as a new puppy owner what signs can i look for to tell the puppy is happy except for the obv. one the wagging tail .he does happily go into his crate to sleep in his cardboard box and sometimes sleeps on the floor outside his crate .one thing puzzles me when i stroke him sometimes he rolls on to his back i think for me to rub\stroke him on the tummy or is he being submissive.he seems quite relaxed?he is a cocker and they have that sad dog look,maybe i have to look at the other end :) s baxter

Depends by your interpretaion of "happy" and in what context
pup will enjoy coming for cuddles etc and enjoy human interaction- will feel secure and confident in your presence and with any other pets/people  you may have in the household
but having said that all breeds are different as are their confidence levels :)

But I think you "just know" that things are well :)

Maybe it's better to think 'do I believe my pup is UNhappy?'  An unhappy pup will be grumpy (usually because it can't predict what reaction it's going to get), it will be retiring, maybe off it's food a little etc. 

On the other hand, and excited pup will appear to 'laugh' (those little wrinkles in the corner of the mouth indicate arousal), and there will be a sparkle in the eye and a willingness to experiment.

Hi, I think you can tell by your pups behaviour whether he is happy or not - does he run over to see you and be fussed, etc.  My dog and my Mums puppy love to have their tummies rubbed - definitely pleasure and not submission in any way!

Fiona

It's a puppy's nature to 'act' submissivly, and many 'mature' dogs in modern society keep up the puppy beahviour because of human breeding programmes and the beavhiour being rewarded by their owners.

Everyone who meets Leo tells us what a happy little soul he is - He's always trying to play...with anything, his little tail is usually wagging and he loves coming and "kissing" you

thanks for all those replies,Alfie has started falling asleep on my lap in the most laid back of positions.this morning when i first went in to him he was clearly very excited about seeing me and i thought core he`ll wag that tail off in a minute.in the garden he was sticking close by me but each time we go out now he he bounces a little further away wanting to investitate whats where and whats that thing?i can`t believe how quickly he settled and adjusted to us! s baxter