Henlo, Frens!
At present, my dog Samantha is on the floor with her favorite pillow - which she stole from me - staring up at me. Whenever guests visit our woodland house, our two golden retrievers bring plush toys and pillows to them as they enter, always eliciting a laugh from the humans. People often comment how happy they are as they accept their gifts.
So, what makes a dog happy, anyway?
Dogs are not unemotional creatures, as any dog family knows. When Samantha is unhappy, she lets me know. She will vocalize a low, unthreatening growl or flip my arm up with her nose if I am not paying attention to her. Her sister, on the other hand, doesn’t show much in the way of discontent. She will just zone out. If Sophia is not engaged, we know she needs attention or to go outside and play.
It can seem complicated to train a dog if you’ve never done it before. Samantha was my first dog ever at 28 years of age, and it was nerve-wracking, wondering if I was doing the right things. Though we did teach her to soft “woof” on command, which is a riot at the vet.
Dogs are, however, uncomplicated creatures being raised by complicated ones - us. Sometimes we complicate our own happiness just as much as we might complicate someone else’s or our pet’s. According to experts, happiness in dogs is really quite simple.
In an article by the AKC (linked below), seven ways to assist your dog with happiness are listed. My takeaway from the entire article is engagement. Your dog needs to know that you are there and that you care. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we, as humans, also need on a macro-level? Simple acts of presence are not specific to the human species.
The most important thing to begin with is to be informed. One thing I did not do was read up on dog behavior when Sam came to live with us. She was just about eight weeks old and a bundle of confusion. So was I. Is your dog wagging her tail because it is happy or because she is stressed? You can’t really know until you get to know your dog, which takes time, but observing these behaviors and knowing what the triggers for stress are is key.
For example, Samantha gets stressed when we take out the vest to go to the vet. This is not something we have ever been able to break her of. We remain calm and she eventually calms down, herself. She also has separation anxiety from her sister when her sister goes to the vet and she stays home with me. That is a tornado of emotions from Sam, but I remain calm and her meltdown lasts only about three minutes now, as opposed to much longer prior.
Our ability to remain calm and not put off those negative pheromones is our best asset in dealing with a stressed or unhappy dog.
What’s next? Toys! When Sophia goes to the vet, Sam either finds a toy or I give her one to hold in her mouth. The more she barks, the worse she feels, just like us humans yelling about something - it might be a release in the moment, but how do we really feel after? Giving her one of her sheep plushies or a pillow eases the vocalizing and helps her calm down.
I know this can be tough with a dog that shreds soft toys. A Kong or solid toy can also do the trick.
Dogs need structure. We don’t have the most structured home of a dog family, but they know when it’s time to eat and time to go outside. They know their boundaries and they know when it’s time for bed. They know on our days off that we are taking them for a plain donut. They know that we are going for doggie ice cream after dinner when we don’t do our normal after-dinner things.
And they thrive on this.
When I am off work and able to give my attention to my dogs completely, I let them decide what they want to do, such as be in or out of the house. The dishes can wait. We work and are distracted from our pets the vast majority of the time, so sometimes it can be good to let them lead the schedule when possible.
Dogs need exercise. A few years back, we were speaking with our vet about their wellness. They were happy, but we wanted to clarify some things. Samantha is very willful and difficult on the leash (this is her trainers’ fault - that would be us), and we don’t take her for walks outside of the property very often. They asked us if she is able to run in the yard.
Oh yes. She has almost an acre of fenced in property with meadow and woods with a trail to run on. The vet was very happy with this and actually told us that this might be better than walking, save for the obvious lack of exposure to other dogs and people. Despite this, she is well-socialized and the life of the party.
The above is tough to do if you live in a city apartment with little to no yard, but you also have the whole city! I think that’s pretty cool. Walking your dog and getting adequate playtime is essential to a happy dog. Many of the online influencers who have doggie accounts have shown videos of their dogs when they enter the door. They will enter and ignore the dog’s walk, which makes the dog sad, and then they will show footage of entering and getting the leash.
Happiness trigger. They know.
Dog parks are really great for both socializing and exercise. Families that don’t have the ability to schedule play dates with other dogs can use this option if their dog does not have social anxiety. Our local dog park is very popular among fur families.
Dogs are smart creatures. Training is structure, and they need structure. It is important to never cease training our dogs as this exercises their brains. Training is play to them, even if it seems to us like we are subjecting them to work. A chew toy will only take them so far before they drop it from boredom. Time with us lasts much longer as they progress.
I have seen several articles talk about massage. It might sound funny, but you have to figure we have been petting our animals for centuries, wouldn’t it make sense that they might like to be massaged, as well? This can also be great for breeds with hip issues as massage helps blood flow and healing. Wear and tear on the body affects a dog’s psyche just as it does ours.
Lastly, make sure they know you love them. They can literally smell love. They know if you are unhappy and will try to comfort you. They go hard to work when you’re unhappy, so they deserve to know when you are there for them. This is love to them.
Which leads us to our final point: positive reinforcement. Samantha is eight years old, and I still to this day provide positive reinforcement as though she is a two year old learning to say “mumma.” Her tail wags and she comes running. It makes her…
Happy.
That’s all the science for now, Frens! Be happy and keep it fluffy!
- S 🐾
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/how-to-make-your-dog-happy/
**No AI was used in the generation of this blog post.**
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