How to Know if Your Dog Has Bonded With You? (And Trusts You)

You should know that the dog has understood and bonded with you if he likes to spend time with you, obeys your command to fetch things, starts to jump on you, likes to sit on your knees and wants to wake you up in the morning.

Research proves that dogs are among the most loving and loyal creatures on earth. The moment they trust you as their owner, they’ll remain faithful forever. This is reason enough to trust and love your dog more.

Due to the nature of our day to day activities and busy schedules, you may lack the time to bond with your pet. If this is your case, you must set adequate time when you’re off duty to bond with your dog.

Dogs are also known to be one of the most emotional creatures. Before a dog becomes loyal to you, it must first trust you.

How to tell if your dog likes you

1) Spending time with you

Dogs, just like us, love their privacy. In moments when they aren’t in the mood to play or interact with humans, they’ll retreat to their favorite place. If they’re hurt or tried, you’ll find them in this location.

But remember, though your dog might have their perfect location where they prefer to rest, if your dog trusts you, they’ll prefer sleeping in your bedroom.

Thus if you aren’t ready to share your bedroom with your dog, discourage them from sleeping here, because once, they establish the habit, it can be difficult to stop.

2) Picking your shoes and dirty socks to your bedroom

Dogs have a compelling sense of smell. It’s interesting to know your dog can recognize you by your scent. It isn’t strange to find your pet picking your stuff and presenting them to visitors.

They’ll pick any of your belongings and play with them as a sign they trust you. Never be amazed when you see, your dog picking your shoes or socks— they are passing a profound message that they trust the owner.

3) Peeing when they see you

If you discover, your puppy pees every time you arrive at home; you need not worry. Every time a puppy gets too much excited, they’ll respond by peeing.

This is a natural response and doesn’t mean they are regressing in their potty training.

Peeing at this moment is a sign of loyalty; it means your dog knows the boss is around.

4) Jumping on you

When a dog trusts you as the owner, they’ll be very excited when you arrive. You’ll notice them pouncing on you in a complete body slam.

Don’t mind if you get a few bruises as the dog jumps on you, that’s a small price to pay for the trust and loyalty.

If you notice such behavior from your dog, don’t hesitate to reciprocate the love with some rewards.

5) Sitting on your knees

A dog that trusts its owner will prefer resting on their knees to perfect the bond. This behavior is prevalent in puppies. When you’re watching TV or at dinner, you can find your dog wanting to sit on your knees.

6) Seeking physical contact

If your dog trusts you, they show particular behaviors that mean that you want to be closer to you. You’ll discover they want to lean against you or sit close to you.

Additionally, your dog will be comfortable to maintain eye contact if they are loyal to you. If you’re sitting on the couch or the floor and discover, your dog want to lean against you; they feel comfortable, safe, and secure.

At times, especially in public, your dog will lean against you, as a sign that they seek protection from you.

7) Smiling at you

Dogs just like a human smile! If you note this behavior from your pet, you need to respond with a smile to perfect the bond.

The tone of your voice should also indicate you are jovial. When your dog smiles, they expect you to smile back.

8) Being protective

A loyal dog will always be protective of you. Any time the dog detects any danger or anyone trying to harm you, the dog will use its defensive mechanisms to protect you. Such behavior is a clear indicator the dog trusts you.

9) Anticipates your arrival

When you have established a strong bond with your dog, they will always be anticipating your arrival.

They’ll keep gazing at the window to see if you are coming; its assign that they miss your company.

10) Waking you up

A loyal dog will ever want the best for their boss. If your dog wakes you up in the morning, it’s a sign they trust you.

The dog has been awake in the night and can’t wait to see you wake up. They don’t want you to be late for work.

11) Enjoys playing with the master

If you try playing with your dog and notice they aren’t interested in the game, it’s a probability that they are yet to trust you. You can try simple games like throwing a ball for them to chase it.

If they love you, they always go after the ball. Playing with your dog is one way of building a strong bond with the pet.

For me personally, dog quotes from brainyquote.com are what makes me feel good about my dogs and appreciate every moment they spend with me.

Practical ways to build trust with your dog

If your dog doesn’t trust you, have you ever thought of ways of creating a strong bond with the pet?

Dogs are wonderful creatures that respond to affection.

ways to build trust with your dog

You should train your pet to respond to your love, trust, and remain loyal to you. These are some way you can make your dog trust you.

1) Expressing acts of kindness

No matter what your dog has done, learn to be calm. For example, if you get home and find your puppy has messed around, the first response would be to yell at them. Every time you note such behavior, learn to respond gently.

It’s even more critical if you’re dealing with a newly adopted dog or a puppy. You need to use these first moments to build a strong bond with the pet and train them to act responsibly. Try by all means to control your emotions when your dog has done something wrong.

Just like humans, dogs have very powerful emotions, and they’ll fell hated if you shout or yell at them. Such acts will destroy trust.

2) Know how to approach your pet

You must know how to approach your dog. To build trust, you should learn approaching your dog from the side and getting down to their level.

You should kneel close to the dog and make sure you’re facing the same direction. Since you are intruding the dog’s personal space, you need to be non-confrontational.

Never approach them from the front side.

3) Fairness

When training your dog, you must be fair. Avoid sending mixed signals. Your dog will love it if you issue rules to them, yet you still follow these rules.

You can easily kill trust form your dog if you are unfair. If you are training your pet and they make the right moves, you should reciprocate with a treat.

Additionally, always avoid favoring one dog if you have several pets. This can result in jealousy among the dogs.

4) Stay calm

When you get home, your dog will be excited to see you note that they may respond in ways that can harm you’re like bruising you. In this circumstance, please, keep calm.

Avoid instances where you’ll push the dog angrily or shout at them. If you get an unexpected greeting, remain calm.

5) Consistency

Consistency is essential to establish a long-lasting bond with your pet. Your dog will trust you if you develop a consistent way of relating to the pet.

Dogs appreciate unpredictable environments. They want you to take care of them, and in turn, they’ll behave as you have trained them.

They want you to treat them in the same way whether you have visitors or not. Besides, they also expect the same treatment from all members of the family.

6) Spending time with the pet

Strong relationships are built over time. If you want to build trust with your dog, you must be ready to sacrifice time to be with your pet.

Allow your pet to accompany you for most of your activities. The more time you spend with the dog, the more loyalty. When visiting friends, relaxing, meditating, playing games, or going for walks, allow the pet to come along.

In your favorite fun activities, your dog shouldn’t miss out. Sharing happy moments with your pet is a great way to build trust.

7) Learn to live with dogs

As a pet parent, you invest time and resources to acquire knowledge about the pet. Get resources that will help you understand, dogs’ body language and behaviors.

If you have knowledge about pets, you’re in a better position to know how to respond in different situations. Besides, you can understand why they react in specific ways.

This knowledge is, especially when training your dog. Learn to approach sue from their point of view.

8) Defend your dog

As a pet owner, your dog expects you to protect them and ensure they are always safe. Your dog will trust you more if you don’t endanger their life or stress them.

If your dog is afraid, lean rot instill confidence in them. Your presence should make them feel protected.

What will make your dog loose trust in you?

How you treat and relate to your dog will determine if they’ll trust you or not. As we have seen above, you can practice ways of building trust with your dog. Let us now see how you can lose your dog’s trust.

approach to fearful dogs

1) Pressurizing the pet

You will lose your dog’s trust if you force them to act against their will. When training or socializing your pet, watch out when the dog is uncomfortable or acting in opposition.

When training a dog to overcome fear, you must encourage them to take action besides offering support and incentives. Allow the pet to learn at its pace.

This will result in a strong bond between the two of you. But if you keep pressurizing the pet, it’s a sure way of losing their trust.

2) Being unfair

When you want to take anything from your dog; do it reasonably. You can provide an alternative. The same applies when training the dog, every time they make a positive move, you should reciprocate with rewards.

Avoid forceful taking times form your pet; they’ll view this as unfair treatment and lose trust in you. Always play fair to your dog to avoid hurting their emotions.

3) Teasing the pet

Teasing is part and parcel of playing and fun activities for your dog. But remember not to overdo this.

Excessive teasing can harm your bond with the pet.

When playing with your dog, exercise caution when teasing them. Avoid any situation that will make your dog mistrust you.

4) Punishing your dog

When your dog messes up, you should be careful about how to punish them. For example, if your dog chews your carpet and you decide to punish them, they will not understand why you are doing this; instead, they’ll view you as a hostile and unpredictable person.

If you call your dog and they fail to respond, then call them again, and this time you scold them, they’ll not understand why you did this to them.

Always take caution when punishing your dog. I have an article about how to train dogs without using any kind of force.

Improper approach to fearful dogs

Fearful and abused dogs need special care and training to overcome these situations. To enable a dog to overcome fear and build confidence, you need a gradual approach.

If you don’t know how to handle such matters, rely on the input of an experienced trainer. Building trust and changing your dog’s behaviors requires time, always avoid pressurizing the pet to adopt new behaviors instantly.

Again, once you note the source of their fear and stress, avoid exposing the pet to these issues.

Dog owners whose dogs feel fearful during thunderstorms or fireworks should get proper training and learn some ways to make their dogs comfortable during those times.

Also, check the following video for building trust training with your dog:

Conclusion

Though building trust from your pet can take time, if you choose the right approach, you can find it to be very easy. Focus on the small things that matter.

Every moment spent with your dog should be an opportunity to reinforce your bond. Your dog will trust you if you love, protect, and appreciate their being. When you get a new puppy, or you adopt a new dog, use the initial moments to establish a strong bond between the two of you.

Additionally, invest in resources that will equip you with information on how to live with pets.

References

  1. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1068072
  2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tpGeCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT10&dq=Know+if+Your+Dog+Has+Bonded+With+You&ots=vTaJLwnKjQ&sig=DCIYroz2hPYUgA_AKSWFmZ4Sxe4

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