Is My Dog Happy?

There is often a lot of contemplation that comes with owning a dog—especially if you live in a city like Copenhagen, in an apartment, or if your dog is high-energy or high-drive by nature. Questions like “Am I doing enough for my dog?” or “Is my dog really happy with three walks a day?" are incredibly common and valid.

This blog post aims to provide you with clarity and depth when navigating these often complex and hard-to-define questions. My goal is to help you better understand what happiness and fulfillment can look like for your individual dog—so you can make informed, compassionate choices in your day-to-day life with them.

Let’s begin by looking at the category your dog’s breed falls into. Generally, breeds are grouped into a few main types, the groups change depending on the country. The Danish Kennel Club categorise that there are 10 groups:

1. Herding & Cattle dogs

2. Schnauzers, Pinschers, Molossers and Mountain dogs

3. Terriers

4. Dachshund

5. Spidz

6. Driving Hunting & Sled dogs

7. Pointing Hunting dogs

8. Retriever Hunting dogs

9. Companions dogs

10. Sighthounds

Let us further merge these groups by genetic traits to make it easier to understand what your dog might need to have a happy fulfilled life:

• Sporting

• Working

• Hound (both sight and scent)

• Terrier

• Toy

• Non-sporting

• Herding

See the chart below for a conversion between the two groups.

Each of these categories comes with its own set of typical traits, drives, and needs. It is not just about how much exercise your dog requires—but also what kind of exercise is most satisfying for them. These are often referred to as “breed-fulfilling activities”. See the chart below to see which activites are fulfilling for each group.

For example, instead of simply throwing a ball over and over again for a herding dog, you might teach it to “herd” the ball or other objects in a structured way. A Labrador Retriever may enjoy fetching, but instead of throwing a ball repeatedly, you can teach them to search for and retrieve the ball—mimicking their original purpose as hunting and retrieving companions.

Understanding your dog’s natural instincts and building activities around them not only helps meet their physical needs, but it also supports their mental and emotional well-being.

If you are unsure what kind of activities would best fulfill your dog’s breed-specific needs, you are welcome to book an in-person session with us (if you are local), or schedule an online session. We would be happy to guide you through a range of engaging, enriching activities tailored to your dog.

“Am I doing enough for my dog?"

This is one of the most common questions we hear from dog owners—and it is completely valid. Many people are surprised when we break down how much time they are actually spending walking their dog each day. In many cases, the walk itself seems long enough on paper, but the dog still comes home feeling unsatisfied or overly wound up.

That’s when we explain that this is often not a question of duration, but of quality.

A long walk can still leave your dog feeling mentally unfulfilled—especially if the walk is chaotic, overly stimulating, or lacking in structure. In these cases, dogs are often returning home more mentally aroused than when they left, which can lead to restlessness, hyperactivity, or even stress-related behaviours. What your dog may be missing is mental engagement, and that is a huge part of feeling genuinely exercised and emotionally balanced.

During training sessions, we often help owners reimagine their dog’s walk routine. One of the first things we usually suggest is actually cutting the walk time in half. This can be a huge relief for people with busy schedules—especially those working a classic nine-to-five job—because mornings are precious and time efficiency matters.

Instead of a long, overstimulating wander through the neighborhood, we introduce a new structure:

- We suggest 3 to 5 mentally engaging activities that the dog can do during the walk.

- These activities are tailored to the dog’s breed, drive, and personality, and may involve using a long line to provide controlled freedom.

- The rest of the walk, when not engaged in activities, is done in a structured heel position to avoid overstimulation and practise mental discipline.

This balance helps the dog stay calm and regulated. When dogs are allowed to roam freely on a short leash down the sidewalk with no structure, they often engage in excessive sniffing—what we like to compare to a kind of “doomscrolling,” much like we might do on social media. It feels rewarding in the moment, but it’s overstimulating and mentally draining in the long run. This is why we don't recommend "snif-fari" with your dog in the city, it is too much information and high-jacks the dopamine system leaving dogs feeling over aroused and unsatisfied. Try to keep sniffing to a couple of minutes at a time.

By incorporating structured movement and mindful engagement, we avoid that overstimulation, and the dog is much more likely to return home feeling calm, grounded, and content.

If your walks are feeling like a chore or you find yourself asking whether they’re enough, it may not be about doing more—it may just be about doing it differently.

The Judgment of Online Forums & Social Media

Online spaces can feel like a lifeline when you're navigating the world of dog ownership—especially if you're feeling uncertain, isolated, or simply in need of advice. But too often, platforms like Facebook forums and dog instagram accounts end up being places of toxicity rather than support.

You might post a well-meaning question, hoping for guidance, only to be met with a wave of responses from people who do not know you, your dog, your intentions, your daily routine, or where you live. They do not know your context, yet they still offer advice—and although often well-meaning some of which can be not only be unhelpful but actually harmful to your dog.

It is important to remember there are thousands of ways to train a dog, and most people will have an opinion on their prefered way, however, it is up to you and your trainer to find the best method for you and your dog given your context. Training a labrador retriever living in a quiet countryside house is very different from training that same dog in a busy city apartment.

The internet can unfortunalty also be an unkind place to find yourself. Often we are met with judgment, assumptions, and keyboard-warrior mentality. It can leave you feeling small, overwhelmed, and deeply doubtful of your own instincts—all while you are just trying to do your best for your dog.

Be wary of "training" tips on social media

It is easy to get caught up following Instagram dog accounts or trainers who share bold, black-and-white statements about how you should be training, feeding, or living with your dog. But here is the truth: life is not black and white. Dog ownership is not black and white. And anyone who presents their guidance as if there is only one right way is often leaving out the nuance—and the reality—of day-to-day life with a dog.

Another problem with tips given online is that they are generalised, and generalised information does not account for the individuality of a person and their dog and is often incorrect when taken down at an individual level as it doesnt account for exceptions.

It is hard to resist those posts. The polished videos, the big bold statements, the guilt-inducing comparisons—they're designed to grab your attention and sell an ideal. But before you let them make you feel inadequate, take a step back and ask yourself a few important questions:

1. Does this person actually know my dog?

2. Do I have a dog breed or lifestyle similar to theirs?

3. Do I want my dog to behave the way their dog does?

That last question is especially important when watching accounts that feature highly trained, competition-level dogs. Yes, they look impressive. But do you genuinely want that level of precision in your everyday life with your dog? And more importantly—are you prepared to commit the time, consistency, and training it takes to get there? Additionally, if someone has been having the same behavioural issue with their dog for several years, then likely their training is not actually working thus be wary of their advice.

Social media has a way of making us feel like we are constantly not doing enough. But your relationship with your dog is personal, unique, and allowed to look different from what you see online. Trust that. Trust your dog. And trust that you are doing your best—because that is what matters most.

✅ Breed-Fulfilling Activities Checklist

A quick-reference guide for tailoring engagement to your dog’s natural instincts.

Breed Group	Common Drives	Fulfilling Activities
Sporting (e.g., Labrador Retriever, Spaniel)	Retrieving, swimming, scent work	Water retrievals, scent detection games, searching for a dummy, field-style retrieves
Working (e.g., Boxer, Rottweiler, Doberman)	Protection, endurance, guarding	Structured tug, tracking games, obedience drills, pulling a sled or cart
Herding (e.g., Border Collie, Australian Shepherd)	Control, movement, sensitivity to cues	Flirt pole work, herding-style games, advanced recall and directional commands, scent trails, cani-cross
Hound – Scent (e.g., Beagle, Bloodhound)	Nose-driven, endurance	Scent trails, detection, tracking
Hound – Sight (e.g., Greyhound, Whippet)	Chasing, visual focus	Sprint-style fetch, lure coursing, recall games with visual cues
Terrier (e.g., Jack Russell, Westie)	Digging, hunting, tenacity	Dig box games, find-the-vermin-style games, controlled tug and chase
Toy (e.g., Chihuahua, Pomeranian)	Companionship, alertness	Trick training, confidence games, scent work, mini obstacle courses
Non-sporting (e.g., Bulldog, Dalmatian)	Varies widely	Depends on breed—often benefits from basic structure and manageable bursts of activity

If you do not know your dog’s breed category or they are a mix, choose the drive or behaviour you observe most often in them and start there. For example, do they love carrying a ball or toy around with them on walks or in the house, then likely retrieval games will be breed fulfilling

And don’t feel boxed in by the chart. Just because a certain activity isn’t typically associated with your dog’s group doesn’t mean they won’t love it. A Staffie can get just as much joy from lure coursing as a Whippet—and vice versa, a Whippet might go nuts for a strong tug game. Play around. Try things. Let your dog show you what they love.

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DKK to AKC Breed Group Conversion