Most dog owners would probably love to know what their pet is thinking. Unfortunately, our dogs can’t tell us, so it can be hard to know if they’re truly happy or just making do with their surroundings. While no one can read a dog’s mind, veterinarians are the closest thing we have to dog interpreters ― and they say there are certain behaviors and patterns that can indicate if your dog is living a happy, content life.
(And, no, tail-wagging does not necessarily mean that your dog is full of glee.) Below, vets share how to tell if your dog is happy and offer tips on making your pooch happier: They have their basic needs met. It’s hard to be joyful if your basic needs aren’t met, and the same goes for dogs.
“When I think of ‘happy,’ I think about welfare and that a dog has all their needs met,” said Dr. Kate Anderson , a veterinary behaviorist at Cornell University’s Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior in New York. “And that idea goes back quite a ways, to the ’60s.
” Anderson referenced the five freedoms of animal welfare — freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to exhibit normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. Nowadays, our understanding of dogs’ happiness goes beyond simple criteria like these, Anderson noted. (The same goes for happiness in humans, as evidenced by the thousands and thousands of self-help books on the topic.
) But having their basic needs met is a .