Fall in Love With Your Dog
Five ways to bond with your dog
Have you ever wondered how you can deepen your bond with your dog? Perhaps your dog seems to ignore you or acts as if you are just coexisting with them. If this is the case, you might need to spend intentional time with your dog forming that bond so you have a satisfying relationship with your dog. Sometimes dogs, especially dogs with baggage they had before you adopted them, can be more difficult to form a bond with. Or maybe you have a puppy that you want to form a bond with while he or she is still young and impressionable. I will briefly but succinctly lay out five different ways you can bond with your dog. This is not a one-time, fix-all trick. You will need to form a routine of one or all these ways to form a bond with your dog. All of these “tricks” are great if your dog is well-socialized and has some level of training. If your dog does not have any training, I suggest joining a local dog training class or contacting me (contact info is at the bottom of the post) for my virtual classes. I also encourage you to get a long line so you can play safely with your dog and have more restrained space. Let’s get started!
Bonding Trick #1: Games
Playing games with your dog forms a bond between you and your dog because your dog learns that you are fun! There are many games you can play with your dog that are simple and quick. I have links below where you can find more games. I will give you two games here so you can get started.
Game #1- “Find it”
I use “find it” to make my dog use their natural instinct: sniffing. You can play this game inside or outside, outside being the most difficult because of the grass. Dogs love to sniff because it is calming to them and engages their senses. To play this game start off with high-value treats (see types of treats at the end of this article). Take your treat and show it to your dog then toss it so they can see it. Praise him or her and say find it and toss another. Keep doing this until your dog gets the idea. Then you can start tossing them further or more than one at a time. Increase the difficulty by using lower-value treats or using taller grass or areas where the treats are harder to find. Start off slow, if you rush it your dog will likely lose interest. Good luck!
Game #2- “Switch”
This game was created by a friend of mine who is my dog-training mentor. See the link below to her Saluki puppy playing “switch”. To play switch you will need multiple toys your dog loves. Then you take the one toy and play rigorously with your dog and then present him with another toy and say “switch” and your dog will grab the new toy. This fun game of tug engages your dog’s prey drive and sees you as fun!
More Games!
It’s Your Choice – Pack Version
Indoor Games
Purina Games
Bonding Trick #2: Walks
Taking your dog on a walk will immediately make you your dog’s best friend! Well, unless your dog does not like walks, but it is doubtful. Dogs love to go on walks and explore their environment. They love to see new things with you and collect “treasures” along the way. Dogs naturally love sticks, pinecones and foraging for fun things to play with. If your dog finds a fun stick use it as a toy and throw it. Have your dog bring it back to you and encourage your dog to “find” the stick. Taking your dog on walks, especially in public, can help socialize your dog and build a more confident dog. Walking your dog is a unique bonding experience and I admit I do not know the reason why. Dogs innately love walks and spending time with their people. It does not have to be a long walk, just make it meaningful. Take treats with you and toys to encourage your dog to look at you and pay attention to you. When he or she does, reward that attention. Remember: Reward what you want your dog to do and ignore what behavior you want to cease.
Bonding Trick #3: Letting your dog sleep with you
If you do not already let your dog sleep with you, you can form a closer bond with your dog by letting him or her sleep with you. You don’t have to let them sleep with you every night, but your dog will likely act as if he or she has never experienced anything greater! Occasionally dogs do not like sleeping with people or other pets in the bed. Dogs will take advantage of any opportunity to sleep in a cushy spot with their favorite human. If your dog is not house-trained or reliable outside of the crate, I do not recommend this. If your dog is notorious for getting into harmful things, I do not recommend this. Use your best judgment and try it out on the weekend so if the night does not go well you can sleep in!
Bonding Trick #4: Training your dog
This is probably one of the strongest ways to bond with your dog. You and your dog can easily become a team if you spend time daily teaching your dog new things. Dogs love to learn and there are few “dumb” dogs. If a dog is not willing to learn you likely have not found the right reward. Dogs will work for yummy treats (see the end of this article for different levels of treats), favorite toys, or praise. Every dog is different in what they will work for. Out of all the dogs in my house, I have some who love to work for food and others who simply want the praise. I trained my first German Shepherd to sit and stay reliably with favorite toys. By teaching your dog simple things like basic obedience (sit, down, come, stay, etc.) you can form a bond because your dog learns to rely on you for direction. Your dog will also like the rewards and seek those rewards out by trying to please you.
Bonding Trick #5: Food
Another way for your dog to bond with you and pay more attention to you is to NEVER FREE FEED. If you free-feed your dog, you are missing a great opportunity to keep your dog focused on you. Your dog will learn to fully rely on you if you have scheduled feeding times during the day. If your dog free feeds, they just think food appears and do not need you. Your dog can also eat food through training by using the food as a reward. Making your dog work for their food will help them look to you for direction and attention. I have often used my dog’s food to reinforce behaviors such as sit and wait. If you want your dog to focus more on you, feed at scheduled times such as AM and PM (like breakfast and dinner). Some dogs like to eat once a day and that is fine too. Whatever you do, be consistent and I guarantee your dog will start paying more attention to you!
I hope you found one or all of these tricks to be helpful and encouraging. There is nothing better than having a dog that mutually trusts and loves you. Dogs can be very egocentric and sometimes we have to remind them we love them and want a relationship with them. Every breed is different in the level of attention they give out, and want from you and from others. I encourage you to try these and let me know how it goes!
Different types of treats:
There are all types of treats you can give your dog and the different values of treats will be different for every dog. These are only what I consider to be high, medium, and low-value. Some dogs may consider a low-value treat high if they like it more. See what your dog likes best and use that!
High-Value Treats – The stinkier and smellier the better
Liver (boiled)
Hot dogs (many people use these, I do not)
Dried Fish Skins
Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Dog Food
Medium-Value Treats – Less smelly
Cheese
Food Rolls that are cubed (like Red Barn Naturals)
Freeze Dried Raw
Freeze Dried Liver or Lung (Red Barn sells some great freeze-dried products)
Low-Value Treats – Not as smelly, perhaps your dog likes it, but it is more boring.
Your dog’s daily kibble
Store bought treats
