Building a bond with your dog is the secret to successful dog training.
Bond building with your dog, as with any relationship, requires the following:
1.) Spending quality time together.
Spending quality time together does not mean just being in the same room as your dog. It does mean having some routines and rituals together that your dog can look forward to. Dogs love routine. One such routine can be to run to your post box together and then giving the junk mail to Fido to carry to the bin. That makes life worth living for Fido.
2.) Experiencing life together.
Bond building with your dog also requires that you take Fido with you wherever you go. If you walk to the shop on the corner to buy a newspaper, take him along. Let him practice a “sit stay” outside the shop. Dogs are wonderful companions. Take him along for your Sunday afternoon drive or when you go on hiking trial in the countryside.
3.) Establishing and promoting mutual respect.
Trust and respect are very important in any relationship, even your relationship with your dog. Your dog will trust you when, over time, he realises that you will keep him safe. Respect will come when you set enforceable boundaries. You must be firm but fair. Here also, as in any dog training, it is important to be consistent. If you don’t want Fido to jump up on you or your friends, then never allow that, not even once.
4.) Communication
You must develop a way of communication with your dog so that you and Fido can understand each other. It all developes from a proper dog training foundation. And the more motivational your corrections and praise are the stronger the foundation. Communicating with your dog means that he will understand when he’s doing something right and when he’s doing something wrong. You can communicate with your voice but your strongest communication with Fido will be through body language.
5.) Understanding each other’s needs
If you have reached a point in your dog training where you can communicate with your dog, you will start to understand each other’s needs. And that is a magical point. That is when both of you are really enjoying the training and where Fido will do just about anything to please you.