sounds silly but....

[elektrasmom]

is there a way to know if a dog (4 month old Lab mix) is happy?? I see other dogs who look as if they are happy, even smiling sometimes. Our dog always, ALWAYS, has big sad puppy eyes. Sometimes I try to get her rowdy by initiating a game of fetch but she is often uninterested. We have also noticed that when my husband and I are both in the room, she will play more. When only one of us is there, she prefers to lounge or chew on a toy while being petted. We don't have any children, she is much rowdier around my sister's kids.

We got her from a shelter when she was 8 weeks old, I don't think there was any abuse.

I just wish there was a way to get in her head and see if she is happy living with us.

 

[Charliesmommy]

I don't think that's silly at all. It's good that you are concerned about your dog's happiness. I don't think rowdiness necessarily means happiness. Does she seem content to just lay and chew on a toy, or does she pace around and act bored? Does she wag her tail much? Some dogs are just lower maintenance dogs and don't have to be interacting all the time to be happy. I assume you have ruled out any kind of medical problems? Maybe you just haven't found the right game for her. Do you walk her or spend time doing "brain games" for training?

 

[elektrasmom]

it seems silly but....

Thanks for the reply. She doesn't pace or act bored. She seems to be low energy unless children are around. Her tail wags when she sees us come home, etc. She's been to the vet and is done all of her shots, so she doesn't have any conditions that we're aware of at least.

I guess we'll see. We do walk her 2x a day, although we are working on not pulling/not eating grass. I try to work with her every day for "brain training" but I really need to learn more about the topic.

 

[Charliesmommy]

Well, short of having a couple of kids....sounds to me like you're doing fine at keeping her happy! . I do find it a tiny bit odd that a 4 month old lab is not rowdy and hyper. Like I said, some dogs are just calmer, but labs tend to be very high energy dogs. Next time you're at the vet for a check up or whatever, you might just ask about her energy level. Maybe you are lucky and just have a calm dog! Good for you if that's the case!

 

[Maxy24]

Does not seem to bad to me. As long as she does not seem depressed ( won't eat, drags herself around, won't play at all) I would not be too worried. As for energy and playfulness I want to ask how much you feed. I saw a case of a chihuahua on TV who all he did was sleep and it was because he was not being fed enough. That is probably more a small dog problem but I'm sure it can happen with larger dogs too. Maybe try to find a sport/activity she likes, has she had a go at swimming yet? My neighbor's lab loved when I threw the ball off the dock and he would go jumping off for it and bring it back. ( i would have your puppy on a long line and don't throw the ball far.)

 

[~Tucker&Me~]

Wow, an unhyper lab pup... Lucky you! :yikes:

Kidding, LOL. Sounds fine to me .

~Tucker

 

[bubbatd]

LOL !!! I had so many owners worried that their pups didn't fill the hyper puppy bit ! I agree, you're lucky !!

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

find a body of water, bring a toy, and send her out retrieving--if she doesn't seem happy then, then she's not a lab! LOL

 

[bubbatd]

LOL!!! I keep telling EliN to change her avatar as Hunter looks depressed !! No dog could be happier , but when a camera's in his face , he gets that look !

 

[elektrasmom]

Thanks...

Thanks for all the replies and encouragement. As a first time dog parent, I really don't know what to expect. I believe we are feeding her enough because she has gained about 16 lbs (!) and grown ALOT in the 2 months we've had her.

Maybe we are lucky?

I will try taking her to swim, but that will mean overcoming her carsickness for the drive!

Thanks again,
Elektrasmom