Pets become true best friends to their owners and even full-fledged family members. Therefore, it is so important for people to find a common language with canines. But sometimes it is quite difficult because canines express emotions not in the way people do this.
So to understand your pet better you should learn at least the ABCs of the dogs’ ways to express emotions. And this article is dedicated to one of the basic feelings — sadness. How do dogs express it? Are they capable of crying like humans? What does it mean if the dog’s eyes are wet with tears? All this and even more you will find below.
Can Dogs Cry As Humans Do?
Oh, if only dogs could express their emotions as humans do! Laugh when they are happy and cry when they are sad. In some owners, this desire is so strong that they have wishful thinking. They believe that their dogs can cry when they are sad, offended, or hurt as humans do.
But this is not true. Such expressing of negative emotions is not typical for canines. So, dogs can’t cry in the usual meaning of this word.
How Do Dogs Express Their Sadness?
They give out different sounds: whimper, whine, and howl. So, if you see your pet lying somewhere in a safe place and whimpering loudly know that this is what means “crying” in a canines’ language.
Why Can Dogs “Cry”?
Initially, the sounds of whimpering can be heard in young puppies when separated from their mother. They “cry” because they are afraid of change, they lack the warmth of their mother’s body and her care. They are also taken away from brothers and sisters. They are used to sleeping snuggling together, but now they have to sleep on their own. So often the puppy whimpers all night because of being cold and lonely at the new home.
Later, adult dogs may whimper and howl for many different reasons:
- loneliness;
- longing for the owner;
- intense fear;
- physical pain;
- hunger;
- compassion for the owner or other close humans or animals when they are sad or ill.
Some ingenious manipulators use whimpering as a way to attract the owner’s attention if they see that humans always start to communicate with them when they pretend to be sad.
How to Comfort a Pet When He Is Sad?
First of all, make sure that this is not physical pain caused by injuries or diseases that make your dog whimper. If it “cries” often it’s better to visit a vet.
But if whimper is caused only by negative emotions there are plenty of ways to make a dog happy again:
- take a puppy to sleep together with you if he whimpers at night;
- give your pet a favorite treat;
- pet the dog;
- talk to your pet lovingly for him not to feel abandoned and ignored;
- offer a pet to go for a walk.
Why Can Tears Pour From the Dog’s Eyes?
You have already found out that dogs use a different way of expressing negative emotions instead of crying. But they still have lacrimal glands and ducts which are intended to moisturize eyes. So, sometimes even large tears can be seen in the dogs’ eyes. But this is not normal! Tears in the canines’ eyes are always the sign of an illness.
Tears may be the symptom of the following problems:
- Ingress of foreign objects (sand, little twigs, small insects, blades of grass, etc). They injure the eyes, causing tears as a defensive reaction.
- Allergy. If a dog suffers from this illness its eyes become red, swollen, and watery. Nasal discharge may also join. Allergy may be caused by wrong diet, aggressive household chemicals, a large amount of dust at home, etc. Pollen allergy is less common in dogs but still exists.
- Eye infections and inflammations. They usually begin with tears and redness. Over time, purulent discharge and loss of fur around the eyes may also join.
Also, sometimes the eyes may tear up because of the intense direct sunlight. But in this case, the moisture in the eyes will be much less. The eyes will be wet, but the tears will not fall.
What to Do if Tears Pour From My Dog’s Eyes?
The answer is short, simple, and clear. Immediately show your pet to a vet! Tears never pour from a healthy dog’s eyes.
Don’t try to cure the pet on your own. If the tears were caused by an infection, then you will not manage to get rid of it by yourself without professional recommendations for the right choice of medications. And complications can lead to a drop in vision.
Also, an ordinary person is not always capable of noticing a foreign body in a dog’s eye. And, of course, only a vet can remove it, if necessary, by washing the eyes properly.