Are dogs really happy?

I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me answer.

I was wondering, are dogs really happy?

I mean they weren't ment to be caged inside a house like this. They were ment to be free. Do dogs really like the way we just take them away from there mother? Do they really like the people they live with?

If there is any question in your mind that dogs are happy look at this!!

http://www.chazhound.com/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=4813&cat=500&page=1

It would be different if we were taking dogs from the wild, but domestic dogs are bred in homes and are used to being around humans! Dogs in the wild would have to leave their mothers at some point anyway (she would drive them away if they are male and females although they wouldn't be driven out of the pack they would be very very low down in the pecking order).

Gus doesn't feel caged in the house I don't think! Since he is happily snoring away of the sofa beside me! lol! The door into the garden is open but he would rather be with me!

With domestic dogs we step in to become the replacement pack. They love us as much as we love them!

I'm sure there is someone else on here that can answer this a little more eloquently though!

I think Gustav, that you were plenty eloquent. I agree. Domestic dogs have been designed for thousands of years to live with people. They chose to bond with humans, partly because they're opportunists. We chose to bond with them too, because they helped us hunt and gave companionship. It's been a synergistic relationship for eons, whereby the sum of the two parts, (dog, human) is greater than the individual parts as they stand alone. Some archeologists estimate our relationship with dogs to be 30,000 years old, based on more recent evidence, where before they had thought 4-10,000 years. Dogs and humans have formed a bond that has stuck all this time. If they weren't happy and it wasn't meant to be....I don't think it would be. Nature has it's ways of taking care of these things.

More happy dogs

I think the majority of breeds would be unhappy if they did not live inside with their humans Pugs were bred soley for companionship and as good luck charms for the rich many years ago. Without human companionship pugs wont thrive. They must be your shadow, on your lap, and cleaning the floor while you cook. They are very human like in expression and they have a keen sense of humor. I think there are other breeds out there that may be unhappy if they are a working or herding breed and not given a job...just like a pug must have a lap to carry out it's sole purpose, these other dogs must have a duty as well. I will say however, that I truly believe all domestic dogs big or small, working or herding, calm or hyper all seek one thing...human acceptance and companionship.

Ok, than you for the responses. However I was wondering about working dogs because my mother was considering adopting one. How would you keep a working dog busy and happy if there is no work to be done?

It just depends on which one it is - and it can even vary with the individual dog. I've seen herders that just loved to herd their toys or big play balls in the yard. My German Shepherds have all been happy as long as they've had a job to do. When I leave the house and am going somewhere I can't take a dog I've always told my Shepherd - whichever one it was at the time - to take care of the house. They take it very seriously!

Poor Bimmer has a big job. I tell him to take care of the house and try to keep Shiva and Kharma out of trouble. He's definitely overworked, lol!

LOL! Yes, jobs come in all kinds of forms. My Chihuahuas have a job. That is to sit on my lap and lick me. Oh, and they have another very important job and that is to protect the house from the bears outside. Jose was a capable bear runner offer. And those ferocious barks...they'd scare anything away.

Then there's Lyric, my Dobe. He has a job. That is to make sure I'm doing everything right...from showering to cooking, to cleaning, to yard work. He's my shadow and supervisor.

Then I give him the additional jobs of obedience training. "It's work time" and he perks up and is soooooo ready to work. It's also agility practice. That's a job. At home he runs around the perimeter of the acreage and makes sure everything is on the up and up. (or so he's practicing)

On our hikes, he sniffs the ground like a hound dog and keeps the path ahead clear of any danger. (LOL) That's what he's doing, all right. At home, inside at night especially, he's up at the slightest, unusual noise and ready to confront and protect. He's alert and never really sleeping on the job...not totally.

So yes, all dogs, especially the working group need to keep busy with exercise for their bodies as well as their minds. It doesn't have to be exactly what they were bred for, but it helps if it resembles what they were bred for.

A German Shepherd doesn't have to have a herd of sheep to protect or herd, but it has to have something to make it feel like it's useful and working. A Doberman has to be close to it's family or person most of the time and would be miserable if left alone for long periods. It's got this intense drive to be close and watchful over it's master...incredibly loyal, affectionate and obedient.

Working dogs find their pleasure in guarding the house, herding the humans and rearranging the furniture. Which is why it's often recomended that people with, say, a GSD or a Border Collie get involved in a dog sport that gives the dog a purpose. Frankly, I think that's overrated. The real key is spending time with the dog, because for all but the most specialized dogs (those dogs that guard sheep, for example), being in partnership with humans is the key to happiness.

I have a Border Collie mix named Tippy. The border collie breed is a very motivated, loving, and working breed. We do not live on a farm. We do not have sheep. We do not have geese. We do not have ducks. Tippy's job is walking with me, keeping us safe, hunting rabbits, and herding us up to bed. And she's content with that. But if we didn't spend so much time with her, she'd probably go crazy.

I think dogs look at the house as the Den, not a cage. I do think however that to make your dog happy you have to give them affection and social interaction like the pack would, Food....like the pack would and mental stimulation like the environment would.