13 Ways To Make Your Dog Happy

Pet owners, you know how hard it is to keep your dog in good spirits. The fact is that your canine needs a lot of attention and TLC. They also expect to be petted, walked, played with and adored. You must do more than just give them a doggy treat and lots of praise. Today’s canines want to live the good life.

Dogs want their lives to be filled with adventure, fun and a never-ending day of chasing sticks. The material presented in this article will provide you with some great tips for making your dog happy. Make sure you read these tips. Once you do, your dog’s existence will be happier and more rewarding.

1. Let your Dog be an Animal

Pet owners, I know we think that our dogs are more human than animal. However, that is not true. A dog is an animal. They might be very smart and display some human-like behavior. Still, they are just animals with a very high IQ. Let your dog be what they are and stop making them like us.

For example, if your dog wants to bark at passing cars or people that walk through the neighborhood, let them. You don’t have to let them go nuts with this behavior but don’t always try to stop it either. Dogs like to run around with their pack, and they like to go outside and pee on things.

You might not like this behavior, but they enjoy it a lot. Allowing your dogs to have that kind of freedom will help them to be healthy and adjusted. Your dog can be your personal cuddle toy or behave like a well-trained creature; but don’t forget they are creatures that that simply want to act animalistic.

2. Feed your Canine Good Food

Dogs love to eat. Dogs love to eat human food. Dogs love to eat out of the trash. Dogs love to eat off the ground. Dogs just love to eat. Like humans, dogs have a natural instinct to feed themselves. Their taste buds are more powerful than peoples. They can digest things that we cannot.

Dogs have a strong sense of smell. Their sense of smell is tied closely with their ability to taste. Good smelling foods tend to taste good to dogs. They eat trash because leftover garbage items smell good to them. If they smell good to a dog, then the item will probably taste good to them as well.

Remember, dogs are not humans. We need to stop treating them like they’re our children. You should allow our dog to rummage through garbage every now and then. They will be connecting to their base instinct smell and taste. Dogs don’t rummage through garbage just to make a mess.

Your dog will like strong odor dog foods. Canned foods have a very strong odor. This is done to attract a dog senses and motivate them to eat. You can also feed them some of your barbecue meat or Thanksgiving turkey. Just don’t overfeed them with human foodstuffs.

Don’t forget that your dog should eat their packaged food because it has been designed for their health. However, you can splurge by allowing them to eat some regular people’s grub. Here are some human foods that will be great for your dog to consume:

Chicken meat (never give dogs chicken bones)
Rice (white or brown but in moderation)
Fish (give it to them in bits and pieces as a treat)
Eggs (scrambled eggs or omelets can be a good side treat for dogs; don’t overdo it though)
Ham (ham is great but make sure you’re only giving them a little bit)
Honey or Peanut Butter (these two substances make a powerful tasty and very healthy treat for dogs)
Milk (only feed your dog milk in moderation and in small amounts. Also watch to see if they are lactose intolerant)

Never feed your dog raisins, grapes, chocolate, onions, potato chips or things such as ice cream. You will either kill your dog or make them extremely ill.

That is not the best way to make them happy. Go easy on the processed foods. Hotdogs, bologna and lunch meat should be given to them periodically.

3. Play Fetch with your Dog to Make them Happy

Have you ever seen a dog just pick up a stick and start to run with it? They do this for a reason. Dogs are hardwired to play and run. You mustn’t always shut down this natural instinct. If you live in a small apartment or house, get your dog out to a park and play fetch to make them happy.

You can use a frisbee or a small ball, but if you don’t have those items then grab a stick when you get to the park. It is best to teach them how to play fetch when they’re puppies. This way, they will know to bring the stick back to you instead of constantly running away with it.

4. Take Your Dog for a Long Walk

Walks are great for dogs. This activity gets them out of the house and allows them to enjoy the great outdoors. You can walk your dog around your neighborhood, or you can walk your pooch at a local doggy park. Walking your dog is essential to its health and its socialization.

Dogs like to have fun being outdoors. They like to pee on things, sniff things and even chase things that are moving around outside. If your dog likes to bark at some things, allow them to do so but keep it under control. Dogs love the exercise and they love getting around. Walks will make them happy.

5. Give Your Dog Something to Destroy

Most dogs don’t go around destroying things on purpose. However, many dogs will chew, gnaw or scratch items up. They do it to furniture, toys and other things they find around a house or in your yard. Since your dog has a natural tendency to destroy things than giving them something to mess up.

You can purchase your dog an old piece of furniture. You can set it up outside or put it somewhere within your home. That piece of furniture should be used exclusively for your pooch. Your dog can then bite, scratch and tear it up until it’s destroyed. Having this kind of freedom will make them happy.

6. Get your Pets Out with other Dogs

Animals like to socialize and play with other dogs. They like doing this because dogs are social animals. They naturally want to belong to a pack. Dogs like being a part of a pack. While they like humans, they also like their own kind. If you have one dog in the home, take them to a dog park or a local park area where other pet owners visit.

Once you arrive, try to get your dog involved with other animals. You should also decide to get another dog or even a cat.

The more pets you have in the home the happier they will all be. Dogs love being around their kind. They love to belong to a pack. They love socializing and interacting with other animals. Dogs always want a companion and they will be happy if they have one.

7. Train your Dog in the Right Way to Keep you Both Happy

There is nothing more irritating than having an untrained pet in the home. If you have an untrained dog it will cause you grief and heartache to the dog. One of the best ways to keep your dog happy is to properly train them. Start training them when they are a puppy.

Train them in the right way. Don’t shortcut the training process. Make sure that you train them to use the bathroom. Having dogs use the bathroom all over the house is probably one of the biggest headaches that pet owners have.

Potty train your dog. Teach them the proper places to relieve themselves. It will keep everyone in the house happy. Train your dog not to tear up things. This is why you should give them something of their own to tear up or destroy.

Train your dog to be watchful of your property and your little kids. Dogs will naturally protect smaller children in your family. However, you can train them to protect and stay connected to your kids when you need them to perform this task.

Make sure that you train your dog how to act sensibly in public. No one likes a dog that doesn’t know how to act outside. Don’t allow your dog to develop bad habits like tearing up shoes or knocking over the trash can to put garbage all over the house. A well-trained dog will make everyone happy.

8. Take Your Dog to the Vet

Taking your dog to their veterinarian appointment might not see as a lot of fun, but it will keep them happy. Dogs need regular check-ups and they need to be screened periodically for developing conditions or other problems.

Taking your dog to the vet will help them to stay healthy. A healthy dog is a happy dog. Being healthy will allow them to be active and to stay engaged in life. A healthy dog can socialize, play and get around in public. So, taking your dog to the vet is a great way to keep them happy and you happy as well.

9. Doggy Rubs and Massages

A lot of people liked to be massaged and rubbed down and so do dogs. Many dogs enjoy a good rub down. They find the activity to be stimulating to their bodies. When you rub their furry bodies, it feels really good to their muscles, joints, and bones.

You can give your dog a good rub down at least twice a week. They will enjoy this activity All you have to do simply have your pooch lay or sit and then start to stroke their fur. You can focus on rubbing behind their ears, on the side of their body, their legs, and even their paws.

10. Doggy Grooming

Dogs are not like people in the sense they want to go around looking good. However, dogs know when they’re not looking their best. You should trim their fur, brush their coat and even brush their teeth.

These grooming habits will help your dog to look and feel happy. Good grooming goes a long way in helping your dog to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A well-groomed dog will have fewer problems with smelling bad, attracting bugs and being able to socialize with other pets and their humans.

11. Give your Dog their Own Private Space

Sometimes pets need a place to get away from their humans. I know this might come as a shock to you but your dog sometimes needs to take a break from being around you.

They get bored with us or they might get irritated with us as well. Give your dogs their own private space. It could be someplace inside of your home or outside.

This private space should be a place where they can run, bark and lick themselves without your judgment. All dogs need time away from humans. This time away will help them to regroup and be happy.

12. Tricks and Treats

Dogs love treats and they like to do tricks for treats. So, teach your dog lots of tricks and give them treats as a reward. You can teach them so many different things. When they are getting treats for learning new tricks it will motivate them to want to do and learn more.

Dogs love tricks. Yes, you can teach old dog new tricks and your new dog old tricks. Feats such as sit, stay, jump, roll over and play dead are old tricks. Teaching your dog how to jump from a trampoline or diving board or how to jump through multiple hoops are less common. Tricks make dogs happy.

13. Doggy Events

Doggy events are fun for pets. Take your dogs to a dog show, a pet parade or even trick-or-treating on Halloween. Dogs can also go shopping, visiting a pet store and even hang out some dog-friendly restaurants.

The point is that dogs like to go out on the town every now and then. Taking your dog out presents them with another way to socialize and to get involved with other pets.

They can have a long and full day of fun and interact with other people. Doggy events can help your pet to be happy and to enjoy their life very much.

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