The bond between human and animal is one of the main reasons we make the decision to bring a pet into our lives. The allure of that timeless connection is powerful. It is an easily attained friendship that enriches our lives and nurtures our hearts. Our pets bring warmth and unconditional love to our homes, but it is their fiercely loyal companionship we value the most.

Building a bond with a puppy or young dog is a fun and enriching journey. There are many ways in which we can weave the bonds of friendship with our furry family members.

The very first step to creating a foundation for friendship with your puppy or young dog will occur during your first interaction together. Before you interact with your new dog you want to give her the opportunity to come over and investigate you. Allow her to smell you and get comfortable with your presence, doing so helps her to understand that you are not a threat and that you are respectful of her space. She will appreciate not being overwhelmed by you and having the chance to check you out before you touch her. This process is often very quick and easy with puppies, but may take a little longer the older the dog is.

Once your new furry friend has sniffed you and exhibited signs of being relaxed around you, you can begin the interaction. Start with calling her over to you in a calm, happy voice and tell her how good of a girl she is as soon as she shows interest in you. When she comes over to you, you can then offer her a treat or pet her on the chest. Once you two have met and become comfortable with each other, pull out a toy and engage her in some play. This first meeting will establish that you are a respectful friend she can trust and have fun with!

Bringing your new puppy or dog home is when the fun really begins, since most of your bonding will occur once she is a member of your family. The important steps to take in building a strong bond will be the seemingly small, insignificant things you do for your dog every single day. By feeding her, walking her, taking her outside to potty, training her and playing with her during the day you will teach your dog that you are the source of all the good things in her everyday life.

When it comes time to feed your dog, engage with her before she gets to eat. Have her sit and wait while you prepare her meal then ask her to lay down and wait as you set the food in front of her. Give her a release command to signify that she may eat and do not bother her until she is finished eating. This exercise teaches her to respect her role in your family while building trust during a structured routine. She also learns that you will not create stress or take her food once you have given it to her. This level of trust is important when building a bond between yourself and your dog. If you dog believes she has to defend her food from you or eat it very quickly before you take it away it will negatively impact your bond.

Training is one of the best ways for us to establish a very strong connection between ourselves and our dog when it is built on a foundation of communication, trust and understanding. Working with our dogs and teaching various obedience commands helps us learn how to communicate effectively with each other, and also teaches us to trust one another. Dogs were bred to have the desire to make their human companions happy, so by working together and communicating effectively we fulfill this need-to-please in our dogs.

Play is another major factor in bond building and is very enjoyable for both canine and human! Playing games like fetch, tug-of-war, chase and the "find it" game will strengthen your bond and help make you the focus of your dog's happiness and excitement. Don't be afraid to goof around and laugh, your dog will appreciate the incoming positive energy from you!

Touch and one-on-one quiet time is one of the most powerful bonding tools we can use. For dogs that enjoy being touched, cuddling on the couch or laying by your side while being stroked can boost the bond in a big way. Dogs communicate through touch just as they do with body language. Use petting, massages and ear scratches to share mutual affection with your furry friend. Watch for cues to ensure your dog enjoys this sort of attention since stress can be counterproductive to bond building.

Your dog can make the perfect exercise partner and doing these fun activities together will strengthen your bond of friendship. Many dogs, once they reach physical maturity at around two years of age, make excellent running or jogging partners! This form of exercise is a great structured activity that relieves boredom, drains energy and gives your dog a job to do. Consider activities such as hiking, cycling, camping, walking, swimming, soccer and skijoring to include your dog in. Your dog will feel closer to you when she is included in your exercise routines.

The little things in life can also strengthen the bond between you and your dog, so consider taking your dog with you to run errands if weather permits it. Dogs always benefit from the extra time out of the house. If you have some gardening to do outside, you can give your dog something healthy to chew on so that she can just hang out with you while you work.

However you decide to go about strengthening to bond between you and your dog, remember to take time to appreciate and love your canine companion for all the joy and love they add to your life. Sharing mutual love and respect is the secret to a powerful connection that will last a lifetime.

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Angel
K9 Instinct
www.k9instinct.com

This article will be featured in the Animal Wellness magazine!

Socialization is a vitally important part of raising a dog. Socialization should never be missed, as a lack of socialization can cause serious problems for the dog later in life. Behavioural issues, fears, anxieties, aggression and the lack of ability to deal with stressful situations all result from poor socialization.

So what is socialization? Socialization is the act of safely exposing puppies and dogs to different, strange and potentially stressful situations in a way that always provides a positive experience. Socialization sets a puppy or dog up for success when dealing with the world and the many experiences he or she will be exposed to during their lifetime.

The key to successful socialization is exposing your puppy or dog to new and strange situations and always making it a positive experience. As the handler you should make sure you control as many of the situations as possible. You want to provide only positive experiences when possible, and should negative experiences occur you should find a way to make it positive.

Socialization is an on-going thing, but the critical time for exposure and learning is between the time you bring your dog home at 8 weeks of age to 16 weeks of age. You should expose your puppy to a wide variety of dogs, people, children, equipment, footing, and more.

You should be sure that any dogs you expose your puppy to are friendly, predictable and healthy. Any bad experiences with aggressive or very rough dogs can create aggression or fear in your puppy. The goal is to teach your puppy that dogs are positive experiences, and that there is no reason for fear or aggression on their part. Safe exposure to dogs also promotes the hope that your dog will not see other dogs as a threat, meaning you won't have to worry about bad behaviour in the presence of other dogs.

When exposing your puppy to people, choose large crowds and friendly faces. Make sure that nobody causes your puppy any harm, fear or panic. Let your puppy experience gentle handling by strangers, play with strangers, treats from strangers (provide your own treats!), and petting. Expose your puppy to children that are under control and able to handle or pet your puppy safely and gently. Never overwhelm your puppy or stress your puppy out, but apply age-appropriate socialization with people.

Take your puppy to a playground with equipment and take him through the tunnels, down the slides, up the slides, all from the safety of your reach. Play on the equipment to expose your puppy to different surfaces and textures, while making sure your puppy doesn't fall or have the chance to panic and hurt itself. Walk your puppy over hardwood floors, sand, carpet, fencing laid on the floor, bubble wrap, plastic bags and other unique surfaces.

Remember to keep the exposures fun and positive, while keeping your puppy safe and excited about trying new things. Make sure you control the environment as much as you can to ensure safety. All positive experiences, that's what socialization is all about! When negative situations arise, remove your puppy promptly and create a positive experience with some play and bond building.

It is important to make sure that you never praise your dog when he or she is exhibiting fear, insecurity or other bad behaviour. By offering praise and attention, to reinforce bad behaviour and bad responses. Ignore negative responses from your puppy, and reward once the desirable response is present.

Never forget that your puppy feeds off of you, so be sure to always remain calm and positive. Calm, happy voice should accompany a gentle hand. This reassurance will set your dog up for success!

To get you started, here are some ideas on places you can take your puppy or dog for socialization. Please make sure your puppy has the appropriate vaccines first!

• Farmer's Market
• Public Park
• Downtown City
• Train Station
• Pet Stores
• Any stores that allow leashed pets
• Parades and Festivals
• Car Rides (Weather permitting)
• Dog Socialization Play Groups
• Houses of accepting friends and family
• Visit apartment buildings and ride the elevators
• Walk around the outside of the mall

One of the keys to raising an amazing family companion or working dog is proper socialization and the result is a solid, reliable dog who trusts you and can be taken anywhere and asked to do anything.

Here is a video of my working German Shepherd, Hunter, preforming some obedience in a new location with many strange objects. His confidence and capability is a result of both genetics and great socialization.