1. They like sleeping with you.

I mean your dog probably loves you. In fact it loves you so much it most likely wants to sleep with you almost everyday. Nonetheless, you might not always let it because he either shitted in your carpet or did something you didn't want to. However, when your dog does nothing wrong and behaves itself you probably do not abstain from letting it sleep on your bed.

2. You deal with their shit.

Think about it, at times your dog might accidentally or intentionally poop somewhere you don't want them to and you will end up cleaning it up. In your partner's case, they might bring problems to the table every now and then, and unfortunately you gotta deal with those problems and eventually overcome them.

3. They need attention.

Just like your clingy better half, your dog also needs attention. As a responsible dog owner, you need to always think about your dog's necessities; and one of the most important ones is taking them for a walk.

Your boyfriend/girlfriend also has necessities, and as you already might have guessed, that means that they need to go out with you quite a bit, otherwise they'll feel ignored exactly like your dog would if you couldn't take him out for a walk.

4. You talk about them whenever you have the opportunity. 

Every time there's a social gathering with your friends or family it is almost inevitable that someone will ask you about your boyfriend/girlfriend. And even if that isn't the case, you will most likely start to randomly brag about him/her even no one asked you to do so. This is exactly the same thing dog owners do with their dogs, they talk about how cute and well behaved they are or maybe they might show you a billion pictures of it so you can love it as much as they do.

Thus, every time you got the opportunity to share your how much you love your dog or your better half, you will most likely take advantage of it.

5. They're lazy and love watching TV with you. 

Every time you feel like doing nothing or simply feeling down, your dog and counterpart are always the best companions. They share your want to doing nothing and probably enjoy it even more than you do. Plus, I bet both your dog and partner have fallen asleep on you at least once while watching Netflix.

6. They’ll protect you.

Your dog, just like your partner, most likely has a 6th sense or protective instinct that perfectly explains why it may bark at the door when someone unknown comes to your house. And just like your dog, when you both go out, your counterpart is probably always alert of your surroundings.

Both your dog and your partner most likely always look after you, protect you from anything that might appear threatening, and will do anything to make sure you are safe and enjoying yourself.

7. They're pretty high maintenance. 

Okay, don't get me wrong, not all partners and dogs are high maintenance. I guess it depends on the dog's race and your partner's personality; however, you can't deny that regardless of their maintenance level, you gotta do a lot of things for them when you are in a romantic relationship.

You have to help them when they need help, talk to them when they need someone to talk to, get them special gifts every now and then, and do all kinds of small things when necessary.

8. You’ll slowly stop paying as much attention, but that doesn't mean you don't love them!

Don't know if you have noticed, but when you get a new dog, for the first six months you might be absolutely traumatized and overwhelmed by its cuteness, which might make you do all kinds of things for it with utmost happiness. For example, you might be super enthusiastic about taking them out for a walk, teaching them new tricks, train them and even cleaning up their shits. Well, this applies in the same exact way when you're dating someone. When you're dating someone, the first few months seem almost magical. You only think about being with them and doing all kinds of things by their side 24/7.

As time passes, however, you might slowly lose this feeling of infatuation towards them, but this does not mean by any means that you've stopped loving them. It simply means you've gotten used to being around them, just like you get used to being around your dog and family at home.