Most dog owners would probably love to know what their pet is thinking. Unfortunately, our dogs can’t tell us, so it can be hard to know if they’re truly happy or just making do with their surroundings. 

While no one can read a dog’s mind, veterinarians are the closest thing we have to dog interpreters ― and they say there are certain behaviors and patterns that can indicate if your dog is living a happy, content life. (And, no, tail-wagging does not necessarily mean that your dog is full of glee.)

Below, vets share how to tell if your dog is happy and offer tips on making your pooch happier:

They have their basic needs met.

It’s hard to be joyful if your basic needs aren’t met, and the same goes for dogs.

“When I think of ‘happy,’ I think about welfare and that a dog has all their needs met,” said Dr. Kate Anderson, a veterinary behaviorist at Cornell University’s Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior in New York. “And that idea goes back quite a ways, to the ’60s.”

Anderson referenced the five freedoms of animal welfare — freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to exhibit normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress.

Nowadays, our understanding of dogs’ happiness goes beyond simple criteria like these, Anderson noted. (The same goes for happiness in humans, as evidenced by the thousands and thousands of self-help books on the topic.) But having their basic needs met is a step in the right direction.

They have relaxed body language. 

“Happy dogs should have very loose body language,” Anderson said. “They shouldn’t have any tension. Their ears shouldn’t be pulled back. You shouldn’t see the whites of their eyes. Their tail should be at, depending on their breed, a normal angle to their body like 90 degrees, or just relaxed.”

Dr. Kristi Flynn, a primary care veterinarian at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine, added that their weight should be evenly distributed on all four limbs. They shouldn’t be leaning back or standing with a paw up.

“We can think of the dogs just laying out in the yard in the sun, just laying on their side with their body all relaxed,” Flynn said. “That’s, to me, a sign of a happy or content dog.”

Anderson added that your dog is likely pretty happy if their movements are “loose and they look like noodles.”

They have relaxed facial expressions.

Dogs and humans have similar facial muscles, Flynn explained, so certain facial expressions can show if they feel content.

These include “the absence of a furrowed brow,” she said, and whether they look “relaxed around the eyes, relaxed around the mouth.”

Think about it: When you’re upset, your mouth probably droops and you may squint your eyes. This is not the look of a happy person (or dog). So if you notice a calm, relaxed look across your dog’s face, it’s safe to say that they’re in a good mood.

There’s a set routine for your pet.

Just like toddlers and young children, dogs like things to be predictable, Anderson said. “It’s not that they don’t want novelty and excitement, but they don’t want the whole world to be constantly different,” she noted.

According to Anderson, the toughest times of the year for dogs are when human schedules change. This can happen amid the holidays, a big trip or a return to the office.