Why Do Dogs Cry When Excited

After a wonderful evening out with your friends, you head home and as you enter into your house, your dog begins wagging his tail and barking. He is excited to hear the door open because he knows you are home. When you greet him, he begins shaking his body and crying. You pet him and give him as much love as you can, but his whining and tears do not stop. He is overjoyed that you are there with him at the moment. Understanding how your dog is and why he cries when excited is important to learning more about what makes him tick. 

Dogs will communicate with their outside world in the only way they know how. Most times, they will use their vocal cords to the best of their ability to show their owner how they are feeling at the moment. Whining is one of the most common forms of communication for all dogs and most times, it is their way of crying. Whether your dog is excited, anxious, seeking attention, or just greeting you, he will whine. Dogs will cry to communicate the emotional state they are in to us. This whining can be because of many different emotions, but the most common emotion is excitement. You will be able to notice that your dog is excited when there are other behavioral traits that erupt with their whining. Your dog may also run in circles, jump, make a yapping sound, and have a lot of body movement with their feet. When your dog does this, it is important to greet them in the proper way. Whining can be cute when your dog is excited to see you or over anything else, but the way you respond to their excited reaction can make a huge difference in future interactions with your pet. It is suggested that you remain calm when your dog gets overexcited, but also greet them in the best way that you can. If your dog is excited because of food or things they desire, you want to react accordingly. Whining and whimpering is instinctual, but it is also a learned behavior. If you allow and give in to whatever your dog desires because they are excited, they may learn that crying is a tactic for receiving the item or love they want in the moment. Remember, they know that you are the leader of the pack and will follow you and learn how to interact with life from you. 

If your dog cries when he is excited, then it is perfectly normal to allow that. In fact, most dogs do cry and whine when they are excited. You do not want to suppress your dog’s natural canine state. Your dog will use their vocal cords and body to communicate their emotional needs to you, whether that is excitement or another emotion. Yet, it also is important to not overly encourage your dog’s excitement. You may notice that when your dog has these emotions, they may be jumping around and it can feel a bit out of control. If you constantly are encouraging your dog to jump and get excited, they may realize that their behavior through excitement helps them receive your love or treats that they want. Due to this, future interactions may become a bit wild. You want to keep the boundaries set with your dog, so he knows that you are the alpha leader. Yet, allow your dog to express their emotions when they have them. It is important for them to develop proper communication with their outside world. Therefore, when they are in actual need for something or are wanting something, you will be able to properly interact with them. 

If you notice that your dog cries when he gets excited over certain things, you may want to figure out what those things are. If your dog gets excited when he sees you, when he knows he is about to get food, or if there are other rituals in his life that excite him, take note of it. From here, you can then prepare yourself for when your dog is excited and enjoy the excitement with your dog. This will help you create good boundaries, so your dog’s emotion does not create out of control situations. Everyone wants to see their dog happy. 

It is quite a wonderful thing to see your dog express their happiness and excitement. No owner wants anything but that and you definitely do not want to see him sad. Yet, it is important to make sure your dog’s excitement does not get out of control. You do not want that high and loving energy getting away from you both.