Dogs are learning throughout their whole life. Training your dog can be the best time of your life, as you are building trust and creating an incredible bond with each other. You may think that it is all about commands and tricks, but your dog learns so much more by just spending time with you. That is why it is essential to spend this time responsibly even when you are just having fun.
Two factors influence a dog’s behavior. The first one is genes, and the second one is its environment. Behaviorists agree that the dog’s environment plays a more significant role in its development. Your dog’s race can be stereotypically aggressive, but your pet does not necessarily have to manifest this feature in his life. It can turn out that your thorough training makes it a perfect dog for a family with children.
Make sure that you are creating the best environment for your dog. Rules that operate in the human world are different from those in the dog’s world. It is natural that you love your dog and want to show it, but too much affection can have a bad influence on your pet. From this article, you will learn how to approach your pooch correctly. And if you want to read more about taking care of your loved animal, please visit The Pampered Pup website.
Socialize Your Dog with Other Dogs, not Only with You
Your pet is a social creature, and it needs your presence, but you mustn’t forget that other dogs are its true companions as well. Especially when your dog is still a puppy, you need to take care of its socialization with other representatives of the species. Right before the 16th week of life, there is a critical phase of your pet’s development. It is your role that everything your pup sees during this stage is associated positively and becomes a natural element of its future life.
On the other hand, everything that your puppy will miss out or associate negatively will probably lead to anxiety and even aggression. Therefore, every owner should do whatever they can to socialize their dogs with other animals, so that they can be well-balanced, calm, and self-confident in the end.
Pet Your Dog Correctly
Too much affection can be shown in various ways. One of the crucial matters is how you approach your dog and how your physical relation looks. We know since we were children that dogs enjoy petting. But rarely someone tells us how to do it properly.
Leaning over the dog, embracing it, squeezing and kissing it on the mouth are some of the actions that will be unpleasant for almost every dog. Many dogs do not like when we pat them on the head, touch their paws, pat them on the muzzle, pull them by the ears, or grab their tail. Also, try not to kiss your dog, especially on the mouth, and do not embrace it so tightly that it can’t move.
On the other hand, there are forms of touch that most dogs love. They are happy when we pet their neck, scratch them at the base of their tail, on the inside of their thighs, or behind their ears.
The dog’s tolerance to touch is a very individual matter. Some dogs love petting, and some prefer to be left alone. Let’s remember that the tolerance of our caresses may change over time. Sometimes due to the age of the dog or its illness, it may experience discomfort and not want to be touched.
Learn how to Read a Dog’s Body Language
Dogs send us lots of signals. Among others, those that indicate stress or discomfort. If while you are petting your dog, it licks its nose, turns its head, moves away from you, yawns, or brushes off – it means that this form of contact was not very pleasant.
When rewarding exercises, we sometimes vigorously pat the dog’s head or scratch it behind the ear. Please pay attention to the dog’s body language and watch if it manifests any sign of discomfort. After several repetitions of rewarding by the unwanted touch, your dog will not be willing to cooperate and stop performing further exercises.
Summary
It is worth knowing that contact with dogs affects the secretion of our hormones. During stroking, oxytocin, the love hormone, is released, and the level of cortisol (stress hormone) in the blood is lowered. No wonder most people love to stroke their dogs and show them interest. However, we often pay them much attention. It seems that if a given form of contact with a pet is pleasant for us, our dog feels the same. The truth is that there are moments in the dog’s life when it prefers not to be touched and talked to.
Excessive attention is not always a good option. Especially when the dog is resting or eating a meal, it is the time to be spent alone, and your dog has the right to do so. The dog should be given some freedom and feel relaxed in our company.
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