Do Dogs Cry? The Truth Behind Those Puppy Dog Eyes

Spoiler: It’s complicated—but fascinating.

When your dog gives you those big, glossy eyes, you might wonder: Are they crying? Do dogs feel sadness so deeply that they actually shed emotional tears, like humans do?

Let’s break it down.

🧠 The Science of Dog Tears

Dogs do produce tears, but not the kind we associate with sadness. Their tear ducts are responsible for:

• Eye lubrication

• Removing debris

• Protecting against infection

According to Dr. Stanley Coren, psychologist and canine behavior expert, dogs’ eyes may look teary in moments of stress or sadness, but it's not the same as human weeping. There’s no scientific evidence that dogs shed emotional tears the way people do.

However…

💞 Dogs Do Feel Emotions—And Show Them Differently

While dogs might not cry tears of sadness, they definitely experience and express deep emotions.

Research from Emory University (via Dr. Gregory Berns, 2013) showed that dogs have a brain structure similar to humans' in the region associated with emotion—the caudate nucleus. That’s why dogs show affection, grief, joy, and fear in ways we can feel intuitively.

Dogs express sadness or distress through:

• Whining or whimpering

• Lethargy or withdrawn behavior

• Lack of appetite

• Hiding or clinginess

In other words, they do cry—just not with tears.

🐾 Do Dogs Cry Tears of Joy?

A 2022 study published in Current Biology by Japanese researchers Kikusui et al. suggests dogs may shed more tears when reunited with their owners after long periods apart. While it’s still being studied, this raises a powerful idea:

"Positive emotion may actually increase tear volume in dogs."
— Kikusui, 2022

While those tears may not be the sobbing we think of, they could be biologically triggered by emotional connection.

❤️ Final Thought:

Your dog may not cry like you, but they absolutely feel.
Next time you see those watery eyes, look closer—they might just be saying “I love you.”