The Secret to a Happy Dog? Let Them be a Dog

We give them good food, warm beds and endless love. But research suggests a happy canine life also depends on something we sometimes overlook: the freedom to make choices, explore and simply be a dog.
 
Most of us who love our dogs want to give them the best life possible. We feed them well, keep them comfortable, take care of their health and buy them an embarrassing number of toys.
 
But being well cared for and being happy are not necessarily the same thing.
 
Animal welfare science increasingly looks beyond simply preventing pain, fear and illness. A genuinely good life should also contain positive experiences: pleasure, curiosity, play, companionship and opportunities to make choices.
 
And when it comes to dogs, some of the things that contribute to happiness are remarkably simple.
 
Let them sniff
 
We may think a walk is about exercise. Our dogs have other ideas.
 
Scent is one of the primary ways dogs investigate their world. That painfully long examination of a particular shrub isn't wasted walking time — it is part of the walk.
 
Research comparing nosework with heelwork found that dogs participating in nosework showed a more positive judgement bias, suggesting that activities involving their extraordinary sense of smell — and greater autonomy — may benefit their welfare.
 
So occasionally forget the kilometres. Let them choose the direction. Let them stop.
 
Let them sniff the shrub.
 
Give them some control
 
Think about how many decisions we make for our dogs.
 
When they eat. When they walk. Where they go. Who they meet. When they play. When they come inside.
 
Research into animal welfare increasingly recognises the value of choice and control over aspects of an animal's environment.
 
For dogs, that can be wonderfully ordinary.
 
Which way shall we walk?

Do you want to play? Would you like a pat? Do you want to meet that person — or would you rather move away?
 
We don't need to let our dogs run the household. Although, in the interests of full disclosure, Rosella has been running mine for years.
 
For the rest of us, giving our dogs a vote occasionally is a pretty good place to start.
 
Give them something to do
 
Dogs need to exercise their brains as well as their legs.
 
Searching for hidden food, learning something new, exploring an unfamiliar place, playing, solving a food puzzle or following an interesting scent can all provide valuable mental stimulation.
 
And enrichment doesn't have to come in an expensive box labelled “enrichment”.
 
Hide treats around the garden. Take a different walking route. Teach them something. Let them investigate.
 
Curiosity is part of a good life.
 
Spend time together
 
For many dogs, we are among the most important individuals in their world.
 
Positive interactions between dogs and their humans have been associated with physiological responses involved in social bonding. But togetherness doesn't have to mean constantly entertaining them.
 
Play with them. Walk with them. Talk to them.
 
And sometimes just sit beside them.
 
There is happiness in excitement, but there is happiness in feeling safe enough to fall asleep next to someone too.
 
Learn your dog
 
Perhaps this matters most.
 
There is no single recipe for a happy dog because dogs are individuals.
 
One adores swimming. Another hates getting their feet wet. One wants to greet everyone. Another would rather cross the road. One lives for a tennis ball; another would happily exchange every tennis ball on earth for ten minutes sniffing a particularly fascinating fence post.
 
Watch your dog when they have choices.
 
Notice what they return to. What excites them. What relaxes them. Who they seek out. What they avoid.
 
Those preferences tell us something.
 
For a long time, good animal care was largely measured by what we prevented: hunger, disease, pain, fear and suffering.
 
Those things matter enormously.
 
But a good life should contain more than the absence of bad things.
 
It should contain things worth getting out of bed for.
 
So perhaps the question isn't only “Am I taking good care of my dog?”
 
Ask another one occasionally:
 
“If my dog could plan today, what would they choose?”
 
Then, whenever you reasonably can, let them have some of it.
 
Their world may revolve around us.
 
But their life still belongs to them.