If you've ever wondered if your dog understands anything you say, the answer is yes.

A new study, led by Canine Cottages put heart monitors on four dogs to help track their tail wagging when interacting with their human.

Based on their data, the study proved a 46% increase in heart rate when they heard the words "I love you" from their owners. On the flip side, they also found dogs to calm down when being cuddled by their human, with a heart rate drop of about 23%.  


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It's no secret that humans love their pets. Canine Cottages found after a long period away from our dog, our heart rate increases 10% just seeing them.

"It’s amazing to see that our dogs' heart rates increase when they are told they are loved, showing excitement, and decreases when having cuddles, showing contentedness," Shannon Keary, campaigns manager for Canine Cottages, told PEOPLE Magazine. "It’s also interesting to see all the weird and wonderful ways our pets show their love for us. From this data, we can now officially say that our dogs really do love us!"

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