Many people ask me if dogs have the capacity to love. My answer to this depends on your definition of love.
Dogs are a social pack animal, and bond to packs, and individual pack members. Dogs within a pack, do not love each other as we define the term love. For example, a dog doesn't fall in love with a pack member and start an emotional relationship with it. A puppy doesn't "love" its mother and maintain an emotional connection for its entire life. Nor does the mother love its children and keep an ongoing relationship with them for its entire life. Once the pups are old enough to start fending for themselves, the mother ceases her motherly instincts with them, and treats them as other pack members. Dogs do not have an emotional relationship with their brothers and sisters. A dogs instinct is the continued survival of the pack, and it is only the higher and stronger pack members that are actually allowed to mate within a pack. This is to ensure that only the strongest genes are passed on, which therefore guarantees pack survival. So there is no emotional connection such a love between dogs, as we define the term love from a human perspective.

Our domesticated dogs do not have the capacity to love us, as we define the term love, just as they do not have the capacity to love each other. Yes they bond strongly with certain members of the family, depending on the amount of time spent with the dog, and the quality of that relationship from the dogs perspective. For example, I understand that my dog does not love me, he however has a strong bond with me based on respect and consistent leadership. In many homes, dogs bond with their human family, and bond to the family as the families (pack) leader. Or in many situations, totally confused and not understanding where it fits into the social hierarchy of the pack (family) it belongs too.

We as dog owners need to be careful that we don't equate this strong bond as loving us.  Many owners who see their dog as loving them may inadvertently reinforce unwanted behaviour due to our concept of the term love from a human perspective. Some dog owners that feel their dog loves them, tend to allow their dog to dictate the terms of the relationship, by not totally understanding why their dog does what it does. For example. a dog that continually seeks and demands attention, some owners see that as a dog that "loves"  them and is only wanting to be loved by us. A dogs relationship within the family is based on social pack instinct. Dogs do not seek out love from other members of the pack. We need to be aware of this to ensure we imprint into our dog correct behaviour, social skills, and to ensure unwanted behaviour is not enforced.

We must always be very careful that we do not humanise our dogs by placing human values on them. This type of relationship is the major reason there are so many dogs in society with behavioural  and psychological problems.

I am not at all suggesting we shouldn't love our dogs. I for one love my dog, but I also understand that he does not have the same capacity to love me, as I define the word love. I need to be aware of this at all times when having a relationship with my dog, and not confuse a dogs natural instincts with love. I do not stop loving my dog because I understand he doesn't have the capactity to love me in the same way.  In loving my dog, I respect him for who and what he is. It's his ability to accept my love unconditionally that suprises me every day..he asks nothing of me but good consistent leadership.