How to know if/when a dog is happy and settled with you?

afterglow

Hi everyone
I was just wondering, particularly for anyone on this forum who has working dogs, how do you know when a dog is happy/settled/content with you as their owner/handler?
I have had my lad now just over 7 months, and although I would say fairly safely that he is happy and settled etc, just wondering, how did other people know?
Ways I think I know he is happy etc are:
always waggs tail and is happy to see me when I come to get him for his morning p before breakfast, and my god does he love his breakfast!!!!!
eager to play when he gets a chance, and also, he likes cuddles/strokes in the evening after work, this is when we play also. Worth adding though, that at this stage, he is fairly happy with his own company now in the evenings, is this ok?
I am also wondering about what I believe are some fairly common doggy things, but as I miss out on the visuals, I was hoping some of you might fill in the blanks for me.
lip licking: Done at varying times, sometimes when lying down relaxed, sometimes when sitting up. What does this mean? He always at all times accept during sleep, has access to clean, fresh water.
Yawning: Again, this varies, but just wondering if it means anything.
He mostly does this when he's lying down, never while he's working or anything.
I often wish I could communicate to him just how greatful I am to him for all the work he does for me, he makes such an enormous difference in my life every day, and for that I really am so thankful to him, and can't imagine not having him now, even though it has only been such a short time.
I only ask about, what some might consider little things, because I've wondered what the meant for quite a long time, and since I know there are some who will be more than able te tell me what these things mean, figured I'd ask.
Thanks so much, and hope ok to post this here.

muddypaws

Dogs licking their lips and yawning are signs of stress, calming signals towards other dogs, humans that they are worried about something, and mean no harm. So I'd be looking at what is going on around the dog when he is exhibiting those behaviours, as he is not happy.

cocker5

OP,

I have often thought about this, my cocker is very bird driven and he adores heading off to my MIL's house where she has over an acre where he can explore and "hunt" (or so he thinks) all day etc.

Its very country like, with foxes etc passing the land each night so he spends his day "patrolling" the place... making sure nothing gets passed him and more importantly no bird may land in the garden.

I often feel guilty taking him home each evening with me, although we have a normal back garden, its nothing like the haven he has at my MIL's....

how do i know he's happy?? as he RACES out to the car, smiling (literally).... he runs through the front door over to his bed and then lounges infront of the fire each evening, occasionally getting up on the couch for a snuggle...

yes he was born to hunt.... but he was also born to be part of my family and part of me.... he feels at home with us...and they days he's not "hunting" in my MIL's he's curled up in his bed happy as larry...

I was away with work for 3 weeks (i missed him terribly) and when i got back he cried for ages, honestly whimpering, and wouldnt leave me side for ages, i couldnt even go to the toilet alone....

so this is how i know he's happy... would he be just as happy hunting all day probably, but he's part of my family and all dogs adore their humans.... they live to be part of a unit and as long as your dog is part of your unit... they'll be happy with you

oldyouth

My pup is very happy with me but gives me a look that suggests I'll be dispensed with very rapidly if I stop acting like his slave.

kylith

muddypaws wrote: »

Dogs licking their lips and yawning are signs of stress, calming signals towards other dogs, humans that they are worried about something, and mean no harm. So I'd be looking at what is going on around the dog when he is exhibiting those behaviours, as he is not happy.

Not necessarily. Yawning when tired wouldn't be a sign of stress, and I wouldn't put licking down as one either unless there was some stressor. For example; a human crossing their arms is a sign of distancing and hostility, but humans will also cross their arms because they're cold, or just because they find it comfortable.

It all depends on context.

muddypaws

kylith wrote: »

Not necessarily. Yawning when tired wouldn't be a sign of stress, and I wouldn't put licking down as one either unless there was some stressor. For example; a human crossing their arms is a sign of distancing and hostility, but humans will also cross their arms because they're cold, or just because they find it comfortable.

It all depends on context.

We'll have to agree to disagree then as we're talking about a dog and not humans

kylith

muddypaws wrote: »

We'll have to agree to disagree then as we're talking about a dog and not humans

True we're talking about different species, but I think it still stands that a potential stress indicator is not always an indicator of stress.

For example Rani is currently flaked out beside me, smacking her lips. Lip smacking is a stress indicator. However as she is relaxed it stands to reason that her lip smacking is not indicating stress as if it were it would be accompanied by other indicators.

This link gives a good list of stress indicators and describes how they differ from their relaxed variations.

Jazbee

Quote: For example Rani is currently flaked out beside me, smacking her lips. Lip smacking is a stress indicator. However as she is relaxed it stands to reason that her lip smacking is not indicating stress as if it were it would be accompanied by other indicators.

This link gives a good list of stress indicators and describes how they differ from their relaxed variations.[/quote]

I wonder about this a lot too, my pup licks her lips alot when going to sleep..(at the mo lying beside me in the couch) I doubt she is stressed as she's chosen to sleep here and nobody is at her etc).

She does lick her lips sometimes when stressed and definatly yawns.

kylith

OP; if the dog is sleeping well, eating well, is relaxed in your presence, is happy to see you, and chooses to interact with you then I would say that they are happy and settled.

If you pay attention to your dog's body language you will learn to easily recognise when they're acting off.

Pretzill

I keep working breeds but they don't work however my middle dog came from a working border collie family and she has turned work into play - she gets very serious about fetching games and in those games she is totally determined and lost in being perfect about retrieving etc. Sometimes we have to make changes with play because she comes out of it highly excited and hyper. Yes she would prefer hours of frisbee to a long walk and others would think shes in her element.

Though it is in her down time that she shows her happiness, stretched out on the knee for tummy rubs and cuddles - she almost purrs.

Working dogs can seem serious but it's determination so I can see why you're asking the question sometimes it's hard to see whether they are only happy when working but once they greet you tail wagging, shadow you and cuddle in you know they're content.

My dog yawns when she's sleepy too.

afterglow

Hi everyone.
Thanks so much for all the replies, great to read them
Tonight the dog spent a lot of time with one of his back paws though not his nails, on our couch, leaning on both myself and the oh, getting attention from both of us, then other times he would sit with his head kind of on my knee, looking up for me, for I don't know what, but it was very, very cute, the whole thing!!!
During some of this time, when he was lying down looking up, he was doing a bit of lip licking, so I am glad that these are not always signs of stress, as I could tell by the fact he was happy/ccontent to lie by my feet and get attention that he was not stressed at all!!!