How To Tell If Your Pooch Trusts You
Have you ever looked deeply into the soulful eyes of your four-legged canine best friend and wondered how he or she really feels about you?
Well I have, and I decided to do some research into the topic. Some pet experts agree that eye contact with your pooch releases a love hormone called oxytocin. Deep eye contact with your dog is not possible unless your dog loves and trusts you!
Here are a few other clues your pooch trusts you, according to dog behaviorists:
1. You dog mirrors your routine and adapts herself/himself to it — Positive interactions are ways to build a a healthy, trusting relationship with your pooch.
2. You respond to your dog happily, positively rather than negatively — Studies have revealed that our pooches learn confidence and tend to trust us more the less they see us angry. Maybe it’s the volatility and unpredictability of how a person will behave next that causes our canine friends to find less reasons to trust us when we display negative emotions in their presence. The less they see us angry the more they trust us!
3. You pooch sleeps near you — Dogs won’t fall asleep anywhere they don’t feel comfortable. So if your dog makes a concerted effort to sleep in your bedroom, or as close to you as possible, it is a clear sign that he or she loves and trusts you.
4. Your training exercises with your dog are a great success — Dogs respond well to training when they trust their handler. Many animal behaviorists concur that training based on trust and respect gets the best results. Whereas punishment and fear-based training often reaps the opposite.
You are your canine best friend’s whole world. The more positive your bond the more trusting and happy he or she will be. And is there anything more wonderful than enjoying those cuddles and adventures with a happy pooch? I think not.