In the last two blog entries, we covered two very important subjects in creating an environment of calm and order in your Habibi Bear puppy household: knowing what motivates your dog (
Doggie Love Language) and developing impulse control in your puppy (
Impulse Control: Why It Is Important), while touching upon this week’s topic: deepening the trust between you and your pup. Here are some easy ways to help foster more trust, and the benefits of doing so. Are you ready? Let’s Go Habibi Bear Tribe!
Develop more trust with routine: A routine increases confidence because when puppy identifies a basic need (food, water, rest, play), the person who provides the appropriate fulfillment to that need (You) in a timely and consistent manner will be associated with security and positive feelings that ultimately become love. There will be no need for hyper-vigilance or a squirreling away of resources because puppy’s experience has always been one of plenty and safety. Puppy will know that you provide their food and that makes you their very Best Friend. (This is especially important if you have a food motivated dog!)
Develop more trust with touch: As humans and dogs are both sentient beings, sharing an experience of touch with your lovely Habibi Bear puppy is one of life’s highlights. Engaging in touch with your puppy releases oxytocin, the bonding hormone, along with dopamine and serotonin, and reduces stress hormones at the same time. Lucky for us, a Habibi Bear is made for cuddling and companionship as many of you already know. We can take advantage of this amazing quality and use it to get in the daily habit of checking your puppy over while cuddling (Handling Routine, p.71 Habibi Method Handbook). Use lap time or floor time to check puppy’s paws, their gums, ears, tummy and tail. This is a short procedure, under a minute, that offers a big pay off as puppy becomes desensitized to being handled. Finish up with making eye contact and a nice treat, and both of you can enjoy the flood of feel good hormones and buzz.
Develop more trust with consistency: Consistency goes a long way in the development of a deep bond between your Habibi Bear puppy and you, and goes even further in the development of a confident pup. Consistency means to behave in a predictable, unchanging way. In a puppy world, this means keeping a set of house rules that are firm and steady, and keeping an even keel in reacting or interacting with puppy as best we can. For our pups and their level of understanding, consistency gives them the experience of knowing what their world holds for them. As they know what their world holds and what to expect from us, their security and confidence will grow in leaps and bounds. Their sense of vulnerability will decrease, as will their frustration and fear. A confident puppy exhibits less anxiety-associated behaviors and is a joy to be around.
These are just three easy things that will deepen the trust and bond between your Habibi Bear puppy and you, creating an endless loop of good feelings and good will. If your dog associates you with good things and feels good about you, they will respond to you and what you request of them. The more they do what you ask, the happier and more loving you will be with them and so on and so on and so on. The great thing is that we have even more ideas in our new updated edition of the Habibi Method Pup Start Handbook, (and is part of our exciting new program that is about ready to launch )which empowers you to be the very best pack leader you can be and set you and your pup up for a lifetime of success. We are always upgrading and expanding our educational resources for you, and of course, we are always cheering you on!
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