Building a relationship with your dog (or dogs) is vital if you are to be successful in training them, but building a strong, sustainable bond takes time. You need to support them when they find things tough and celebrate successes together.
Why my brother got locked in
“Hi sis, please can you come and let us out?” My brother and his partner had shut themselves in their study and couldn’t open the door.
They were decorating their new house prior to moving in this week, just a few miles away from us. They had gone into the study to finish their painting but then found the door latch wouldn’t work. The window catch was also broken, so they were stuck. Hence the phone call.
Himself and I jumped in the car, together with an all-purpose toolbox, and went round to rescue them. It turned out that the door handle worked fine from outside the room, but not from inside – some bar or other had slipped out.
Himself managed to fix the door latch so it won’t happen again.
I have a great bond with my brother and we had a good laugh about the situation. I’m looking forward to having them close by. He’s fun to be with and makes me laugh and his partner is lovely, too. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.
Building a bond takes time, whether with a person or with your dog.
Today is #BondWithYourDogDay
Building a relationship with your dog (or dogs) is vital if you are to be successful in training them. It’s fairly easy to build a superficial relationship if you have hot dog sausages on your person, but building a strong, sustainable bond takes time.
To build a bond with a dog, you need to observe them closely, watch and listen to what they are telling you, notice when they are reluctant to engage, find the things that excite them and energise them to want to learn.
It’s all about getting to know them, to work out their personal quirks and foibles, understand their likes and dislikes and support them as they learn.
You need to support them when they find things tough and celebrate successes together.
It takes work, but once you’ve built that bond, you can enjoy each other’s company and find solace and peace together.
Our 6 week dog training classes can help you form this bond
Building a great relationship is a core part of our Perfect Pet course training. Everything is taught through games – playing with your dog is a great way to build your bond. Cone and join us if you want help building a better bond with your dog. The next courses start on Saturday 22nd May.
We’d love to see you and your dog and watch your bond grow!
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol
