Occasionally pet owners would talk to their pet as if they understand both ways. Well, it’s not fully wrong idea to talk to your pets because in that way some people find it relaxing and result in stronger bonds with your dog. What I am trying to say is, people try to understand their dogs by communicating with them, were they feeling -sad, happy, angry, pain or stress. Dogs do have facial expression and body language like humans. They resemble the same facial expression and body language in each mood. The only difference is they cannot tell you what they feel in humans tongue. There are 9 signs to tell that your dog is happy and healthy by reading their facial expression and their body language, and it is the best way to prevent disease and distress.
Reading your dogs facial expression and body language was like watching charlie chaplin. We only guess what he wish us to understand by building up information we get from his facial expression and body language. It`s crucial for us as pet owners to notice any unwanted virus or any kind of disease in our dogs. Here are 9 signs to tell that your dog is happy and healthy.
1. Eyes
A healthy dog eyes is a clear, bright, not watering and free of discharge. And when they happy their eyes and eyelids is going to be relaxed. They will gaze at you softly and often. If your dog sees you with hard gaze and narrowed eyes, this is the sign of aggression. But when his eyes are wide and showing a lot of whites this indicate that your dog is frightened of something.
2. Body movement and fur coat
Your dog is feeling happy and healthy when his body looks loose, soft, wiggly, and his body temperature is 100 to 102.5 degrees. And when you pet him, he would stay close, leaning to your hand and feel comfortable on your company. But if his body seems so tense, tight or stiff, it means he feels uncomfortable or he seems to walking away from you and feel lethargic, then it is a sign that he needs some space.
When your dog`s feel stressed out and incredibly weak they would shed like crazy, and sometimes their skin appears to flake or just a disease. A healthy pet will typically have a shiny, clean coat due to natural oils and shedding. A healthy pet does not need to be bathed routinely unless your pet got dirty. Routine bathing for pets with fur is not necessary and can lead to skin irritations.
3. Ears
Ear shapes vary in each dog breeds, but in general, a happy dog wear their ears in relaxed and ease way. If dog ears are pinned back, it could be a sign of fear or aggression and pricked forward ears indicate that dog is interested in something that is going on around them.
A healthy dog ears should be clean light pink or with just a trace of wax, not swollen and free of discharge on the inside. It is normal for dog`s ears to get dirty, so routine cleaning is recommended.
4. Tail movement
Pet owners know when their dog tail wags like crazy this mean he loves you. Their body will shake as the tail wags left and right. Sometimes, if the tail wag is soft and loose and typically held in more neutral position on the body this is likely a happy dog. But when his tails pinned under the body when he sees you, it means he is scared of you. Moreover, if he raises his tail too high, that could indicate the dog is agitated or over stimulated.
5. Behavior
A happy dog will behave accordingly and submissive, he would show you his belly and tongue. And if he keeps his mouth shut, he could be showing sub mission instead of satisfaction.
Occasionally he would hop or dance when they see someone or some dogs they like and generally he would have a higher pitched bark than agitated dog. But do not judge a dog by its bark alone. A destructive behavior is typically a sign of boredom and unhappiness in dog. Spend more time with your dog playing together and make sure the reward you give to him is motivational.
6. Appetite
Not every dog is ravenous, but a sudden change in appetite might be a sign something is wrong. Your dog might don`t like the taste of his food or his food is just outdated .Your dog should have consistent lean weight that does not change much.
7. Mouth
Sometimes you will see that your dog`s appear to be smiling at you. The mouth is open and some of his teeth might be visible, the animal is not baring them or curling back it lips in aggressive manner. Open mouth panting should not be confused with smiling as this could be a sign the dog is stressed or overheated. Their gums are normally pink, but they can have black or gray pigment. And when they sleep, they are going to sleep with their tongue out because they feel happy and relaxed. A healthy dog mouth is relatively clean-smelling breath and clean teeth absent of tartar build up.
8. Sleeping period
Usually dog sleeps for 16 hours per day, and if your dog is not having sleep that much it could be a sign of distress.
9. Socialization
A happy and healthy dog would -greet you at the door, get excited waking you up, eager to spend time with you, observing with interest and always looking at you when he is playing in the dog park, unless his dog girlfriend demanding all his attentions-.
Your dogs is happy and healthy if he is social at the dog park, friendly with other family pets, and not overly aggressive to new animals, these are all sign he is in good mood. And if you notice that your dog suddenly starts spending time alone, is disengaged or sleeping more, these are warning signs that you must take your dog to the vet.