Dog’s need positive socialisation experiences that consist of positive exposure to new environments, experiences and interactions to develop into a confident, well-rounded family pet. Ongoing exposure to a wide array of different people, pets, sights, sounds, scents and situations will lay a strong foundation for their development into a behaviourally healthy dog who will stay happy throughout their lifetime. 

Optimal wellbeing can only be achieved alongside good physical and mental health. Dogs need preventative healthcare, good nutrition, physical activity and mental stimulation to stay happy. Injury sickness or pain will depress their mood. Dogs may have different health requirements at different life stages or due to individual differences, such as breed.  

Just like humans, every dog is an individual. Individuality is the sum of all characteristics, temperament, learned behaviours, and personality traits that make a dog unique. These are influenced by a variety of nature and nurture factors including genetics, sex, neutering status, life stage and past experiences. Your dog is happiest when given the freedom and opportunity to express their individuality through species-specific, natural behaviour and their own preferences. 

Nutrition plays a key role in the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of your dog. As well as providing complete and balanced nutrition that your dog needs to physically thrive, feeding plays an important role in delivering enjoyment and pleasure. What, when and how your dog is fed matters and will affect how they feel on a daily basis. 

A dog’s environment can be a source of stress or comfort, or sometimes it can be both. The perfect external environment is a dog centric one that consistently caters to your dog’s unique and changing physical, mental and emotional needs and preferences. It should also enable the maintenance of a healthy physiological internal environment for your dog (inside their body). To give your dog a happy, fulfilled life you need to balance levels of comforting predictability with stimulating novelty in their environment, as well as providing choice and enabling agency.  

A subjective, cognitive reaction to an important event and involves distinct physiological changes (e.g., in heart rate, body temperature, or respiration), appraisal of the event, and readiness to act³.

A state of physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing⁴.

The state of being comfortable, happy and healthy⁵.  

The emotional quality of a dog’s daily experience, including the frequency and intensity of experiencing feelings such as interest, excitement, joy, pleasure, enjoyment and happiness that make life pleasant. It includes being able to express emotions in a positive and healthy way and depends on having good physical and mental health.

A basic, intense emotion aroused by the detection of imminent threat, involving an alarm reaction that mobilises the dog triggering a set of physiological changes⁷. 

A generalised response to an unknown threat or internal conflict, often in response to specific objects or situations and in the absence of true danger. This is in contrast to fear, which is focused on known external danger⁸. 

Any type of change that is perceived as a physical, emotional, or psychological threat or challenge. Small amounts of short-term stress may be desired, beneficial, and even healthy⁹.

Any modification to a dog’s environment or experience that helps them to express their natural behaviour and provide opportunities to exercise control or choice¹⁰. There are various types of enrichment including Social, Occupational, Physical, Sensory and Nutritional¹¹. 

Interactions with people or other animals your dog encounters can be mentally and emotionally enriching but it’s important to consider how comfortable your dog is interacting with others, and the dynamics of those interactions. (See Socialisation for more information) 

You can stimulate your dog’s brain and provide satisfaction by incorporating activities into their lives. For example, interactive toys, games and other outlets for their energy allow dogs to engage their natural canine skills and urges, such as chewing, scavenging for food, solving problems. (See Individuality, and Health for more information) 

Walks to new places and various outdoor activities are sources of sensory enrichment and mental stimulation. Dogs love to explore their surroundings and utilise their full range of senses. Sensory experiences are an important way of helping create happy and joyful experiences for your dog, especially as their senses are so much more acute than humans’. (See Individuality for more information) 

There are many ways of making your dog’s living space and physical surroundings interesting and stimulating, including toys, games and the ability to exercise and explore, as well as rest comfortably. (See Health, and Environment for more information) 

There are plenty of food-associated variables which can contribute to mental enrichment and emotional enjoyment, such as the food’s formulation (wet or dry); the food’s properties (taste, smell, temperature and texture) as well as how it is presented or delivered (e.g., hand-fed, bowl-fed, associated with training or via a puzzle game). (See Nutrition for more information) 

Puppies are born blind, deaf and unable to control their temperature. Within two to three weeks, puppies can hear, see and start to move around a little.  At least the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life should be spent with their mother. During puppyhood, it’s important your dog is exposed to people and environments they will regularly encounter and that they receive all the vaccinations and care their veterinarian recommends. Nutrition is also extremely important as your puppy transforms into a full-grown healthy adult dog¹⁷. Puppyhood ends at six - eighteen months of age. 
Read more about Puppy Nutrition here.

Your dog's juvenile stage will begin sometime between six and 18 months of age. For smaller dogs, this stage may continue until they reach 18-24 months of age and up to 36 months for larger dogs. Signs your dog might be experiencing this ‘teenage phase’ include destructiveness, boisterousness, increased vocalisation and being easily distracted or not ‘listening’ to your instructions. If not spayed or neutered, these behaviours may continue for longer and behavioural counselling might be very important at this stage. Nutritionally, juvenile dogs that are still growing will need a growth diet specifically designed to support ongoing development.  

When dogs reach adulthood, they are usually between 18 months and three years old – depending on breed or breed type. At this age, regular visits to the veterinarian are essential. In adulthood, dogs may become easier to manage. However, negative experiences in puppyhood could start to manifest themselves in adulthood. By adulthood, it can be easier to assess a dog’s individual needs and preferences to ensure their emotional wellbeing – although these will change throughout their adult life. Adult dogs continue to need regular positive socialisation experiences, mental stimulation, appropriate enrichment and a tailored diet, especially if any health issues arise.

Dogs are considered to be in their senior years when they reach the last third of their life span – often cited as seven or eight years but varies depending on the size and breed of dog. Dogs may also be referred to as a ‘Super Senior’ when they reach 12 years of age and many dogs can live into their teens. There are many things you can do to support your dog through their individual ageing process. For example, senior dogs may experience a decrease in lean muscle mass  and feeding them a specially formulated mature diet may help.