How To Get Your Dog To Trust You

Dogs are extremely intelligent and perceptive, especially when it comes to trust. They pick up on our body language very well to gain insight on whether they should give us their trust.

If your dog doesn’t trust you, he will be aloof. He will be more prone to guard his toys, food bowl and bed. Fortunately, there are ways to build that trust.

Even just a little trust and understanding will go a long way toward building a better relationship with your dog. So it’s important that you know how to get your dog to trust you.

Here are some simple tips you can start with today:

How To Get A Dog To Trust You?

It takes time for your dog to trust you. You can earn that trust, loyalty and love by making him look upon you as his pack leader. To attain this Alpha dog position, you will need to establish the rules, set the boundaries and conditioning his good behavior.

Be HIS Pack Leader

Your dog needs to trust you, so it’s very important to always establish trust. This not only happens when you provide food, but also when you play with him, or do any work with him. 

Make him sit, or lie down, and act submissive, and let him know that you are now his pack leader, and he will look to you for guidance. Trust can be built on these things that will make your dog eagerly look to you for direction.

By establishing yourself as his alpha dog, you will be making him be submissive to you. Use a combination of active leadership and positive reinforcement to earn your dog’s respect and trust.

Establish Boundaries

One of the most important parts of trust building is establishing boundaries. Setting up boundaries will let your dog know what he can and cannot do in your home. 

This will avoid any accidents from happening and will help your dog to know what he is supposed to do to please you and you will of course, get his trust for that!

No VIOLENCE Punishment

Never ever use physical violence to correct your dog’s undesirable behaviors. Not only will your dog develop feelings of mistrust and fear, but you will also find yourself dealing with this problem on a very regular basis.

In fact, experts say that the only kind of physical punishment a dog responds to is a light smack on the back, or a gentle tap on the nose.

So keep in mind that violence punishment on your dog does not put in any respect or trust. You do not develop a positive relationship with your dog while you are punishing him.

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Understanding HIS Behavior

Obedience training, and understanding of your dog behavior, will give you the opportunity to gain his trust and respect. 

You just need to find out what motivates your four legged friend to make him want to do what you want him to do. Is it toys? Is it dinner? Is it going for a walk? 

Once you know the answer to this question, then you will know if you should trust him in certain situations. 

Dogs want to please us, and we want to please them. We want to treat our dog like they are human and able to think and reason.

Once you have gained a dog’s respect and have developed the communication, you will gain his trust.

Keep in mind that dogs gain trust and respect from positive interactions and behavior. This means rewarding and praising his good behavior. You will see an improvement in your dog’s behavior in a short period of time once he understands what you want him to do.

Remember, if a dog doesn’t understand how to earn a reward, he usually doesn’t change his behavior.

Discipline Him For BAD Behavior

Building that trust relationship is not simply letting your dog do what he wants. It’s making sure that he looks upon you as his alpha dog and follows your guidance and direction.

If you want to have a good relationship with your dog, you can’t let his bad behavior get the better of you.

It is your job to make sure you discipline your dog so that he knows that certain behaviors are not allowed and obedient training is the way to correct any undesirable behaviors.

Practice obedience sessions with your dog every day. Train him to listen and obey your cue word for the intended behavior. Practice and be consistent.

Remember, to keep it fun and not so demanding on him. Most importantly, to reward him (with treats and positive verbal expressions) for his good behaviors so that he would associate it with pleasant experience.

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Spend Quality Time With Him

Trust and respect takes time to brew. Do not expect your dog to trust you on the very day that you bring him home. You would need to spend time and effort to build up that bond.

Plan your schedule and make sure that you have allocated sufficient time each day to interact with him. This is extremely important during the initial phase when he is brought to your home from shelter.

He is facing lots of uncertainty – new faces, new environment and new smell and will naturally feel anxiety and fearful of what is surrounding him.

By spending time with him, you are gradually building up his trust in you. Go for some interactive physical games such as “Fetch”, “Tug Of War” so that you can easily build up the bond while playing with him.

Remember to reward him whenever he follows your instructions as this will create a positive reinforcement on his behavior. Show him affection and love after he had done something wonderful.

This will help to build a strong foundation for growing your love with your dog into a strong bond that lasts for years to come.

Establishing A Routine

A routine should be established. Dogs love routines. It makes them feel secure as they will know what is happening for the day. This will certainly ease their anxiety and help to build trust in you.

Plan walks and play time daily. Taking your dog for a walk is so much fun for him and can make a big difference in his behavior. This will teach your dog that you are the leader and that he should trust you. 

A dog will be much happier and well-behaved if they have a leader to follow and please. Not to mention his ability to pay attention to you and please you if you please them.

The best way to build a healthy relationship with your dog is to involve him in your life. He needs to feel a part of the family. 

Dogs are social animals, and they are happier when they know they belong to a group. So, let him be a member of your life, and he will see you as his leader. You must decide on and follow a regular schedule, and your dog will thank you for it.

Be Consistent In Your Action

Never confuse your dog with your action else that will take away his trust in you. Be consistent in what you do and give him the intended reward if he follows your instruction.

Say for example, if you allow your dog to sit on the sofa today and he gets a scolding from you when he does the same action the next day, this will confuse him and make him lose his trust in you.

Be Confident

Dogs see your confidence as a sign of strength, not weakness. Begin to change your dog’s opinions of you, simply by being a fair, firm and confident leader.

A leader who is respected and trusted will have a willing and able subordinate who is ready and willing to please.

Stay Calm

Dogs can sense your emotions, so keep your cool! If you’re panicky, it’s more likely that your dog will be stressed and will be more resistant to trust.

Avoid Direct Eye Contact

When you are trying to gain trust from your dog, avoid having any direct eye contact with him. Dogs often view direct eye contact as a form of challenging or threatening action.

Personal Space For Your Dog

Your dog will need time and personal space to settle down in his new home. Make sure that you allocate a quiet and privacy personal space for him so that he will feel safe and secure to be in. 

A crate will be an ideal choice as dogs often consider crates as his den.

During his adapting period, be sure to spend time playing with him and ensure that he feels really comfortable in his crate with his favorite toys and food readily available.

This will help to develop his trust in you over the time and look upon you as his pack leader. (the one who takes care of him in term of foods and shelter).

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Conclusion

Establishing trust is a lifelong process. It starts when you first bring your pup home, and continues every day. There will be tough times along the way, and you need to put through the hard part and move forward.

Every dog is different and what works for one, doesn’t necessarily work for another. The above approaches should give you a head up on how to make your dog to trust you. Use what works for your dog to make it happen.

I will love your feedback on these approaches and feel free to comment below.