You want the best for your pet. You see your dog panting, zooming around the yard, or pacing, and wonder what is going through their head. Are they thrilled? Are they anxious?
Most owners guess. Stop guessing. The answers lie in biology.
We often think a physically healthy dog is a happy dog. That is wrong. Physical health is just the baseline. A paper by Marian Stamp Dawkins titled Evolution and Animal Welfare shows that animal welfare goes far beyond a clean bill of health. It includes their mental experiences—specifically, suffering and pleasure.
You cannot just look at "stress" levels to figure this out.
When a dog plays an intense game of fetch, their heart rate spikes and their body releases cortisol. Cortisol is widely known as a stress hormone. But the exact same physiological reaction happens when they are terrified of fireworks. Physiology alone cannot tell you if an animal is in agony or ecstasy. Both situations require the body to prepare for intense action. Cortisol cannot distinguish between "good stress" and "bad stress".
So, how do we know what they feel?
Look at their choices.
Dawkins explains that an animal's preference is the ultimate indicator of its welfare. We know a situation is bad if the animal works hard to escape it. We know a situation is good if the animal works hard to keep it going.
Here is what this means for your daily life with your dog:
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Watch their actions. An energetic dog could be panicked. If they actively bring a toy back to you, they are choosing to continue the experience. Pulling on leash is often thought to be enthusiasm, but as a behavior specialist, we also regularly see it when the dog is panicked. It can be difficult to tell the difference.
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Stop thinking your dog is a wolf. People often think domestic dogs need to act exactly like wild wolves. Dawkins points out that what is often pushed on pets as "natural" behavior is no guarantee of good welfare. A wild animal spends a lot of time running from predators. Your dog does not need that fear to live a fulfilled life.
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Monitor repetitive habits. Pacing or chewing the same spot over and over are called stereotypies. These repetitive, functionless behaviors often indicate the animal is failing to cope with its environment or trying to escape a past restriction.
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Offer options. Give them different types of activities and see what they gravitate toward. Watching how your dog engages, with the natural world and the puzzles, and activities you present them with can give you so much information about who your dog is and what makes them happiest.
At Ulti-Mutt we are more than just a pet supply company. We work hard to stay up to date with the forefront of animal behavior and education and use that to design our products. If you are looking at providing your dog with more choice and agency and engage in the natural behaviors that are actually good for them, check out our Snout Rollers, Flirt Poles and Long Lines.
Give them choices. Watch what they do.