Dogs experience sadness, but they do not cry tears due to that emotion. Credit: Alan Mezzomo | iStock
Yes, dogs cry, but they do not cry like humans, with tears running down their face. They cannot produce tears to indicate sadness like humans do. Humans are the only species who do produce tears of sadness.
Dogs, however, can produce happy tears when reunited with their owners at times such as after a long day. Research shows that dogs produce an increased amount of tearing in such contexts, which is a result of the hormone oxytocin. But alas, no canine sadness tears.
Can Dogs Feel Sadness?
Dogs do express all emotions, including sadness. They just exhibit them with body language and vocalizations, so you need to decipher what you’re seeing.
Take howling, for example. Dogs howl for various reasons, including sadness. Looking at the content of the howl is important. A firetruck just drove by and your dog howled? That one is easy. If your dog’s best friend just crossed to the Rainbow Bridge in their presence and they howled then, that is a whole different howl than caused by the firetruck. That is indeed a sadness howl.
Whining is another vocalization that dogs are fond of using. It can indicate many different things. The whining can be low volume and seemingly not terribly trauma induced, or it can be at such a volume that you will do anything to help your dog feel better.
Whether whimpering is equivalent to whining is debatable. Whimpering can mean anything from “my ball is stuck under the couch” to “my toe really hurts.” You, as the dog parent, are expected to learn to decipher your dog’s various vocalizations so that you can better care for them.
Recognizing the Cause of Your Dog’s Crying
The behavior that is crying in dogs is such that, again, you as the dog parent will need to be a bit of a detective to determine the cause. Medical-issue crying is something that you should get a veterinarian involved with to determine the cause.
Do be mindful that some dogs “cry” for attention because that behavior has been reinforced, so you will have to be extra savvy to determine whether there really is a solid reason for the crying.
A note on actual tears: if your dog is producing tears regularly — especially if you’re battling tear stains — this is also a reason to see a veterinarian, as your dog is not “crying” from sadness but may have an underlying eye condition that needs attention.
