by Timmy Duncan

Created on: September 28, 2010

There are many reasons that people decide to own dogs. Some decide to get a dog for companionship or as a beloved family pet. Others decide to bring a dog into their home for protection. Still others might be disabled and require a service dog to function normally. Whatever the reason for obtaining a dog, the foundation upon which the entire relationship rests is the bond between the dog and its master. Without that bond, very little can be accomplished. A working dog might still be able to do its job, but it will perform much better and more reliably if it has an established bond with its handler.

Everything about your relationship and interaction with your dog is based upon its deep rooted desire to please you. No dog does its job just because it feels like it. The guard dog must feel like it is guarding something that is valuable to them. The working dog must feel that it should listen to its handler. Even the family pet must feel the desire to be included in the fold. All of that is based upon the relationship with the owner. That bond is crucial to the dog performing at its best, even if the only performance you ask of them is your average, run of the mill obedience commands.

For reasons that experts do not entirely understand, the bond that exists between humans and dogs exists without either one having to do much to create it. For centuries, humans and dogs have been inexplicably linked together in a strange friendship. While you may not have to do much to establish that bond, there are always ways to improve and expand upon the bond that exists between you.

Activities like training classes and grooming rituals help to solidify the bond between you and your dog. Training classes solidify your role as the pack leader and gain your dog’s respect and trust and grooming is a behavior that dogs do in the wild to express affection for one another.

If you do not work to build upon the bond that already exists between you and your dog, your dog may begin to challenge your authority. With a tight bond, the tiniest child can control the largest dog in the world. Without that bond, the dog may realize it has the ability to overpower and try to exploit that. The bond between the dog and master is a crucial factor to every other element of the relationship.

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