How to Bond with Your Dog

As soon as you bring your dog home, you should immediately start to develop a loving relationship with them in order for them to trust you and feel safe and secure in their new home.  Dogs are pack animals, so they really want to feel like they belong.  Mutual trust and respect are essential when it comes to bonding with your dog.

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How to Bond with Your Dog

You can start to build a relationship with your dog by spending quality time together, going out and experiencing things together, and learning how to communicate with each other.  But the most important way to bond with your dog is through training.  Proper dog training will result in your dog being calm, quiet, happy and extremely well behaved.  Taking the time to train your dog properly is truly the most kind, loving thing you’ll ever do for your dog.

I can suggest a free dog training mini course from the folks at TrainPetDog.com to help you train your dog properly.

Before You Start Training Your Dog

Once you’ve built a bond with your dog, you can fully expect that training him and teaching him new tricks will be easy.  But it’s important for you to understand how to “think like a dog,” not like a human.  Learning how dogs learn will help you succeed with training your dog.

How Dogs Learn

Your dog’s learning process can be broken down into five phases:

Phase 1 Teaching.  This is where you physically demonstrate to your dog exactly what you’re asking him to do.

Phase 2 Practicing.  Practice makes perfect!  Once your dog learns a command or lesson, practice it with him so he’ll remember it.

Phase 3 Generalizing.  Continue practicing with your dog in a different environment or different locations, and also sometimes with a few distractions.  Take him out or a walk or to a park and practice the commands you’ve taught him in each place.

Phase 4 Testing.  If you’re sure your dog has learned the commands…if he responds correctly almost every time…then start testing him in newer locations, with even more distractions.  For example, take him to visit a friend and while he’s in that new place and excited, test a command out and see if he still responds correctly.

One of two things will happen:

1.  He succeeds!  (Insert little victory jig)

2.  He fails.  Don’t lose hope or get discouraged!  Just re-examine the situation, your location, the environment.  Review the training techniques.  Practice with him more. Then try testing again.  Remember that absolutely everyone, people as well as dogs, need three very important things in order to succeed at being taught anything new:  patience, persistence, and praise.

Phase 5 Internalizing.  Finally, the last phase of your dog’s training process is where he truly “gets” everything you’ve taught him.  He responds every single time, with or without treats, and in any location.  Congratulations!

free dog training basicsBe Patient and Kind with Your Dog

Never scold your dog if he fails.  The student is only as good as the teacher.  It’s likely your fault, not his! You must be persistent, consistent and patient in order to get good results. Praise, appreciate and love your dog when he does it right!  Praise and affection go a long, long way in dog training.

Treating your dog in a kind, loving way while the two of you succeed at proper dog training together is truly the best way to build a life-long bond with your dog. (That’s me in the pic with my Doxy, Taz and my Boston, Cagney).

free dog trainingDog Training is Easy When You Do It Right

I hope this article has been helpful.  Congratulations on beginning a wonderful new friendship with your beloved dog.  I personally think dogs are precious gifts, well worth the time, effort and money we spend on them.

Go to TrainPetDog.com and sign up for the free mini course!  You’ll also find tons of valuable information about any dog issue you can think of.  This website really is a wonderful resource!  Debra

How Much Do You Love Your Dog?

I’d like you to check out this free tutorial written by Professional Dog Trainer and Behaviorial Specialist Doggy Dan.  In it, Doggy Dan talks about several ways you can really (really) take good care of your dog.  This is not just about bonding with your dog.  They’re serious topics he’s talking about, so I hope you’ll check it out!

dog nutrition

free dog training basicsI Donate to Animal Charities

Thank you for visiting my website.  I donate 10% of my earnings on this website to animal charities.  You can see a list of the charities I donate to here.  If you like this website, please share it with your friends and family who have pets.  Debra

dog trainingFor More About Dog Training, CLICK HERE

 

One thought on “How to Bond with Your Dog”

  1. So if I want to be bff with our dogs… Well, it’s easy peasy from what you wrote and recommended. Spend quality time together, go on adventures, and communicate. And the most important part… boot camp our pups! I agree that they gotta learn proper behavior and at the same time build a strong bond. That’s where the TrainPetDog mini course can help. I just wish I have the energy to be patient and persistent. Praising the pups is easy. 

    It’s cool that you emphasize to always  remember that every moment with the pup is a learning opportunity. It’s the journey that counts, not the goal. I’m guessing the dog will appreciate that.

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