Easy Ways To Improve The Dog-Owner Bond
Whether a puppy has just become a part of your life or you have rescued a dog from your local animal shelter, this is an exciting time in your life. While you probably hope the dog immediately will fall in love with you and every member of your family, forging that important bond can take some time. Here are some tips to help you bond with your new furry companion.
Dogs might not be able to talk, but they have their own special ways of communicating and as the dog owner, you need to pay attention to their behavior so that you can figure out how your dog is feeling. If your new dog has the tail tucked down, ears back or cowers from you, these are signs of timidity or fear. Sometimes a scared dog will pace or even chew up things, and certainly they are uncertain about any new environment. Try to use calm, soothing tones during their first few days in your house and be very gentle and calm. Let them come up to you and make the first move, and provide gentle praise when they head over to sit with you. It takes time to build trust, and especially with rescue dogs, you need to be especially patient.
In many ways, dogs are like children and they tend to feel content and secure when there is a set daily schedule. Creatures of routine, dogs memorize when it is time for a daily walk, when it's feeding time and when it is playtime. In the beginning, a simple schedule can increase your dog's level of comfort. While you probably cannot stick to a schedule 100 percent of the time, try to keep a schedule in place as much as possible. This also is a big help when it comes to housebreaking.
Provide plenty of time for fun and play. Dogs and humans need exercise, so get out there with your pet and have some fun. Take a nice long daily walk or run around in the back yard throwing a favorite toy. A high-energy dog might also enjoy learning Frisbee tricks or taking on agility training. Other dogs are perfectly happy if you toss a toy or ball across the room a dozen or more times. Playing together definitely can increase your bond.
While you might think there is no correlation between bonding and obedience training, this is simply not true. Dogs want to learn how to please their owners, and owners are pleased when dogs obey and do not exhibit troublesome behavior. Therefore, proper training can make everyone happier, and you also will bond simply because training take time and the two of you will be working together learning a lot about each other's personalities.
You have many choices when selecting a training program, and our busy schedules often make it difficult to go to a class or have a trainer come to our home. Opting for a set of dog training DVDs can be an excellent way to fit training into your schedule. Consider The Dog's Way for your new pet. This dog training system includes 12 DVD lessons with easy-to-follow instructions as well as a workbook that follows along with each lesson and helpful reminder cards which you can take on walks. It takes some time, but this is time well spent as you will end up with a pet that truly becomes a loyal, happy and fun companion.
Dogs might not be able to talk, but they have their own special ways of communicating and as the dog owner, you need to pay attention to their behavior so that you can figure out how your dog is feeling. If your new dog has the tail tucked down, ears back or cowers from you, these are signs of timidity or fear. Sometimes a scared dog will pace or even chew up things, and certainly they are uncertain about any new environment. Try to use calm, soothing tones during their first few days in your house and be very gentle and calm. Let them come up to you and make the first move, and provide gentle praise when they head over to sit with you. It takes time to build trust, and especially with rescue dogs, you need to be especially patient.
In many ways, dogs are like children and they tend to feel content and secure when there is a set daily schedule. Creatures of routine, dogs memorize when it is time for a daily walk, when it's feeding time and when it is playtime. In the beginning, a simple schedule can increase your dog's level of comfort. While you probably cannot stick to a schedule 100 percent of the time, try to keep a schedule in place as much as possible. This also is a big help when it comes to housebreaking.
Provide plenty of time for fun and play. Dogs and humans need exercise, so get out there with your pet and have some fun. Take a nice long daily walk or run around in the back yard throwing a favorite toy. A high-energy dog might also enjoy learning Frisbee tricks or taking on agility training. Other dogs are perfectly happy if you toss a toy or ball across the room a dozen or more times. Playing together definitely can increase your bond.
While you might think there is no correlation between bonding and obedience training, this is simply not true. Dogs want to learn how to please their owners, and owners are pleased when dogs obey and do not exhibit troublesome behavior. Therefore, proper training can make everyone happier, and you also will bond simply because training take time and the two of you will be working together learning a lot about each other's personalities.
You have many choices when selecting a training program, and our busy schedules often make it difficult to go to a class or have a trainer come to our home. Opting for a set of dog training DVDs can be an excellent way to fit training into your schedule. Consider The Dog's Way for your new pet. This dog training system includes 12 DVD lessons with easy-to-follow instructions as well as a workbook that follows along with each lesson and helpful reminder cards which you can take on walks. It takes some time, but this is time well spent as you will end up with a pet that truly becomes a loyal, happy and fun companion.
About the Author:
Garrett McMahan loves watching dog show. For further info about how to train a dog on a leash, or to find dog training DVDs online, please go to the TheDogsWay.com website now.