Do you see dogs playing in the gardens with their owners and wish you also had the same bond? Have you recently got yourself the precious little bundle of wagging tail? Then read on to find the small things that will help you create a loving bond with your dog.
A dog may be an animal, but once it is treated with kindness and love, the bond remains strong forever. There is no other animal that is so faithful and obedient as a dog.
It is often said that a dog chooses its owner. A dog needs to know its place in the pack, in this case, your family, and feel that he belongs with you. The leader of the pack needs to be clear to him from the beginning. Then he can follow the orders and enjoy being taken care of. He will listen to the commands and be secure and happy with a leader or head of the family. You can follow these tips that we have put together for you, and you will feel the bond growing by leaps and bounds.
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How to Bond with Your New Dog?
Some great ways to bond with your new furry friend:
1. Patience is the key
All dogs are not the same. Each dog has a unique personality and bonds with its human companions differently. This process takes time. The first thing is to stay calm and patient.
Your dog has come into an alien atmosphere, leaving his mother and other furry friends. It needs to understand the family and humans who want to be friends. Allow him the time to become familiar.
Do not overwhelm with an onslaught of training and new food items, and too many strange objects. Allow him to adjust to the new surroundings, new smells, and people slowly to avoid any stress.
2. Create a routine
Sticking to a schedule helps the dogs understand the new environment easily and create a pattern easily followed. They know what is expected from them at a particular time. Be it eating, walking, or even exercise and play-time. Slowly build a schedule according to your lifestyle and try to stick to that as much as possible. They have an internal clock that helps them to understand and respect their schedule. They follow this pattern and feel comfortable if a familiar routine adheres to every day.
3. Allow the dog to be comfortable in a specific place.
The puppy has come to your home, leaving a familiar and secure place with his family. He needs to feel safe. If he is allocated a specific place, in the house, a corner, or given a cage or bed, then slowly, he will identify that as his secure space. It will help him get rid of fear and be calm and quiet. He needs to know that there is a place where he can retreat when he is tired or anxious and sleepy. Of course, you can allow him to roam around the house as a member of the family.
If you want certain parts of the house to be out of bounds for him, then close that area from the beginning. You cannot allow him to go to the library one day and not the next day.
Similarly, his food and water should be kept in the same place simultaneously if possible. In a dog’s world, familiarity does not breed contempt, but it brings in the much-needed comfort of knowing that all is well with the world and he can trust you.
4. Help him build a bond of trust.
Dogs have been domesticated for a long time. They love being around humans. They trust humans until they are harmed in some way. It is important to cultivate that bond from the first day that he comes home.
Allow him to smell everything in the house, including you and your things. Familiar smells calm their anxious minds. They know each thing by using all their sensory organs- touch, smell, and taste apart from seeing and hearing. Licking is another way of showing affection for them. But if you don’t want to be licked, then start stopping that from the beginning.
Explore other senses. He can be fed by hand once in a while to allow him to be comfortable with your smell and realize that this is the hand that feeds him. Hand feeding is a great way to bond with the dog.
5. Engage in interactive games
Each game teaches the dogs something. He learns to follow commands and have fun at the same time. He also understands what is important for you, what are the things that make his leader happy and what is not liked. Obeying a leader is important for every dog’s survival in the wild, and that inherent behavior is also carried in a human environment. When you play games, you teach him the way he can please you. This also helps him to run around, learn new tricks, and get rewarded.
Start small, with easy commands and short play-times. Chase or fetch, frisbee are the most common games that dogs can easily pick up, and a game that all dogs like is to find the hidden treats. You can teach him more tricks slowly once he understands the significance of obeying commands and connects the same with rewards. Remember to start slowly. The training needs to continue forever, and you cannot overwhelm his tiny brain with too many commands and too much excitement. Playing helps them relieve their tensions, and after some running around, they can relax and snooze comfortably. No playing or running around will make him dull and uninterested in spending time with you.
6. Relaxing is also important.
Spending some quality time just relaxing together is equally important. Just pet him for some time; cuddling and petting are important to dogs as they feel the vibrations of love and calmness. Allow him to sit with you in the same room even if you are reading or working. Even just sitting near you calmly, he can read your expressions of calmness and peace. You do not need to be actively engaged with the dog all the time. Silence and peace are important to improve the bond between you both.
7. Take them out for regular walks.
Whether to relieve themselves or just for exercising, walking is essential for dogs. They need to explore the neighborhood and become familiar. This will help them be house trained, and fresh air and walking will foster the bond more. You will meet more people and dogs and learn more about dog behavior. The dog will also learn to behave in a social setting and his boundaries again.
8. Positive reinforcement
This is critical for the new dog-owners. It would be best if you encouraged the dog for all the right behaviors and responses. This can be done using treats and praising him with words in an enthusiastic way. Dogs understand the tone of the voice very quickly. Praise them and scold them as and when needed.
You do not need to give them long lectures or explanations. ‘Good boy’ or a simple ‘No’ will be easy to understand for a small dog even from the beginning. This can be made easy using special dog treats that can be given to them on showing exemplary obedience to commands.
No way should you beat a dog or starve him for any disobedience. They cannot connect dots so easily. Try to be patient and change their behavior using positive methods and showing your authority gently and firmly.
Prepare before the arrival of your new friend.
Once you decide to bring a dog home, then prepare beforehand. Create the loving and caring home that the dog should be provided. Then try to read and learn about training the specific breed of the dog that you are getting. Different breeds of dogs need some special and unique training methods. Beagles and Labradors will behave differently in the same surroundings.
Finally, once the new pet is home, stay positive, stay calm and be patient. The dog will absorb this. Dogs usually mirror the behavior of their humans. Allow him to enter the house with all the love and care and positive training. The bond between you both will take root slowly but will remain strong even after years if done with care and affection.
