Building a Relationship With Your Dog

[DNeff]

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He is yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Anonymous

There are lots of ways to build a strong relationship with your dog. Each one of us goes about it in a different way, and it might be different with each dog we own. Regardless of who we are and what our dogs are like, in all of these relationships there are many common characteristics in how to developing a strong relationship with our dog. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:

Learn about your dog, breed characteristics, likes and dislikes, moods, habits, patterns
The more you know about your breed’s characteristics and drives the more easily you will understand why they react a certain way or exhibit a certain behavior often. Each dog has their own individual traits and habits, the more you learn about your dog’s unique character the better you will understand them.

Watch your dog – learn to read cues and signals
Dogs communicate with subtle signals and cues, by learning to understand what those signals mean, we can better understand what our dog is trying to communicate to us. Are they nervous, excited, stressed, over stimulated??? By knowing what your dog is experiencing you can better help them through any situation.

Spend time every day training your dog
I can’t stress this enough! Well-trained dogs are happy dogs and happy dogs make for happier owners! Training (done correctly) is one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship with your dog. The interaction and communication that occurs during training helps increase the confidence and trust of your rottie.

Play with your dog
Nobody likes to work all the time and never have any fun, our rotties are no different. Set aside time every day to play with your dog. It may be a game of your own creation or just a game of fetch, but take time out to do something you BOTH enjoy doing.

Spend quiet time together
It may be only a few minutes or perhaps several hours. Take a nap together or give your dog a massage, this quiet time can be an excellent time to bond with your rottie.

Build trust and confidence
Your dog should always feel like you will protect and look out for them in any situation. Whether it be from another dog or a person who is being inappropriate with them. Don’t expect your dog to put up with it or tolerate them if it’s not fair to the dog.

Firm, fair, and consistent
Always be fair to your dog. Treat them with kindness and respect it’s the fastest way to build trust. Don’t suddenly change your rules or expectations, this will only cause confusion and make it harder for the dog to understand what you truly want.

Set your dog up to succeed
Work hard to make sure your dog is always successful at what you ask of them. Manage the situation or only ask as much as they are capable of. Success builds confidence and increases trust. Who among us does not like to succeed and be successful, dogs are no different.

Break it down
Reduce everything new you teach in to the smallest possible parts and teach each piece separately. Your dog is much more likely to be successful if things are introduced in small manageable parts.

Reward what you like
If your dog does something correctly or something you would like to see more of, reward it! Behavior that is rewarded will increase and be repeated. This increases communication and assists your dog in learning what you like, making both of your lives better.

Take control of resources
Everything enjoyable and desirable should come from you. Have your dog wait for your OK before they are allowed to meet friends, play with other dogs, get out of their crate, etc… Controlling access to desirable resources helps our dogs perceive us as their leader and provider. It encourages respect and responsibility.

Earn their keep
There is no need to hand your dog everything on a silver platter. There is nothing wrong with expecting your dog to perform simple tasks or chores in order to earn privileges, toys or treats. Rotties especially like to work and feel needed. This is an excellent way to focus their drive and work ethic towards a mutually beneficial result.

Realistic expectations
They are after all dogs, not small humans in fur coats. Always examine your expectations and be sure this is something your dog can be expected to do, if not adjust your expectations accordingly.

Love!
Share your love with your dog daily. Each day they are with us is a blessing and we should give thanks for that gift since their time with us is so short.

Dawn
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[jbach]

Thank You! This is worthy of prime real-estate space on the front of everyone's fridge and should be read daily. Thanks again!

[Judi W]

Thank you Dawn. Well written and reminds us of "why" we have the dogs.

[Bucky's Mom]

Firm, fair, and consistent

To me - that is the MOST important thing to remember - thanks for composing such a all encompassing post

(BTW _ when will the PEOPLE relationship post come out??;) )

[Judy Chrusch]

Thankyou Dawn, that's a keeper for sure:D . Well said and so true, thankyou for taking the time to write it all.

Judy

[Miabella]

I think if more people spent their time working on their relationship rather than worrying about what type of collar or harness to use, they wouldn't have half the problems. Thank you for a beautiful post, Dawn! :)

[pbach]

Originally posted by jbach
Thank You! This is worthy of prime real-estate space on the front of everyone's fridge and should be read daily. Thanks again!

Dawn Thank You. JBACH I've already printed it out.

[damp]

Another good post DNeff!