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How Do German
Shepherds Show
Affection? (18 Signs Of
Love)
November 27, 2019 by Jubilant Pups

How do german shepherds show

affection? Are you wondering whether
your german shepherd actually loves you,
or do they just want to bed fed?

In this article, you’re going to find out 19

different ways that your german shepherd
shows affection, and why they do it!

So keep reading to find out more!

Short On Time?

If you’re short on time here’s a list of the

different signs of affection.

Tail wagging.
Eye contact.
Jumping.
Leaning.
Following.
Licking.
Bringing toys.
Nudging.
Sighing.
Rolling over.
They like to sleep near you.
Happy when you get home.
Checking up on you.
Smiling at you.
Chewing.
Showing empathy.
Peeing in front of you.
Roughhousing.

The Top 19 Ways German

Shepherds Show Affection
Now you know how german shepherds
show affection, let’s go into a little bit
more detail. After all, some of the body
language you see can often mean two
things. So you need to make sure you’re
reading the signs correctly.

Tail Wagging

Obviously, we all know that tail wagging is

one of the biggest signs of affection. When
a german shepherd is stood in front of you
wagging their tail, it often means they’re
happy to see you.

This is especially true if the behavior is

followed by clambering to get closer to
you and other signs of excitement.

However, if you notice your german

shepherd approaching you slowly with
their head bowed when they’re wagging
their tail, then this may not be affection.

Instead, they’re approaching you with

apprehension. If this is the case, then you
should consider the way you treat them.
Remember, you should always be using
positive reinforcement instead of
punishment with your pup!

Strong Eye Contact

Strong eye contact is another sign of

affection from your german shepherd. If
you notice that every time you hold their
gaze, they hold yours as well, then they’re
signaling deep levels of trust.

Remember, you should only be doing this

with dogs you’re familiar with. If you’re not
familiar with a dog, then strong eye
contact is a sign of confrontation and
you’re going to scare them or trigger
aggression.

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But if you notice your german shepherd

holds eye contact with your for more than
3 seconds, then the chances are they trust
you and have a deep affection for you!

There’s even evidence to suggest that

when your german shepherd maintains
eye contact with you, they release the love
hormone oxytocin.

Jumping Up

Jumping up is another extremely common

sign that your german shepherd loves you.
Dogs don’t have the same personal space
boundaries that we do.

One of the ways they’re going to show

their affection is jumping on you and trying
to get as close as possible. While
sometimes it’s necessary to train it out of
them (especially with german shepherds),
you should still be flattered that they love
you so much.

This sort of jumping often includes

whining, and ecstatic tail wagging as well.

(Find out what to do if your german

shepherd is jumping up and biting.)

Leaning On Your

Do you notice that sometimes when you

sit down your german shepherd will lean
on you? They could slump their shoulder
against your leg or lay their head on your
lap.

Whatever, the leaning is, it’s a clear sign

they have deep levels of affection towards
you.

A simple way to think about it is anytime

your german shepherd chooses to make
contact with you, when they don’t want
too is a pretty good sign that they really
love you.

Leaning can also be a sign that your

german shepherd is nervous, scared and
looking for reassurance. For example, if
fireworks are going off or there are a lot of
loud noises, they may be more likely to
lean on you.

Following You Around

Another sign of affection is when your

german shepherd follows you wherever
you go. In fact, they may follow you so
much that they essentially become a little
shadow.

The reason they’re following you around is

that they see you as part of their pack, and
they want to go wherever the pack goes.

However, you do need to be careful,

constantly following you around and being
by your side all the time could be a sign of
separation anxiety.

If you think your german shepherd is

suffering from separation anxiety then
your best bet is to talk to a professional.

Licking You

When your dog can’t stop licking you, it’s

often a sign of affection. When they lick
you it’s similar to giving you little kisses.

This is even truer when they lick your face

and around your mouth. While sometimes
this is because they can smell food, in a lot
of cases, it’s a sign of affection and to get
attention from you.

If you notice your german shepherd is

always trying to lick your face then that’s a
clear sign that they see you as their pack
leader.

(Find out all the reasons your german

shepherd might lick.)

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Bringing Your Their Toys

Sometimes your german shepherd loves

you so much they want to bring you their
toys.

One of my old dogs used to bring her

blanket to me every time I came home, and
I always knew this was her ultimate sign of
love.

When they do this, it’s not always because

they want to play. They’re giving you their
favorite toy because they want you to
have as much fun with it as they do.

Nudging You

If your german shepherd nudges you with

their head or nose, OR even buries their
head into you, then this is a definite sign of
affection on their part.

They normally do this because they want

your attention or because they want you
to help them feel more secure. And they’re
only going to get this security from the
person they love the most.

So when your german shepherd is nudging

you to make sure you give them lots of
love to return the affection.

Sighing

In humans, sighing is often a sign of

boredom, but this isn’t the case with
german shepherds (or any dog).

Have you ever been sat with your german

shepherd and when they’re resting they
let out a long sigh? This sigh is a sign of
contentment and it can often come with
stretching as well.

If you notice your german shepherd doing

this then rest assured, it’s because they
feel content being around you. You’ve
given them the feeling that they have
everything they need.

They may also sigh or grunt like this when

they’re getting stroked.

Rolling Over

When your german shepherd is showing

you affection they may roll over onto their
back and let you stroke their belly.

Doing this is a huge sign of trust as they’re

literally exposing their sensitive underside
to you.

So next time your german shepherd does

this, it’s because they feel completely
relaxed and unguarded, a sure sign of
affection.

They Like To Sleep Near You

Once again, german shepherds show

affection by staying close to their pack. If
your german shepherd wants to sleep near
you, then it’s because they love you.

They trust you and want to protect you

while you sleep (and vice versa). When you
choose to let your german shepherd sleep
with you, you should provide them a
comfortable bed, but not your own.

If you give them your own bed they can

often get confused with who’s in charge
and they may try to be the pack leader. As
far as dogs go, german shepherds have
very strong personalities.

They’re Happy When You Get Home

One of the times you’ll notice how much

your german shepherd loves you is when
you come home. Especially if you haven’t
seen them for a while.

When you do come home, you may notice

a combination of the signs of affection in
this article. They’ll be jumping up on you,
whining, and wagging their tail. They may
also try to bring you their favorite toy and
just follow you around.

This is a great sign that they love you and

they’re trying to show you affection.

They Check On You

Not all dogs want to spend time with you,

but this doesn’t mean they don’t love you.
For more independent dogs a clear sign
that they love you is if they check up on
you.

If they spend most of their time in another

room, they may come to see you for a few
minutes. When they’re on a walk you may
notice them coming back to you or looking
to see where you are.