Trust and respect are the two most essential elements of any relationship, be it between people and people, animals and animals or people and animals. In order for any of these relationships to be successful, these two qualities must be present in all parties involved. If trust is missing between those in a relationship, then all communication is useless because neither party will believe or respect the other. If respect is missing, and those in the relationship are mistreating each other, then their interaction is useless because neither party will trust the other. As you can now see, trust and respect are connected — lose one and the other will shortly follow. These principles can and should be applied to our relationship and interaction with our dogs.
The next question is how do we gain our dogs’ trust and respect? The solution is a very simple one — treat them with trust and respect (and love, of course). Luckily for humans, dogs are very much like mirrors — whatever feelings you show them, they will reflect them right back on to you and, usually, at a higher intensity. If you give them a little love, they’ll lick you to death; show them fear and they will give you more reason to be afraid; show a little excitement and they’ll be jumping off the walls; give them trust and respect and they’ll give it back many times over.
To display trust and respect to your dog, you must treat them fairly and you must learn to respect and understand their behavior. You have to be considerate of their world and their perspective of it. If you decide to take care of a dog (or any other animal for that matter) it is your responsibility to learn about and understand that animal’s psychology, means of communication and behavior. Read some books or hire a trainer to educate yourself on dog behavior and why they do what they do. Once you appreciate their viewpoint a little better, it will allow you to be more patient and trusting when they do something you may not like but is totally natural and normal to them — for example marking territory, chewing your couch or shoes, barking, biting, etc. Being more patient with them and not overreacting to their natural, although undesired, behavior is exactly how you will gain their trust.
Gaining a dog’s respect will come from creating structure and discipline in the dog’s life and being consistent about it. Setting limits and boundaries are essential; and maintaining these lines without getting frustrated or angry will be respected by your dog. Dogs need and want a fair but firm leader. If they see that you mean what you say because you are consistent with the rules that you set, they will respect you for it and feel safe and secure in your presence.
So, do yourself and your dog a favor and learn as much as you can about their psychology, communication and behavior. After you gain a better understanding about your best friend then you can treat them with the utmost trust and respect. In turn, your dog will reciprocate to an even greater degree and your relationship and bond will become stronger than ever.
Resources: The Genius of Dogs, Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods
Cesar’s Way, Cesar Millan