Bullibone is here to help you build a rock-solid bond with your dog.  

We will dive into the “5 Steps to Building a Strong Bond With Your Dog,” but first, let’s set the stage for the transformational journey you will embark on with a soul put on this earth to improve your life.  This process can also help your dog be a teacher for you and show you the way to live a less stressful life.

A dog’s ability to be fully present in the moment is beautiful. It is the only way a dog knows how to exist, and understanding this is an important part of learning to truly connect with your friend. By building the human-dog bond, we can learn from their example and develop something powerful that carries over into other areas of our life. 

Dogs can be our guides to mindfulness and remind a dog lovers to slow down and take a breath.  It allows us to appreciate the world and focus on building a solid relationship with a special soul.  

Uninterrupted focus is something that needs to be taken seriously and will build a stronger bond with your dog.  This can’t be stressed enough.  No one knows us as intimately as our pups.  They know us by our body language, not by the story we try to tell ourselves. They stare at us all day long and observe every move. They know when we are stressed. 

They know when we are not fully present with them.  They are masters of reading body language and can tell if we are distracted or not, giving them our undivided attention.  We can’t tell them we are giving them our undivided attention, we have to actually do it. We can’t fake it.

A new core habit of our new strong relationship is making sure we are fully present with them and not just robotically going through the motions if we want to develop a stronger bond with our dog.

We all have bills on our minds.  We all have text messages to return or calls to make. Your dog doesn’t care about any of those things.  They don’t have anything on their mind other than spending time with their favorite person on the whole planet.  You! 

Think about that friend you have who is constantly on their phone when you are trying to spend time with them. It always feels like they aren’t paying full attention to your conversation.  It seems like they are somewhere else mentally.  This is what your pup feels like if you are constantly distracted and not fully present with them.  

Most of us are not aware of how distracted we are throughout the day. We have a stream of thoughts going through our minds. We need to let go of all the things that are taking up our mental space and connect with our dogs to unlock the true power of the human-dog bond.  A few minutes a day can make a huge difference. Don’t worry; all those things stressing you out will still be there later.  (Or maybe you will realize that they aren’t such a big deal after all) 

Small changes can have a big impact. Simple stuff, done every day, creates a compounding effect. Take a walk together.  Play a game of fetch.  Engage in any kind of physical affection.  It can be a wonderful, grounding experience.  Our dogs are there with us and fully engaged in the present moment.

Take a deep breath and pay attention to the little things around you. Focusing on developing a strong bond with your dog is the only thing you are doing right now, so do it fully engaged.

Going for a walk with our fluffy canine companion, even if it’s just around the block,  gives us the opportunity to connect with nature and enjoy the beauty of the world around us. We can watch the leaves rustle in the wind and feel the warmth of the sunshine on our skin.  We can listen to the sounds of birds singing and chirping in the trees and breathe in the fresh air.  

And can you guess who is right there with us, taking in the same sensations?  Captain Slobber! (aka your dog). 

Your own little personal superhero who loves physical contact with the world around us.  By sharing this experience with our dogs, we deepen our connection to the world around us and appreciate the simple beauty of everyday life.

This all sets the stage for something all dog owners need to do, spend time training their dogs. When we train with our dogs, we have the opportunity to slow down and relax. Our dogs stare back at us, reminding us that sometimes the simplest things in life are the simplest. This will fill your soul with warmth and comfort.

We should look forward to a break from our busy lives and simply enjoy the company of our furry friends and build a strong bond.  Dogs don’t react well to being bossed around, but they react very well to training with a fully present dog owner who is patient and relaxed.  

If our dog isn’t cooperating during a training session, it can often mean they feel like we are not using it as a bonding experience. They see it as their parent bossing them around and getting frustrated.  Humans don’t like when their parent boos them around, and dogs are no different. Instead of letting frustration take over, simply slow down and take a breath.  Remember how much you love your dog. You are trying to use that time to build a bond and not to make them perform commands.   

Let our dogs be our teachers. Let dog ownership teach us the value of relationships and the importance of spending time with those we love. Bonding with our dogs is also building a deep and meaningful connection based on love, respect, and, most importantly, trust. We are creating a relationship that is based on mutual understanding and companionship that can provide us with endless joy and support.

Whether it’s a new pet or a pet you have had for years, it’s always the right time to start.  Don’t wait until tomorrow because things we put off until tomorrow have a tendency to never happen.  

5 Steps to Building a Strong Bond with Your Dog

1. Spend Quality Time Together

Spend quality time with your pup. We are talking about quality time, not just time.  There are countless activities to choose from; going for walks, playing fetch, or a calm relaxed basic obedience session. Hand-feeding treats while working on obedience can establish a deep connection. Feeding a dog allows the dog to see their dog owner as a provider for the pack, creating a deep instinctual bond.

The key is to find activities that both you and your dog enjoy and then make time for them regularly. As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to be present during these activities and to focus on your dog rather than your phone or other distractions. This will help your dog feel loved and valued.  It will also allow you to form a deeper connection with your furry friend.

2. Practice Positive Reinforcement Training

Most of us have a boss at work.  Do we react well to being bossed around?  Imagine being smacked on the nose if we don’t do something right. This is an example of trying to change behavior by emphasizing what we shouldn’t do. This technique doesn’t motivate, it creates fear.

Now imagine the opposite. Imagine that your boss doesn’t even acknowledge your mistakes and instead showers you with praise when you do something right.  Which strategy do you think would work better?

Ignoring the negative and getting excited about the positive sounds like a better way to get someone motivated about something. It’s the same thing for a dog. As the saying goes, “you catch more flies with honey”. This is the basic idea of positive reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement training is a powerful tool for bonding with your dog. It is even more powerful when established with a new dog or a new puppy right away.  Keep in mind that a young puppy may not be ready for training until they reach the right age.  This type of training involves rewarding your dog for good behavior rather than punishing them for bad behavior. 

When you practice positive reinforcement training, you build trust and respect with your dog and create a positive association with training and learning. This can make teaching your dog some new tricks more enjoyable for both you and your dog.  Smacking your dog drives a wedge between you and your pup. Strategically rewarding your dog creates a strong bond with your dog.  

According to this article by the Humane Society, consistency is key. You don’t have to be a dog trainer to teach your pup some basic obedience, but you must be consistent.  Anyone has the ability to do this, especially if they build a close bond with their friend.  If you have ever noticed the strong bond between a service dog and their handler, you will notice positivity is a key part of their dog training. 

3. Learn Your Dog’s Body Language

You should strive to understand your dog’s body language when building a strong relationship with your dog. According to a study by The National Institute of Health, dogs communicate primarily through body language, and if you learn to read your dog’s cues, you can better understand their needs and what they are trying to communicate to you. This can help the pet owner better understand how to communicate with dogs and have a stronger response to various situations while helping anticipate their needs.

Some body language is easy to understand.  If your dog is wagging their tail in a relaxed but excited posture, they probably feel happy and more open to physical touch at that moment. The opposite end of the spectrum is if your dog is growling or excessively barking; it probably means they are scared or defensive.  These are obviously the extreme examples, but as you begin to notice the extremes, you will soon find yourself understanding the subtle postures and various levels of mental stimulation.

It’s always a good idea to explore the topic of the relationship between dogs and humans and get a better understanding of the evolution of our human-dog bond.

4. Provide a Safe and Loving Home

It will be hard to connect deeply with your dog if they feel unsafe or anxious. They need a safe and loving home to be able to relax and let their guard down. A dog’s brain can calm down and thrive in environments where they feel loved and secure. A true member of the pack without fear of harm. To be great dog parents, you will absolutely need the essentials like proper nutrition, exercise, and veterinary care, but you need to create a safe and comfortable space for your dog to sleep, lounge, and eat. Make sure you go the extra mile and spoil them with a white dog bone or some super chewer dog toys from Bullibone.

A dog feeling safe and loved in their home is the foundation for building a deep and lasting bond with you.  Be patient with a newly adopted dog, such as a shelter or rescue dog.  They may need time to feel safe in a new environment before they give you the enthusiastic tail wags you are looking for.  

5. Enjoy the Present Moment

Finally, be present with your dog. It’s not hard to do, but it takes effort.  Give them your full attention.  Put your phone down.  Treat them like they are the only thing in the world at that moment because to them, you are their entire world.  This might be the most important aspect of bonding with your dog, and this practice might just teach you important lessons you can carry over into other aspects of your life.