13 Signs of a Happy Dog
Here are some tips on how to read your dog’s body language and behaviors to help you know when they are relaxed and happy, and most likely healthy. When these clues are missing, it could mean your dog is ill or feeling out-of-sorts.
While ear shapes vary depending on the breed, a happy dog’s ears are relaxed and rest naturally against their head. Some dogs will have one ear cocked up, or both may be loose and floppy.
Ears pricked forward often indicate that a dog is interested in something. If their ears are pulled back or stiff with hyper-alertness, this is usually a sign of a stressed or fearful pooch.
When a dog is happy, their eyes and eyelids will be open and relaxed, their gaze will be soft, and they will blink often. Narrowed eyes and a hard gaze can indicate aggression, while wide eyes, particularly if they whites are showing, could mean your dog is frightened.
Relaxed or Wiggly Body and Tail
When a dog is happy, their whole body and tail will look relaxed, and they quite often wiggle! A happy dog’s whole body can wag along with their tail. A wriggling dog showing you their belly is likely to be a very happy and comfortable dog.
Each dog breed has a different relaxed tail position, but a happy dog will generally raise it slightly. If the tail seems to be raised pretty high, this could indicate agitation or over-stimulation.
On the other hand, if a dog seems tense or their body is stiff, these are signs of discomfort. A tail pinned under the body is a strong sign of fear. If your dog is standing stiffly with a tightly waving tail, they may be alert or nervous.
Happy dogs often appear to smile. The mouth is soft and open, the corners of the mouth are turned up, and while some teeth may be visible, it’s not in an aggressive manner. A lolling tongue can also mean your dog is relaxed.
Be sure not to confuse open-mouth panting with smiling, as this could mean your pet is stressed or overheated.
Like people, a furrowed brow can express worry in dogs (except for Shar-Peis with their permanently furrowing brows!). If a dog is baring their teeth or curling their lips back, this can indicate aggression.
When dogs bounce from side to side or hop and dance, they may be happy to see their canine friends or their favorite people. The quick movements usually indicate the dog is happy and ready to play. They are excited when you come home and want to show it!
A dog is telling you they are up for fun or want to play when they do a play bow. In a play bow, a dog lowers their chest to the ground but keeps their rear in the air. They are inviting play and want to interact.
Happy dogs generally have higher pitched barks and bark for a shorter period of time than dogs that are agitated. But don’t judge your dog by their bark alone. It’s important to consider the other signs your dog is giving you, especially their overall body language, before assuming all is well.
Happy dogs enjoy playtime and walks, and most even love rides in cars. While all dogs slow down with age, if your dog seems abnormally quiet, uninterested in favorite activities, or is less social, this may be a sign they’re not feeling well.
Dogs that are content and feeling well have good appetites. A change in your dog’s appetite is one of the first signs of potential illness or unhappiness.
Healthy, happy adult dogs usually sleep for up to 16 hours a day. If your dog isn’t sleeping that much, it could be a sign of stress or illness.
Happy dogs are unlikely to destroy your home or act “naughty.” Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs, as they use their mouths to explore their environments. But excessive chewing or destructive behavior, particularly in an adult dog, could also be a sign of stress or boredom. Separation anxiety is another common cause of destructive behavior in dogs.
Like people, every dogs preference for company is different. But if your pup is social at the dog park, friendly with other family pets, and not overly aggressive to new animals, these are all signs they’re in a good mood.
Happy dogs make a lot of body contact. If your dog reacts, stays close, or even leans in toward your hand during petting, they’re enjoying the contact. Staying just out of reach or walking away could be a sign they need more space.
A Tail Wag isn’t Always a Sign of a Happy Dog
Your dog’s body language and expressions tell you a lot about their emotional state, and looking for a combination of subtle signs can help you understand if they’re feeling content and untroubled.
Over-arousal, for example, is sometimes mistaken for true happiness. Brenda Aloff has been training dogs for over 20 years and specializes in problem dogs. She uses the example of a dog that’s very excited when you return home to them. “I think they’re ridding themselves of anxiety that might have been present when you left. They’re happy to see you, but I wouldn’t describe that as the same type of contented happiness. It’s a release of tension, which, to me, feels very different from the animal that is just in that open state emotionally,” she explains.
She describes a happy dog as having an open countenance, a relaxed expression, a lack of stress lines around the face, and no tension in their body. “They kind of soften their eyes and their ears are back just a little. It’s what I call a half-mast ear, where the ear carriage is relaxed, not flat back, nor held forward like in predation or arousal.”
A closed mouth with a tense jaw indicates discomfort, and then there’s also the submissive grin, where a dog shows their teeth. Aloff says a grinning dog isn’t necessarily uncomfortable, “but is a dog showing a certain bit of obsequiousness—just a wee bit of anxiety, or sometimes arousal. Unless we make a fuss when the dog does it, then it can quickly become a ‘trick’. Some dogs turn this into a habit, because people in the know tend to tell the dog they like the ‘smile’.” She endearingly describes a content dog as having an open, wide “muppet smile.”
Many people assume that when a dog wags its tail, this is a sign of happiness. Tail movement and position are highly sophisticated, and not all wags mean a dog wants you in their space.
Aloff explains that you’re looking for a tail in a lower position, and the wag should be slow, rhythmical, have a casual quality about it, and move back and forth like an “old-fashioned metronome.”
Of course, there are breeds, like Aloff’s Fox Terrier, with a tail that stands up straight all the time. But an aggressive tail wag is “going to be short and sharp and the body feels tense,” she says.
Body tension is a big giveaway that a dog isn’t happy. If you pet a happy dog, “they don’t feel like the top of a wooden desk, their skin will actually move underneath your hand,” says Aloff. She also looks at whether “the dog’s physicality feels like it’s meant to repel you out of the space and hold you out, or whether it feels more like an invitation to come in or just to hang out together.”
10 Dog BODY LANGUAGE Signs Your DOG is HAPPY ✅
Does my dog love me or just my food? If youâve asked yourself this question, youâre one of the thousands of dog owners who have wondered the same thing. Are they the ultimate scam artists, or do they truly love us?Â
The short answer: yes. Dogs do love us, and they show it in a lot of different ways.Â
Theyâre excited to see you. All dog owners are familiar with this scene. You open your front door to a thunderstorm of furry playfulness. Your dog might jump on you, lick your face, and theyâll definitely wag their tail. Being excited and happy to see you is one way you can be assured they love and miss you.Â
They seek physical contact. This can come in the form of a quick nuzzle, a cuddle, or the famous lean. All of these signal that your pup wants to show affection. Itâs best to let them do this on their own terms, so resist the urge to trap them in a tight hug.Â
They want to sleep near you. Dogs, by nature, sleep in a pack next to each other. They place their noses to the wind to pick up on any smells that might signal a threat. When your pup snuggles beside you or wants to sleep in your room, itâs a sign that they trust you and feel safe.Â
They give you puppy eyes. Holding eye contact is a big move for dogs, and itâs reserved for someone they love and trust. In the wild, dead-on eye contact is an aggressive move. They use this tactic to intimidate each other and establish dominance. When your dog looks your right in the eyes and holds eye contact without their pupils getting bigger, theyre gazing at you lovingly.Â
They check on you. Cooking, watching tv, bathroom visits â your dog is there through it all â or at least they try to be. Your pup might pop in your bedroom once to say hi, or they might be your permanent shadow around the house. Checking up on you is just one way your dog shows affection. Theyre making sure youâre ok!
Theyâll lick you. When your dog licks you, it could be for a few different reasons, but ultimately itâs an affectionate gesture. They want your attention and want to interact. They could be gearing up to play or just giving an affectionate lick before a cuddle. Either way, they want to show you they care.Â
They share their toys. Your dog might sometimes tease you with their toy when they want to play, but in a true gesture of affection, theyâll present it as a gift. They want to share their most prized possession with the person they care about. Sounds like a whole lot of love.Â
Youâre only second place when thereâs food involved. A pup that loves you will prioritize you above allâexcept a big bowl of food. Thatâs the only time theyâll be totally and completely smitten with something else.Â