We get dogs because we love their companionship, but if we look at it from their perspective, how do they feel about our presence? Don’t worry, I am sure your dog loves you! But did you know that there are things you can do to help make time spent together even better? Interactions with people are an important part of dogs’ welfare. From a scientific perspective, we can look at this through a model called the Five Domains (Mellor et al., 2020). Behavioral interactions with people, other animals, and the environment make up one of those five domains.
Making small changes to how you interact with your dog can have a big impact on their overall mental health. As the person your dog spends most time with, positive interactions with you are essential for your dog’s well-being. Here are seven things to pay attention to.
Always help your dog feel safe
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Dogs form an attachment relationship to their guardian, kind of similar to the relationship between a child and their parent (albeit not identical, of course). This means that your presence can help your dog feel more reassured in a stressful situation, such as being at the vet. But this also comes with a responsibility to help your dog feel safe by avoiding putting them in a stressful situation in the first place, or getting them out of there as soon as you can. If your dog finds vet visits difficult, talk to your veterinarian about what can be done to help. And in everyday life, keep an eye on your dog’s stress levels and be ready to intervene (e.g., don’t let a stranger pet your dog if your dog wouldn’t like it).
Give your dog choices
Just like us, dogs do better when they have the opportunity to make choices. Unfortunately, old-fashioned notions about dogs emphasize the idea that they should do as we tell them. But these days we have a much better understanding of dog behavior, so we know that thinking about what dogs need and want is part of being a responsible pet guardian. There are times when we can’t give dogs choices, so it’s all the more important to let them make choices when possible, such as whether (or not) to be petted, to choose the direction of a walk, or whether to take part in an activity.
Engage in fun activities
Doing fun activities that both of you enjoy, like games and exercise, is a great way to make your dog happy. There are so many activities to choose from, from organized classes like rally obedience, agility, and scent work, to simply rough-housing with your dog (if you both enjoy it and it’s safe). Some classes are suitable for reactive dogs (check with the trainer first), but if your dog wouldn’t enjoy a class environment, you can find online classes to take from home, like tricks classes. There are activities for dogs of all ages, too. When dogs become seniors, they can sometimes no longer do the long hikes or other activities that you used to enjoy; this means it’s time to find something else that you can do together, whether it’s a sniffari (smell walk) or tricks class.
Just spend time together
You don’t always have to be doing stuff with your dog. Dogs are happy to just hang out and relax with their people. For example, you can share the sofa while you watch a favourite TV show, take your dog in the car with you when you run errands (so long as it will be safe for them in the car while you do the errand), or let them relax under your desk while you work at the computer. Just being companionable together is nice for you, and it’s also good for your dog.
Get some exercise together
If you love taking your dog for a walk, it may surprise you that not all dogs get regular walks. Sometimes there is a good reason, like a medical issue or age, but most dogs would like more walks and more opportunities to run around, too. Leaving your dog in the yard at home just isn’t the same. If you have a good dog park near you and your dog enjoys going, that’s a great thing to do—but some dogs hate it, in which case, find places for them to walk that they will enjoy. These days, it’s possible to rent places like a fenced field, tennis court, or backyard where your dog can safely run off-leash without having to meet other people and dogs.
Choose nice food and use tasty training treats
I‘m sure you are aware that dogs love food. Providing nice food to your dog is one thing you can do to make them happier. I’m not being facetious—it’s literally given as an example in Mellor et al (2020) that one of the kinds of interactions likely to create positive emotions in your dog is “persons who provide preferred foods, tactile contacts and/or training reinforcements.” This refers not just to the regular meals that you give to your dog, but also to the treats that you use when training them with positive reinforcement.
Vary your dog’s activities and toys from time to time
Most dogs love routine, but they also like new things. So making changes, such as to the tricks you are teaching your dog, can keep an activity fun and stop it from getting boring. Similarly, dogs love new toys, so giving them a new toy is fun for them. The good news is that they don’t actually have to be brand-new toys; you can keep toys in a box and bring them out on rotation. If your dog hasn’t seen that toy for a few weeks, now it’s new and exciting again!
Do you do all these things for your dog? If not, the best time to start is now. Your dog will love you for it.
