Easy ways to BOOST your Dog’s Confidence
A confident dog is much more likely to be happier and more comfortable in their environment. Here are some easy ways to boost your dog’s confidence!
1. Give Your Dog Choice
We control so much of our dog’s lives. We decide when and where they walk, when and where they eat, what they eat, where they sleep, and so much more. So a really easy way to boost your dog’s confidence is to give them some choice over these things (Haug, 2008)!
Why not let them lead the way on a walk? Or let them choose which treat they want to eat?
2. Set Your Dog Up for Success
So often we focus on the end goal for our dogs. We want them to walk nicely on the lead or we want them to come back to use every time we call them. However, this is putting a lot of pressure on both us and our dogs!
It is so much better to split these large goals into smaller steps (Gutteridge, 2019). Instead of getting your dog to come every time you call, start by practicing getting them to come to you in the garden. Split your big goal into manageable chunks so you and your dog can succeed!
3. Puzzle Games
Puzzle games are a great way boost your dog’s confidence (Bender and Strong, 2019). They get your dog thinking and give them a sense of fulfilment. It’s also great for mental stimulation.
Some easy ideas for puzzle games are hiding treats in cardboard boxes, scattering treats around your garden or playing hid and seek!
4. Let Your Dog Win
Don’t be afraid to let your dog win games when you are playing with them. Dominance based methods claimed that you should never let your dog win or they will want to be the ‘alpha’. However, this is not true and has no scientific backing (Rooney and Bradshaw, 2003). Letting your dog win will increase their confidence and they will have more fun than if you win all the time!
5. Teach Your Dog Some Tricks
Teaching your dog tricks is a really fun way to boost your dog’s confidence. There is so much you can teach your dog, from simple paw to harder tricks. You can always look at Youtube videos if you need some inspiration! It will also help build your relationship with your dog.
References
Bender, A. and Strong, E. 2019. Canine Enrichment for the Real World. Dogwise Publishing.
Gutteridge, S. 2019. Canine Communication: The Language of a Species.
Haug, L.I. 2008. ‘Canine aggression towards unfamiliar people and dogs’. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 38(5): 1023-1041.
Rooney, N.J. and Bradshaw, J.W. 2003. ‘Links between play and dominance and attachment dimensions of dog-human relationships’. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 6(2): 67-94.
