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With the season of love and spring quickly approaching, it is not only important but it's necessary to make sure you and your dog’s relationship is the strongest and best it can possibly be! SitStay offers a few tips and tricks to making sure that both you and your dog feel the shared love of your relationship!
Honestly, this is great advice for interacting with ANY species (human and animal alike). Always think about the message you are sending with, yes, the literal words you use, but also your tone and nonverbal cues as well. (I can still hear my mother precisely saying, “It’s not what you said, it was how you said it,” but how true those words really are).
Because dogs and humans don’t “speak the same language”, we need to be very clear and direct with your language both verbal and nonverbal. One of the biggest hurdles with communication is consistency! Try to stay as consistent as possible with commands, nonverbal cues, and training rewards. Make sure you have a good foundation, if you aren't sure then check out our Top 5 Super Tips for Dog Training!
Literally! Give your pet the highest quality food and treats you possibly can! When interacting with pet owners it is most common that they want to feed their pooch the highest quality ingredients. You can start by adding in high quality oils to their usual meals check out our blogs on SitStay's favorite oils Salmon and Coconut and all the great benefits that they have for your pooch.
Emotionally, know when to give physical positive reinforcement. Dogs are just like humans in that they need touch and interaction to feel loved and secure. To fully bond with your pet you need to make sure that their emotional tank is full each day! Each dog is different in this way. You have to get to know what is best for you and your dog, some animals are cuddlers that won’t leave your side, others just like to sit in the same room as you.
It is amazing how much easier training and life is after you start getting clues about your dog’s cues, behaviors, likes, and dislikes. Try to pay attention to physical tells in his or her stance, posture, ears and tail in all types of situations! Then use those tells to help you communicate and deal with your pet appropriately, if they are scared than comfort them. If something is starting to stress your dog out, try to mediate the issue or remove the stressful thing from the dog's environment. Not only will this build trust, but also everyone will feel better in the long run.
This especially becomes helpful when training new behaviors! Dogs have preferences...so it is very important to know your pup’s preferences!
Is he food driven? Well, try some Tricky Trainers...even further than that, what is his favorite flavor? Meaty kind of guy? Or does he love cheddar? Did you also know that there are chewy or crunchy varieties?...SitStay is the treat headquarters, and we also have a huge selection of single ingredient chews that will satisfy any unique taste! This may sound a little excessive, but pets have treat preferences just like we do. Knowing what really excites your pet will be extremely useful when you want to motivate your pet to listen to you or just reward them for being such a good dog!
Or is his stomach not always on his mind. Maybe your pooch is toy and activity driven animal. As a reward instead give him 10 more minutes at the park or a brand new fluffy toy to rip apart! Try our Wild Knots Eagle, which is fluffy on the outside, and rope on the inside. Or you can try our adorable Cozy Floppy Rabbit!
Maybe he loves both? A little snack and activity is the ticket to your dogs heart. You might have to put in a little work to find that right balance between the two.
Your dog loves you unconditionally, it is always a great goal to set as pet owners to try to match their unwavering love, though we can't always attain that level of love, we might as well try! Overall, keep doing what you are doing and look to see if you can add anything to your day-to-day routine to show your dog how special they are to you. Always remember to have fun showering them with love, laughter, and GoodDog approved products!
Meet The Author
Canine Specialist & Writer
Grant is an award-winning writer for SitStay with a passion for pets and especially dogs! Grant loves writing about furry little goofballs and aims to educate pet parents about anything and everything regarding their dogs.
