love by cleaning whoever they lick.
And since you get lots of their licks, they’re likely showing their affection toward you by helping keep you clean (in their mind).
They could also be licking you because they like your smell and the taste of you.
A little odd for people to understand, but your dachshund experiences much of this world through their mouth.
So when they lick you, they’re saying they like your scent and taste.
Certainly an interesting way to show affection.
Related Reading: 17 Surprising Reasons Why Dachshunds Lick So Much + Tips
4) Cuddling
There’s nothing better than a good puppy cuddle after a long day of work.
And your dachshund likely feels the same way.
Similarly to making and holding eye contact with you, physical contact between you and your dachshund have also been proven to release oxytocin.
When you’re petting them, they’re leaned up against you, or sitting on your lap, these types of interactions all help both of you feel better.
It’s also a sign of trust when your dachshund wants to cuddle with you.
They feel safe being close to you and trust that you won’t harm them.
Who knew cuddling with your dachshund could say so much about their love and affection toward you!
Related Reading: Do Dachshunds Like To Cuddle? 11 Things You Should Know
5) Taking Your Stuff
Much like how a little boy will take the pencil of a girl he has a crush on at school, your dachshund may take your things as a sign of affection.
However, it’s a little different type of affection for your dachshund.
They want nothing more than to get attention from you. This in and of itself is a sign of their affection towards you.
And when they take one of your socks, or a piece of dirty laundry, they want you to chase them.
To them, this is playing.
And playing is one of the ways a dachshund will show their affection. If they were scared or intimidated by you, they wouldn’t want to steal your stuff and play.
Also, it smells like you which makes them want to take it even more.
Often the smellier the better. The little weirdo.
But when you aren’t paying attention to them and they want to feel like you’re close to them, a piece of clothing can help them feel close.
Your scent can be enough to make them feel comfortable and in your presence.
This may be annoying sometimes, especially when you’re tired. But when your dachshund takes your things, they’re showing their affection by wanting to be near you.
6) Pawing/Nosing
Your dachshund likely doesn’t want much more than 2 things in this world. Food, and your attention.
And why would they want your attention specifically if they didn’t love you?
Your attention brings them so much joy and happiness.
When they paw at you or nudge you with their nose, they’re showing affection.
They want you to spend some quality time with them.
Whether it’s rolling around wrestling, playing fetch outside, or going on an adventure.
They nudge and poke at you in an attempt to get you to spend time with them.
And why would they want you to spend time with them if they didn’t have strong feelings of affection for you?
7) Facial Expressions
It’s super interesting how in-depth some scientific studies go.
A study in 2013 wanted to see how a dog’s facial expressions react when they see their owner vs a stranger, as well as toys.
They recorded numerous dog’s reactions to seeing their owner vs the other variables and found that they do react differently when seeing their owner.
More specifically, if your dachshund moves their LEFT eyebrow when they see you, this demonstrates their attachment to you.
Sounds a little silly, but when a dog is reintroduced with their owner, their face reacts a certain way.
Which the study believes is because it’s a reflection of the dog’s attachment to their owner.
So if you notice your dachshund giving you the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson eyebrow lift (with their left eyebrow), they’re showing a sign of affection.
8) Roll On Their Back
When a dog rolls on their back, this is a very vulnerable position for them.
So if you see your dachshund roll on their back in front of you, they’re signalling their submission to you.
They look up to you and see you as their leader.
They trust you not to hurt them and demonstrate this by rolling on their back.
If your dachshund doesn’t roll on their back around you it could mean that they don’t trust you.
So when they do this, it’s a sign of admiration and affection.
Final Thoughts
Your dachshund has many ways of showing their affection towards you.
It’s actually quite interesting how there are so many different ways considering they’re not able to speak.
But rest assured, if you notice your dachshund do any of the things on our list above, they’re showing affection toward you.
They’re also a part of the group of people who think actions speak louder than words.
That might be because they can’t speak.. but we won’t worry about that detail.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Dog Beds for Dachshunds
5 Reasons Why Dachshunds Are So Jealous + 6 Helpful Tips
27 Fruits Dachshunds Can And Can’t Eat (Ultimate Guide)
11 Reasons Why Dachshunds Shake, Shiver & Tremble
Citations:
Oxytocin-Gaze Positive Loop and the Coevolution of Human-Dog Bonds
Dogs show left facial lateralization upon reunion with their owners