Tips for Bonding with Your Dog

Guest post courtesy of Sam Ellison. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and do not necessarily represent the views of Val Heart & Heart Communication Enterprises LLC. 

Whether you’ve grown up around dogs or you’re a first-time dog owner, there are countless lessons to learn about how to best train your dog to encourage bonding with your dog as well as obedience and loyalty.

Owning a dog can be an incredibly rewarding experience and it’s worth making sure you’re doing everything the right way.

There are lots of things you can do to bolster this bond between you and your faithful hound, so consider these tips we’ve put together to build up a better understanding between you and your dog.

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Teaching Tricks

This is a perfect way to keep your dog both entertained and focused, and this combination of factors will ensure that your dog has the dedication to listen to you and the motivation to do so by having fun.

This isn’t just a means of having some cool party tricks up your sleeve, however.

Teaching your dog to do tricks is an essential step in exerting your authority and taking charge of your dog’s activities.

Teach them a combination of fun and useful tricks to keep them engaged and interested in the training.

Things like fetching a ball encourage play while also getting them used to recall whereas teaching them to walk to heel and sit can increase their obedience in serious or unsafe situations when you need them to stick close to you.

Training like this takes time and patience but committing yourself to this can really pay off in the end.

Keep Playing

If you spend too much time giving orders you might find that your dog will start to lose interest, not dissimilar to a child.

Break up training sessions with play where you can both let loose and have fun.

Go for a run with your dog or throw their favorite ball for them.

A bit of rough and tumble is also okay as long as you make sure you remain in control, and it doesn’t get too carried away.

Remember, dogs play with each other using their teeth, and when this is done gently it’s perfectly safe, but dogs tend to be able to handle this biting play a lot better than people.

It will be worth training this behavior out of your dog by stopping play if they begin to use their mouths.

You may be able to handle some gentle biting but if your dog decided to play with someone that wasn’t used to it, if they bit too hard or lost their “bite inhibition” instincts, it could be misread as violence and dangerous behavior.

Reward Them

When your dog does well in recall or correctly responds to any other command, it’s important to reward them.

This will give them a good idea that if they listen to you, it’s going to be a positive time for them.

When out on walks it’s worthwhile having some treats with you and try to mix up the types of treats you offer them as they could get bored of having the same ones over and over again, reducing their desire to comply.

You can find lots of great treats for your dog from online shops like Time For Paws, including some healthier, natural treats.

Avoid providing these treats to your dogs, no matter how cute they are being, if they’re not doing something for you.

If you do feel like giving them a treat just because you love them to pieces, make sure you precede it with a simple command like sit or paw to show them that treats must still be earned in some way.

Offer Praise

Dogs respond well to an authoritative, yet kind voice, so find the balance between laying down the law when playtime is over and offering a loving hand when they respond positively to your command.

Avoid negative responses to their actions however, as making your dog fear you is not only cruel but it’s going to weaken your bond significantly.

Instead, praise them when they do well in training or respond to your recall commands.

Loyalty through fear is not true loyalty.

It is the unconditional love that they have for you which will strengthen that bond and loyalty.

Petting and vocal praise is enough to initiate wags and happy feet in your pup, and there are plenty of studies that indicate that our dogs have a better understanding of this praise than we thought.

Spontaneous Activities

As the process of bonding with your dog continues, you might find that you end up getting into a particular routine.

However, while this might sound great, it can actually be slightly detrimental when this routine is followed day after day without any changes.

Instead, while can maintain most of your routine, try breaking it up with variety and spontaneous activities to keep your dog alert and focused.

Your dog will also remember that they have a reliance on you for safety and security, further increasing the bond you both share.

Learn to Speak Your Dog’s Language

Just as important as knowing how to bond with your canine friend, it’s also important to learn to communicate with dogs. To help you with that, download my FREE Ebook Hidden Secrets to Communicating with Dogs – just click on the picture below!

Or dive into the complete Talking With Animals program with my Beginning Core Foundations Animal Communication Course.

Maybe you’ve already begun your journey in Animal Communication. If so, it’s time to go to the next level.

Find out how to access the Masterclass here

All our great courses are fully guaranteed, so there’s no risk to taking the next step.

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