Does Your Dog Need A Self Esteem Boost?

Is your dog confident and self-assured or shy and insecure? If they are insecure, they need a self-esteem boost.

Both dogs and humans have personality traits, that are as a result of their life experiences and their genetic makeup.

Insecure dogs tend to be withdrawn and even fearful, in a new environment and especially when they meet strange people and unfamiliar dogs. An insecure dog, when separated from his owner or the dogs he lives with will be timid and shy.

A confident dog, on the other hand, is eager to investigate and discover new places and people.

There are ways to boost your dog’s self esteem through training and socialization.

Involve your dog in sports, encourage them to compete with other dogs, get them a playmate and slowly introduce them to other playmates.

When you get a new dog, the first thing that you would need to do is to gain their trust.

Allow them to adapt and acclimate to the environment and slowly gain their trust. As you are getting them to be more confident, show them the expected behaviour through repetitions of a positive action, accompanied by a reward and then gradually challenging your dog to do more.

When doing these activities, move forward together with your dog and build confidence together and they will now start attaching their positive experiences with you.

Avoid teaching your dog new concepts, while they are in an insecure and fearful mode.

The primary objective should be to simply get them to be comfortable with their surroundings and their environment. Then find out what motivates them and use that to incentivize them.

If you can manage to get them playing with you, that will really accelerate a bond.

Consistent training and engagement throughout your pet’s life, will help build confidence in your dog as well as strengthen the bond between you.

Consistency in training will strengthen the reliability of new positive behaviour and build confidence in your dog.

Many dog owners believe that once their dog learns the basics like sit and stay, the training has ended. But what dog trainers will tell you is that training should last a lifetime and that the benefits of doing so will positively affect both you and your pet.

Both basic and complex training, stimulates your pets mind and gives them a purpose. Lessons can range from teaching them to sit or stay, to fun games of fetch and even to something as challenging as scent discrimination.

Their confidence is easily displayed through their focus, body language including wagging their tail are good signs.

There are many benefits that come from having a confident, secure dog. The convenience and fun of being able to take your well-trained pet with you to restaurants, parks, beaches, for a neighbourhood walk and much more, will further strengthen your relationship and you will be able to enjoy company at your home, without worrying about your dog’s behaviour.

When the dog becomes confident, both the dog and the owner’s life will become much more enriched, as it opens up opportunities that may not have been possible before.