How Do I Know If My Dog Is Happy?

Imagine if there was an equipment that could help you understand what your dog is feeling! Well, while the scientists work on getting one, how about we pay some close attention to our dog’s body language and behavior? 

When you start observing these two you will realise that dogs are rather expressive animals. Pranita, who is India’s first certified canine fitness trainer told us some of the top signs through which you can gauge whether your dog is happy with you or not. Ready to test?

1. Is he responsive?

When you call him out to go for a walk, play, or even have his food, how is his response? Does he get up quickly and wag his tail? If so, he is excited to be with you and get involved in some fun activity, else he is bored and just not interested.

2. Is he too independent and gets aggressive?

When a dog is independent to the extent that they hardly ever come near you, it means that they don’t find you interesting enough to spend their time with. (Don’t question yourself just yet. Keep reading!)

If he growls and gets aggressive often, it is also a sign that he is not happy. 

3. “Happiness is basically physical and mental stimulation” – Pranita

If you are teaching your dog new things, giving him puzzles to play with, and if you spend time engaging him in physical activities, your dog feels stimulated and hence happy. Even ‘you’ will need to become interesting for him.

4. Are you letting him do what he likes?

Every dog loves to do different things. For example, hounds or Indies love to run.  If you give them even 5 to 10 minutes of off-leash running, they will have a blast.  Similarly, some dogs like to dig, some like to chew, and some like to do nose work. Find out what your dog likes and make him do that often.

5. Just by giving him access to everything will not make him happy  

If you think that letting your dog go and sit anywhere in the house, or letting him do whatever he wants to will make him happy, you will need to reconsider it.  What really makes a dog happy is how much time you give to him and how you play with him.

For a dog, tiny things matter a lot. Balancing them with your work and life might be a little difficult. So how about you plan your time? To do the same, set up reminders on the Sploot app and manage your time with your dog more efficiently.