Making Your Dog Happy, Saving Them From Pet Depression

By Author: John Reed
Total Articles: 65
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There is a common thread between a dog owner and his/her dog. When there is an interruption in the happiness of the pet, the owner can usually tell something is wrong.
One of the most common impacts on a dog's happiness is boredom.
Many owners love their pets but loose sight of the impact boredom can have on an otherwise healthy dog.

Whether the dog is a housedog or a yard dog is insignificant. Dogs are living, breathing beings with emotions not unlike our own.
Prior to domestication, dogs were wild, free roaming animals that were able to enact their rights for the pursuit of happiness. They could run as far as they liked, learn by investigating their world as it peaked their interest and find as much adventure as they pleased. Fast-forward to today's world and you can see how that has changed.

These days, dogs are kept animals. Often confined to a home or yard for 23 hours of the day, adventure and exploration have been taken from their daily experiences as they can only be excited about a room or furniture arrangement for a limited amount of time. This induces boredom and something ...
... as close to depression as a dog can feel.

Remember, just because they can't talk and say the word depression doesn't mean that they can't feel it.
Think about it. It is obvious that they can feel fear, pain, sadness, and joy. Why wouldn't they be able to feel depression? The other feelings are just more noticeable because owners know what to look for as indicators.

When a dog begins whimpering, what do you think that means? Sadness right?
When the dog runs from you after breaking something in the home, what is that? Fear Right?
Well when a dog is continually low-key in its personality, even when you play with him/her, consider whether the animal is depressed.

Depression in humans has the same effect. Irrespective of how wonderful life is around them, they can't see it. Don't accept that your dog's low-key persona is just the way he/she is.

If you were unable to explore and had to look at the same walls or fenced in area 23 hours a day, every day, wouldn't that depress you? Doesn't that sound like what prisoners endure in the federal prison system. Remember, a dog has very little appreciation for how much your couch costs or the elegance of your decorating skills. They just understand that they have to look at the same things every day and that there is very little adventure.

Ever notice that when you walk your dog, he/she almost pulls your arm out of the socket as he/she drags you down the street, seemingly intent on going as far as possible before being locked up again? Or have you ever accidentally left the door open a little too long and had to go looking for your dog? Know why? Adventure is calling.

It is important to regularly take your dog out for walks and to places where they have never been before. This will consistently create anticipation in the dogs mind and help snap the bands of boredom and stave off depression.

Also, there are pet toys and products that can be purchased to add adventure to your dogs life even when they are kept in the house. When looking to buy products remember that the product should provide a mental and adventurous challenge to the dog and should appeal to the dog, not you.

The toys should be changed out regularly. Dogs are like children. Once they are bored of a particular toy, it serves no further purpose. This can become a little expensive but websites like TypoBounty dot com provide a way for dog owners to afford the items. On TypoBounty dot com, dog owners can earn thousands of dollars per year for buying adventure toys for their dog by reporting typographical errors that they see online.

The owner saves the pocket book and the dog receives the adventurous existence he/she needs.