You give your dog a warm home and ample food in order to keep him healthy & happy. There are three other things that he needs in order to stay healthy, happy, and improve his overall quality life. First, he needs regular exercise to keep him fit. Second, he needs interesting activities and toys to keep him alert, out of trouble and occupied. Third, he needs to be socialized often in order to stay confident and outgoing.

Sad Dogs Say So Much

Dogs are sad or even pine when their family ignores them or do not spend quality time with them. When dogs get sad, they act out and display negative attention seeking behaviors. These behaviors include chewing, digging, incessant barking, and they may even run away. Adult dogs do not suddenly become “bad dogs” overnight. They are reverting back to their natural canine behaviors to entertain themselves and gain their families attention. Since dogs cannot communicate with words, they communicate with action.

Obvious Secrets of an Unhappy Dog

Understanding your dog’s personality and temperament helps you really know him and if he suddenly begins to misbehave, try to figure out the reason for the behavioral changes instead of just reacting and punishing your dog. Remember that he is an adult now and having been properly trained and socialized in your home, is probably very well behaved most, if not all the time. This means when he lashes out and does something inappropriate; it is typically related to some underlying cause. A cause, with some investigation, you can easily identify and treat with success. Something may be lacking or out of balance with your dog. Find the cause and then lovingly provide the solution.

Party Animal

Sometimes as our dogs get older and become more mature they develop some physical limitations. In light of these limitations, we tend to not take them out as much as we did when they were puppies. Many adult dogs enjoy just lounging around the house in their adult years; watching TV and napping. However, to keep your dogs' mind stimulated and his social skills sharp do your best to take him out as often as possible to mingle with people and other dogs. Short walks and car trips are often just the thing, to minimize boredom and put a spring back into your four-legged friends step.