Are dogs loyal?

[fractal]

I don't really understand why dogs are considered loyal. I understand that they are affable creatures which get excited when people come near it, and pet it.

But perhaps the dogs lack the intelligence to be disloyal? Maybe they can't recognise a better situation and move on? I haven't owned a dog, so I don't know much about them.

Is the dog really more 'loyal' than other animals? Let's say you own a dog, but your a person gives it much better food, and a better dog house. Where is the dog more likely to go?

 

[Jeanie]

Dogs are pack animals. They are loyal to their pack leader. It's not about who gives the best food or provides the nicest home. It's about being with the Alpha, which is as much a part of their natural drives and instincts as eating.

No domesticated animal is more loyal than a dog <3. Some breeds are more devoted to their people than others (Blue Heeler >>>>>> Basenji when it comes to devotion, for example) but where pets are concerned, dogs win in the loyalty and devotion department.

 

[Babe_Ruth]

Yes, dogs are extremely loyal. You can't really know till you actually own one for a few years and get attached to him or her.

I've had a dog my whole life, and all of them were loyal to me and the rest of my family.

For one example. We had a Rothweiler mixed with a lab, the dog was a beast, around 160lbs, he was a guard dog. Anyway, my mother is afraid of big dogs(she wasn't afraid of our dog because she got used to him) the neighbours dog broke his leach and came in to our yard, and my mother was all afraid of him, she went near our dog and he just walked in front of her and protected her. He pretty much saw she was afraid and guarded her till he left.

That's just one example of many.

 

[fractal]

Thanks for your responses!

I just wanted to see if this loyalty applied only to dogs, or all pets with a basic level of intelligence in general. Animals like cats just hang around coolly, but dogs are more affectionate, so it's easier to observe loyalty in dogs.

There was a video earlier about a lion who remembered the ones who took care of it after several years. It actually hugged them. I was just wondering if loyalty is attributed to dogs because it's more easily visible in them.

 

[Jeanie]

Biz I love that story <3

I think it's that dogs are loyal to their people. Other animals are loyal to each other, their pack or herd or whatever, but you don't see that relationship between other animals and their people like you do with dogs. I have a cat who is like that with me, but that's because I was her foster mommy after her mom died when she was only two weeks old. Some cats will show that kind of devotion but it's rare. Elephants are loyal to their herd in the same way that dogs are loyal to their people.

 

[Bliss]

Read this story and tell me dogs aren't loyal.
Bomb-sniffing Army dog and master repatriated together at Wootton Bassett | Mail Online

I have heard that if you died at home and had a cat it might eat you. If you had a dog it would lay down by your side and die next to you.

Dogs are classed as loyal because of stories like the one I linked. It is heart breaking but really beautiful.

 

[Crouton]

Dogs are one of the most loyal creatures on the planet. The loyalty a dog shows to it's owner on an almost daily basis is basically unmatched by human loyalty, they are in a league of their own. Think about it, it's basically hard to get a dog mad at you as they just constantly love you. You can yell at a dog, throw something at it but in the end it will just turn around and run up to you with it's tail wagging. If you leave the house for 20 minutes and come home the dog will act so excited to see you each time, it's as if you've been gone a year. It's not just the loyalty, but dogs are capable of a type of unconditional love that hard to even compare to other things.

 

[EllyDicious]

For one example. We had a Rothweiler mixed with a lab, the dog was a beast, around 160lbs, he was a guard dog. Anyway, my mother is afraid of big dogs(she wasn't afraid of our dog because she got used to him) the neighbours dog broke his leach and came in to our yard, and my mother was all afraid of him, she went near our dog and he just walked in front of her and protected her. He pretty much saw she was afraid and guarded her till he left.

*faints* That is so sweet !!!!!!!

From what I recall, my friend's dog used to bark at other people when my friend pretended to cry (just to see her dog's reaction). The doglove was all furious and sad when he thought my friend was crying.

It's a sign of loyalty, no?

 

[Bubbles]

I don't really understand why dogs are considered loyal. I understand that they are affable creatures which get excited when people come near it, and pet it.

Actually frac, that's not true of all dogs. My dog hates it when strangers come near her and try to pet her. She'll bark and growl, and sometimes even snap at you to warn you that she hates being touched.

As far as loyalty goes, I don't think there's a single animal on the planet that more loyal than a dog. I'll give you an example of what Cali did today. I pulled a sickie to get out of work today, so when my brother called and asked me drop off his text book at his school; I tied her up outside. (The schools about 15 minutes away, btw.) When I leave, she's sitting in the driveway, and 15 minutes later, when I get back home - she's still sitting in the same spot. Even when I'm getting ready for work, she'll just sit in front of my door waiting for me to get out. If that's not loyal, I dunno what is.

And that story Bliss posted was so sad

 

[Merc]

This picture bounced around the web within the last year or two and its of a dog that didn't know how to react to its owners' death. It apparently would not leave the body and paramedics (from what I think I remember) had to bring the dog with them since it wouldn't let them take the body very far from it.

Having had dogs, I can certainly attest to their loyalty. It may be biological, something in their blood that makes them loyal to their leaders, but I think there's nothing wrong with that.