{"id":1816,"date":"2024-11-27T08:21:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T05:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/?p=1816"},"modified":"2024-11-27T08:21:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T05:21:19","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-dog-is-happy-7-signs-of-a-happy-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/2024\/11\/27\/how-do-i-know-if-my-dog-is-happy-7-signs-of-a-happy-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do I Know If My Dog Is Happy? 7 Signs of a Happy Dog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Your dog\u2019s\u00a0facial expressions\u00a0can say a lot about how they\u2019re feeling. A happy dog, for instance, has a soft gaze with eyes opened wide, Bekoff says. They may also blink their eyes frequently.<\/p>\n
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A relaxed, open mouth with a lolling tongue can indicate dog happiness. According to Bekoff, happy dogs have loose jaws and may look like they\u2019re smiling with the corners of their mouth turned up. A happy dog may also show their teeth when their mouth is open and relaxed, but not in a way that indicates aggression (bared teeth, lips curled back).<\/p>\n
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How do you know if your dog is happy? Check the tail. A gentle, loose\u00a0tail wag can indicate happiness in a dog. Dogs that are feeling happy may wag their tail slowly and widely from side to side, with their tail in a neutral position or slightly raised. In contrast, a dog that\u2019s feeling aggressive will wag their tail quickly, with their tail arched over their back. An anxious dog will wag their tail to the left.<\/p>\n
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When out for a stroll, a happy dog is at complete ease with fully relaxed muscles.\u00a0During a walk, a dog that\u2019s feeling happy will have a loose, bouncy and smooth gait, says Bekoff. It will also display normal dog behavior, such as sniffing at plants and flowers and engaging with other friendly dogs and passersby.<\/p>\n
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Dogs in a happy, playful mood may scooch their chest down to the floor with their bottom in the air. This stance is called a play bow. They will do this before a play session to signal that they are ready to play and want to play with you! They can also display this stance during a play session to indicate that they want to continue playing.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI call the happy dance a happy wiggle, when a dog has a loose and bouncy gait and looks like they\u2019re put together with rubber bands,\u201d says Bekoff. With the happy dance, a dog may also hop excitedly and quickly from side to side, as if they\u2019re jumping on a trampoline. Happy dogs with this dance are moving their whole bodies, indicating they\u2019re feeling happy all over and want to share that happiness with you.<\/p>\n
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When our dog started racing around the Ping-Pong table, we knew he was experiencing pure happiness. When a dog gets the zoomies (yes, that\u2019s the technical term), they are experiencing random bursts of enthusiasm to release pent-up energy. This excess energy can come from excitement, such as seeing a favorite family member come home or when their bath is over.<\/p>\n
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Soft, relaxed gaze Your dog\u2019s\u00a0facial expressions\u00a0can say a lot about how they\u2019re feeling. A happy dog, for instance, has a soft gaze with eyes opened wide, Bekoff says. They may also blink their eyes frequently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1816"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1818,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1816\/revisions\/1818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trustedresponse.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}