With so many of us getting puppies and dogs during lockdown, we’re now faced with how to manage their behaviour and keep them as calm and contented as possible whilst we juggle work and home life.
Qualified Pro Dog Trainer Niki French, whose book Stop Walking Your Dog is just out, has the following tips about how to have the best relationship with your dog...
When you have a great relationship with your dog you can tackle anything together!
Imagine that your relationship with your dog is a bank account. Good things pay into the account and not so good things are withdrawals from the account.
Things paying into the bank account include playing a game with your dog, or giving them some food from your hand, or enjoying a walk together. There is a lot we can do to control how much goes into the account.
Hands up who gets frustrated with their dog? It happens! Perhaps they won’t stop barking at something in the garden or won’t come back to you in the park. If we tell them off, this does make a withdrawal from the relationship account.
And sometimes there are unavoidable withdrawals. Perhaps a necessary bath or a trip to the vets.
The great news is you can keep topping up the relationship bank account every day to avoid the account going into the red!
A straightforward way to boost your relationship with your dog is to not put all their food in a bowl. That food has value to your dog and that value can be associated with you rather than a shiny bowl in the corner of your kitchen.
What would you do with their food instead? You can hand feed them some of their food. This doesn’t need to take up long in your day. Could you have a pot of their dry food near where you sit on the sofa with a morning cuppa, a work Zoom or TV time in the evening?
Also feeding them their breakfast or dinner when you are on a walk means you can boost loose lead walking, recall, and grow their love of hanging out closer to you rather than having their head permanently in a bush sniffing, or running off to greet every dog they see.
Even dogs that people describe as ‘not being very foodie’ get much more interested in food when you do something fun with it. The food tastes better to them when they have to work for it!
If you measure out their food at the start of the day you can have it in pots around the home. This means you’re never too far from their food when you catch them doing something you love. This might be as simple as them not barking at someone walking past your window. Or dropping some food into their bed when they’re nice and chilled out. You get more of what you reward and boost your relationship with at the same time. Winning!
Playing games together is a great way to boost your partnership. This can be as simple as teaching them to catch food or chase it down as you roll it along the patio floor. Or playing their favourite game of tug or chasing a squeaky toy.
If your dog likes close contact with you, a calming stroke or even a little gentle massage can be a lovely bonding experience for you both. Both their heart rate and yours will slow down as you pet them. What better excuse for a snuggle on the sofa this evening?
A few minor changes here and there can really super-charge your relationship with your dog.
Niki French is a Professional Dog Trainer, running Twickenham Dog Services and her new book Stop Walking Your Dog is out now on Amazon. For more relationship boosting tips and games, you can find Pup Talk at www.puptalk.co.uk
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