With Valentines day just around the corner, I though it appropriate to focus on the human-dog relationship. Those of us who have owned and loved dogs know how special the love and bond is between our dog and ourselves.

In fact is has been said that on Valentines day in 2019, Americans spent more than $886 million on their dogs

Not only are people buying Valentine gifts for their partners, they are dropping huge dollars on their other loves, their dogs! 

Building a strong bond with your dog may take some time, especially if you did not get the dog as a puppy. Perhaps you rescued an older dog. If you feel that you would like your relationship to be stronger, here are some tips for bonding with your dog.

1. One great way to strengthen your bond is through training. The more time you spend doing activities together the stronger your relationship will become. You could consider training your dog for agility, rally, dock diving, freestyle (dancing with your dog) or simply obedience. You will probably find a new hobby that you can enjoy together!

2. Build trust. Remember that to build trust you should avoid harsh negative consequences for unwanted behaviours. These fear-based training techniques may be harmful to the relationship you have with your dog. Focus instead on positive reinforcement training, using toys, treats and praise. Your dog will see you as the bearer of good things! 
   Helping your dog feel safe also contributes to trust. Watch your dog’s body language and look for cues that may show he is not feeling comfortable in certain situations and remove him immediately if appropriate.

3. Affection! Just as humans need to feel loved and appreciated, so do dogs. Studies show that that physical contact in shelter dogs reduces their stress. So too, will physical contact enhance the bond between people and their pet dogs. Dogs love tummy rubs, ear scratches, stroking and petting. Try different ways of petting to see which is your dogs favourite.

4. Spend quality time with your dog. Take walks together. Play a game of tug or fetch. Talk to your dog - they love baby talk too!

5. Stare lovingly into your dog eyes! Yes it is true. Eye contact between dog and owner has been found be comparable to the bonding between human parents and their infants when they gaze into each others eyes. This is according to a study by Takefumi Kikusui, an animal behaviourist at Azabu University in Japan

Update: I recently wrote another post on this topic, but more related to bonding with a new puppy. It has some different ideas but you may want to check it out too. I guess this is an important topic for me!

I love capturing special moments between people and their dogs, photos that show the love between them. These are always happy photos and make me smile! If you want timeless memories of your special relationship with your pets, don’t wait until it is too late! Do it now. Contact me to find out how

Last week I had the privilege of photographing Wilson, a wonderful senior dog and his family. You can clearly see the love and bond that they share with each other!

This post is part of a 52 week photographers circle in which I am participating. For more on the love between people and pets visit Darlene Woodward with Pant the Town Photography serving MA and NH.