Most dogs are happy-go-lucky and seem content with their lives, as long as their needs are being met. We all know dogs love their favorite treats and toys. They love to eat, sleep and run around outside.
Interestingly, dogs have preferences unique to canines. Most people are not aware of these particular tastes. Dogs, like humans, enjoy certain activities, mostly related to their breed, instinct, temperament and personality.
Here are 14 things your dog loves and that will make him or her happy!
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Your scent
Yes, that’s right. Your dog loves YOU and YOUR SCENT. Dogs have a delicate sense of smell and your unclean clothing or blanket is comforting to them. Next time you board your dog at Canine Campus, be sure to bring a shirt or blanket you’ve worn or slept with (and haven’t washed) to help them feel close to you.
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Affection
Dogs love to be loved. They adore physical affection. Most dogs love being petted on the back of the neck, shoulders or chest. Some dogs love belly rubs, but others not-so-much. Many dogs would rather you not hug them, though, because they might feel constrained and terrified. Slow petting, similar to gentle massage or light scratching, is calming to them.
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A comfortable bed
Dogs sleep a lot – up to 18 hours a day, depending on their age. So, they need a comfy place to sleep just like you do. Dogs need a soft, supportive place to relax. If your dog is aging, he or she needs a supportive bed that provides relief from pain in his or her joints. Like people, dogs need a good night’s sleep to stay healthy.
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Playing with you
Dogs love to play, and playing with you, their Number One Person, is their favorite way to play. Play helps young dogs develop motor skills as well as coping skills for real-life stressors. Play promotes a social bond as well as releasing pent-up energy. But mostly, dogs love to play with you just to have fun with you!
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Going for walks
Dogs have a natural enthusiasm for being out in nature. They love going out and are naturally active creatures. Dogs are pack animals and, historically, used to roaming around with their pack, searching for food. Dogs love walks because, in some way, he or she is fulfilling that age-old, innate survival instinct to go out and forage for food. Plus, they like knowing what’s going on outside of their own territory, and walks give him or her the opportunity to do just that.
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Different walking routes
Dogs can become bored of the same walking route day in and day out. Dogs enjoy experiencing new sights, smells and people. If your dog seems a little down, try taking him or her on a new walking route. Need ideas for new walking or hiking trails in the Colorado Springs area? Check out 35 Best Dog-Friendly Hiking Trails in Colorado Springs
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Checking the news
If your dog frequently stops to urinate while you’re walking with him or her, it doesn’t mean they’re having a bladder problem. They’re doing what dogs do: communicating with other dogs by leaving urine marks.
Believe it or not, a dog’s urine marking is serious business for dogs. It’s an instinctual behavior going back thousands of years.
By urine marking, your dog is leaving a message for other dogs, so to speak. When other dogs come along and sniff the area, they will know your dog has been there and they will most likely leave their own message by urinating in the same or adjacent spot. This unique form of communication can even tell other dogs if they sense danger or are available sexually. Urine marking sends messages to other dogs about where they’ve been and what they’ve been doing. So when you’re out walking with your dog, be sure to slow down and let them sniff the messages left by other dogs and catch up on the local “news”.
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Your happiness
Your happiness is important to your dog. In fact, recent studies show when we’re stressed, our dogs feel stress as well. Dogs can sense when we are happy or depressed by using their exquisite sense of smell.
If your dog senses you are in distress, he or she will try to comfort you. And, when you are happy, your dog will show he or she is happy also. Look for a wagging tail, relaxed eyes and a soft gaze. The ears will be relaxed, loose and floppy. Your dog will have a relaxed mouth, usually open but not panting. Open mouth panting usually is a sign your dog is stressed or overheated. A loose, soft, wiggly body means your dog is happy and healthy.
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Your loving gaze
Eye contact between you and your dog is normal and natural. Most eye contact is fleeting and moves fluidly with other friendly body language. When you lovingly gaze at your dog he or she senses your love, just like a young child will recognize the loving gaze of their parents. New research suggests a loving gaze will release oxytocin in both human and canine, fostering a sense of closeness, understanding and happiness. No wonder dogs love it when you gaze at them lovingly.
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Staring out the window
Dogs enjoy looking out the window because it is visually stimulating for them. Though dogs do not rely on their sense of sight as their primary sense, they can still see fairly well at distances of up to 20 feet. Your dog enjoys watching other animals, people, vehicles and anything else going on outside the window. Just be careful your dog does not become overly frustrated because he or she can’t interact with whatever is happening on the other side of the window as he or she can become so frustrated they can experience anger and aggression. Don’t leave them alone and unsupervised for long periods of time so staring out the window doesn’t turn into a behavior problem.
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Solving a puzzle
Mentally stimulating activities, such as solving a puzzle, can help dogs stay calmer and happier because it gives them a “job” to do. Certain breeds especially were bred to be “working dogs”. These breeds get bored easy and will resort to destructive behaviors as a way to relieve extra energy. Puzzle toys can help alleviate boredom at least for a little while, giving them a good experience during the day.
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Home-cooked food
Occasionally cooking a meal for your dog can increase your dog’s enjoyment of his or her food. Just remember the nutritional needs of dogs are different than humans, meaning you can’t just give your pooch a plate of food you’ve also cooked for your family.
Home-cooked food gives your dog variety – not only in the smells, tastes and flavors of the food, but also in the vitamins, minerals and nutrients being served.
Just be careful because dogs metabolize foods differently than we do. Some foods are truly dangerous for them to eat. Plus, you want to make sure your dog is receiving a balanced diet based on his or her canine needs. One way you can supplement his or her diet is to make home-baked dog treats. Your dog will love them!
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Foods You Can and Can’t Feed Your Dog
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Carrying their food away
Some dogs have weird habits when it comes to feeding time. One such behavior is when your dog carries their food away from their bowl before eating. Most of the time this is protective behavior as dogs are trying to protect their food. This is an instinctual behavior based on the time before dogs were domesticated. Subordinate members of the pack would hide their food to protect it from the leader or more dominant members. Rather than stay in the pack and have to fight for the food, they would grab it and run away. For this reason, today dogs will run away with their food.
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Going to daycare
Just like little kids, dogs love going to daycare. Daycare is a place dogs get to socialize with other dogs as well as people who love them. They are mentally stimulated and their body gets exercise. When it’s time for food, they are fed. And, during the day there’s always someone around to clean up and make sure they are safe and happy. Going to daycare ensures your dog won’t be bored. Daycare is a place a dog can enjoy being a dog!
In addition to this list of common things dogs love, your dog is a unique individual and has his or her own preferences. We all love seeing our dog happy and healthy; this list of things dogs love can help guide you in providing the best in life for your dog. Here’s to a lifetime of love and happiness with your dog!
What else does your dog love that’s not on this list? Please leave a comment below…
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Great information. I will have to remember the first one…about scent and bring an item when I board her. Didn’t realize this and found it to be very helpful as I know boarding can be stressful for both the dog and me as the owner.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! I’m glad you found the article to be helpful! Please visit the Canine Campus blog often!
All dogs are individuals and there will always be exceptions to that dogs like or dislike. With one exception all of my working dogs were proud of their abilities and looked with disdain on anyone who treated them as a baby or a pet. The exception to this was golden retriever trained as a master hunter. He was an end to himself and dominated human and canines that he came into contact with without ever being outwardly aggressive or challenging.
Regarding comfortable bedding, I had a black lab outside dog that slept outside in New England year round. His dog house had a wood floor made of oak and he would not tolerate any kind of mattress, blankets or rugs on the floor of his house. Anything left there would be dumped unceremoniously on the ground outside his house and left there until we dragged it away. He also had a patio made out of an oak pallet that he loved lying on to relax in the sun. The same dog disdained rawhide chew toys that he would promptly bury, never to be seen again although he would take the leg bone of a cow and enjoy it as a snack. On the rare occasions when he received a potato chip he would daintily crunch it up in a drawn out series of minuscule nibbles that would have impressed a dowager queen at high tea.
I loved all of my working dogs, never treated them as people in fur suits and shared more than half a century of mutually satisfying adventures with them.
Thank you for sharing your experience and insights. As you said, every dog is an individual, with individual preferences. What’s awesome is when humans “listen” to their dogs and treat them with love and respect. Thank you for stopping by – hope to read your perspective in the comments of future blog posts!