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Is your dog unhappy? Take a look at these TOP 10 signs your dog is unhappy and put an early stop to their mental distress.
What are the signs you should look for?
Dogs are animals that experience emotions, and they use non-verbal signs to communicate those emotions. Non-verbal speech encompasses various positions and movements of their tail, ears, eyes, body, etc. If you’re interested in knowing more, I made a video on all the different ways dogs talk to us.
But for now, let’s focus on the signs that tell us our dogs are unhappy.
Ready?
TOP 10 Signs Your Dog Is Unhappy
If you’re a dog owner and your dog seems to be displaying negative emotions, you would be right to worry; they can have a detrimental effect on your dog’s mental health.
I advise taking a look at two of my videos:
- What do dogs love?
- What do dogs hate?
These videos should help you learn what to avoid, and how to do more of the things your dog loves.
Alright, now let’s get back to the topic at hand.
These are the top 10 signs your dog is unhappy:
10. Chewing & Destroying Things.
The very first signs you might notice of anxiety and discontent in dogs are the unwanted behaviors of chewing and destroying things around the house.
If you experience these behaviors, you will likely be wondering how to put a stop to them.
You can try the following:
- Bring your dog along on all sorts of activities
- Make a daily training schedule
- Get them a chewing toy
- Keep them away from things that make them anxious
- Try protecting more valuable items with an anti-chew spray
For more, take a look at my video on dog chewing.
9. Barking.
Barking is another telltale sign dogs use to express how they’re feeling. Although barking has various meanings, such as greeting someone or being territorial, excessive barking can also be a sign of…
- Frustration
- Unhappiness.
This sign is often observed in dogs that have been isolated from other dogs and people.
8. Insomnia & Restlessness.
Restlessness is most often seen when a dog is in pain or suffering from separation anxiety. In both of these cases, it is a sign of a sad dog who needs help.
7. Drooling.
Drooling is a normal thing with dogs, but not if it’s excessive. Their disproportionate drooling might be a health-related problem, but it could also point to anxiety, which can cause an upset stomach and, in turn, excessive drooling.
6. Increased Urination.
Increased urination can usually be seen in younger dogs when they feel intense emotions of excitement, fear, anxiety, or unhappiness. However, be careful – it can also be a sign of infection or disease.
5. A Pulled Down Tail.
Unlike dogs that raise their tails and happily wag them, unhappy dogs will display a low tail that’s pulled down, or even tucked in between their legs.
If you can also spot other signs of unrest, anxiety, etc., it’s a clear sign of discontent.
4. Ears Are Held Back.
As I’ve mentioned in previous videos, when a dog holds their ears back (but not pressed against the head), it’s a sign of sadness and depression. They desperately need attention and some happier thoughts; take a look at my video on the top 10 games for dogs for ideas on how to cheer up your dog.
3. Stiff Body Stance.
Unlike a happy and relaxed dog, an unhappy dog’s body stance is tense and stiff, not unlike a statue. The dog will usually look sideways and hold its head down low.
2. Hiding & Leaving.
A dog who is sad for whatever reason will attempt to hide behind you. On the other hand, if they are unhappy because they just need some alone time and it’s not their day, they will go to their safe place.
In that case, try not to force interaction; just let your dog be alone for a little while.
1. Aggression.
Any dog that displays signs of aggression is not a happy one. Keep in mind that dogs usually don’t enjoy being aggressive.
That’s precisely why it’s important to be able to recognize signs of aggression and to know how to prevent it depending on its source (take a look at my video on the signs of dog aggression).
Unhappy Dog
There are the top 10 signs of an unhappy dog that are clearly visible to any dog owner.
So, if you are an owner this can be a powerful tool to know. What are those signs? Now follows the shortlist of all 10 signs.
What are the signs of an unhappy dog?
10. Chewing & Destroying Things.
9. Barking.
8. Insomnia & Restlessness.
7. Drooling.
6. Increased Urination.
5. A Pulled Down Tail.
4. Ears Are Held Back.
3. Stiff Body Stance.
2. Hiding & Leaving.
1. Aggression.
Conclusion
In this article, you could see the top 10 signs your dog is unhappy.
I hope I’ve been able to clarify some of the signs dogs send us to show they’re unhappy. Of course, a list like this is never truly complete; there are many other things to keep track of, so stay with us!
I hope you don’t have an unhappy dog. Do you?
I’m a dog food judge. I specialize in examining dog food nutrition so that I can recommend you food that will preserve your dog’s health and extend his life. Good food will help you prevent dog health problems like obesity, diabetes, pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, nutritional imbalance, and many others. Also, by preventing serious illnesses you won’t have to pay huge veterinarian bill later.
