At some point, while owning a dog, you may sit and think to yourself ‘Is my dog really happy?’ I think most people question this. While dogs aren’t able to communicate verbally with us they do give away other signs to tell us if they are happy or not. Dogs are brilliant and have ways of letting you know, albeit you will need to look for the signs.
My dog became very destructive during the day while we were at work, she had her sister Lily with her but this did not stop it. We would return home to paper shredded on the floor and sometimes she would help herself into the bins. Being destructive is a sign of being unhappy and these are things you will need to cater to.
The number one sign of being able to tell if a dog is happy or not is the obvious sign; is their tail wagging? The most common sign for dogs to give away, but what are the other signs?
- Non – destructive behavior
- Relaxed body parts i.e. mouth and ears.
- Tail carriage – when your dog is relaxed the tail will stay naturally in a certain position and may slowly wag from time to time.
- Your dog has a healthy diet and eats well (everyone loves seeing their dog eating well).
- Will crave attention – a happy dog will want to spend time with their owners and will try and pull a cute little face to seek to get your attention.
- Active – is your dog active enough for its particular breed?
- Gets excited – does your dog do a little bum dance when you walk through that door, or like mine, does your dog greet you with a bum dance and her favorite toy?
- Isn’t alone for more than 4 ½ hours at a time. After 4 ½ hours, your dog’s brain automatically clicks and assumes that you are never coming home. This is when, you will usually find that the dogs will start whimpering.
A happy dog is a healthy dog!
This blog brought to you by our friends at The Classic Dog Blog
What is the main sign you use to know your dog is happy?
