Bonding with your dog involves gaining mutual trust and respect that makes them obey your commands, notice your mood, and generally not run out on you.Most dog owners think that loving your pet and bonding with them is the same, but this is inaccurate. You can try k9 Answers Dog Training for some guidance on how to bond with your dog, so they follow all your commands without fail. Try incorporating some of the habits listed below to better bond with your dog during the training process.
Set Boundaries And Maintain Discipline
Your dog will look to you for training on what behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t. For example, if you do not want your dog on the furniture or begging for food during mealtimes, reinforce this consistently without ever making exceptions. This is the best way to train your dog so that it behaves even in your absence. You can ensure your pet’s steady growth with healthy raw dog food options and balanced nutrition intake.
Your dog will look to you for training on what behaviors are acceptable and which aren’t. For example, if you do not want your dog on the furniture or begging for food during mealtimes, reinforce this consistently without ever making exceptions. This is the best way to train your dog so that it behaves even in your absence.
Maintain Consistent Verbal And Non-Verbal Communication
Pet parents, including dog owners, are often tempted to spoil their pets by not reprimanding them for bad behavior. Your dog will get over the initial confusion at your lack of praise and eventually connect the reprimands to their bad behavior. Reprimanding your dog will not make them fear or hate you. It will help establish boundaries that will improve your long-term relationship.
It is just as important to praise your dog for good behaviors as it is to reprimand them for unacceptable ones. Whenever your dog waits patiently for you to fill their bowl or does not bark at the neighbor’s dog, be sure to reinforce their behavior with a head pat, encouraging words, and a smile.
Be Patient When Teaching The First Few Basic Commands
After bonding with your dog through petting and house training, you will have a good enough relationship to continue basic training. When teaching your dog various tricks and commands, it is essential to have consistent verbal communication, and non-verbal cues since dogs are very wise. Your training routine has to begin with a single simple command like sit.
Do not move on to the following command until your dog has mastered the first one, as this is likely to overwhelm both of you. Your dog is eager to please you and will quickly pick up on any frustration you develop toward them during a training session. Dogs love to use their minds and quickly pick up new commands. The trick is to have plenty of patience. It is also advisable to keep training sessions as short and repetitive as possible.
Maintain A Predictable Routine
Dogs are creatures of habit, and they find comfort in a predictable routine that builds a sense of trust, respect, and safety. As much as possible, you should maintain fixed feeding, bathroom grooming, and training sessions. Such a routine will allow your dog to predict what is expected of them and to feel comfortable in your home.
Go On Walks Or Runs Together
Exercising with your dog is an excellent way of bonding and training your dog at the same time. Walks and runs offer dogs multiple external stimuli that excite them. You can take advantage of walks and runs to test your dog’s training and see if they will still obey you when in a new environment. Try changing your route or using a different circuit for the same path to keep your dog guessing.
Play Different Games
The reason why children always have better bonds with dogs than adults is their natural playfulness. Playing different games with your dog is a fun way to bond and teach them new tricks. For example, when the classic game of fetch gets old, you can try playing the game with many different balls so that when your dog brings one, they have to trace where the next one is falling. You can check online for many creative games dog owners invented to train and entertain their dogs.
