Let’s be honest: you probably love your dog more than you love some humans. You spend most of your spare time exercising or cuddling with him. You talk to her just like you’d talk to your human best friend – freely, without fear of being judged. The level of love and trust you feel towards your pet is no different than what you feel towards any other family member. But is the feeling mutual?
The first way to tell if your dog trusts you is if he learns your routines. Trust is perceived differently for humans and animals, says Vicki Stevens, senior marketing communications manager for companion animals at the US Humane Society. Pets rely on routines to feel normalcy and have comfortable, happy lives. So the best way to build a relationship with your dog is to make these routines positive interactions.
If you feed him every day at 8am, or take him for a walk as soon as you get home from work, he becomes conditioned to expect those things at those designated times. Once a routine is set, he’ll be on time to get that food or that walk, and he’ll trust you’ll hold up your end of the arrangement.