Bonding With Your New Protection Dog

Whenever someone brings a new dog into their home, one of their earliest and most important tasks is starting the bonding process. This sets the foundation for their future relationship, builds trust, and facilitates companionship. We are often asked how owners can bond with their new dogs, and these are some of the best ways to do so:

1. Understand that dogs learn associatively through a process known as conditioning. If a particular stimulus such as seeing an owner bring out a lead becomes associated with the pleasure of a walk, then a dog is likely to look forward to seeing it in the future. Similarly, if you become associated with good things, then your dog will start to like you more and more. While this sounds simple, letting your dog build positive associations with you is one of the most important parts of the bonding process

2. Undertake obedience training and practice it on a daily basis. This will reinforce trust levels between you and your dog, which is particularly important given its role in protecting you and your family. Intelligent working dogs need regular mental as well as physical stimulation, and obedience sessions offer excellent mental engagement

3. Enjoy your dog and have fun with them! Although our dogs are generally purchased because of security concerns, they are still able to live and function as pets and provide all the companionship benefits one could reasonably and normally expect. Spending quality time together and enjoying each other’s company is ultimately what having a dog is all about. This, more than anything else, is what will cement your bond with your new dog