Bonding with a 6-7 month old dog

[disciple315]

I have been very close to my dog since we got him, but due to work pressure, my partner had a few weeks where she was sat with him most of the time.

Now I noticed he is quite distant from me, doesn’t want to be pet by me, maybe just play, what kind of things can I do to earn back that bond with my dog?

I was thinking about hand feeding, but not sure if it is strange to suddenly hand feed after not doing it for months, likewise I don’t know how my partner should behave to help me get more of a bond towards him (I live alone, she has just been live in for a few weeks as a favour).

I’m now getting more free time after work to spend with him, so would like to give him some nice experiences. He isn’t really big on walking, and often sits down to take rests before only wanting to walk in the direction of home. Would love to encourage him more to stay outside and enjoy for me than 10 minutes at a time.

 

[tkolter]

@disciple315 You mentioned he isn't big on walks but does he like games like tug, chase or hide and seek? My dogs love those activities and I find them great for bonding. Also I can't see anything wrong with going back to hand feeding.

 

[disciple315]

@tkolter He loves to grab and tug on things, he loves to fetch indoors (outdoors he is too distracted, doesn’t care for toys).

I fed him a bit by hand earlier, he is being quite difficult with his food lately. Came home to find the breakfast bowl full again, so I fed him by hand after a play session half of what was in the bowl (wet food mixed with kibble). He will take treats any day though..

Not sure how it is with “teenage” dogs, but his attitude and behaviour has changed so much since I had him at 8 weeks. I used to be his favourite person, now it’s my partner and he is super independent with no love for being pet

 

[brayandrea15]

@disciple315 In my experience, training has been the #1 way for me to bond with my dogs quickly. That hasn't really been the goal, but I notice it every time we work on something new.

It doesn't have to be intensive! Even just working on silly tricks will do. You can hand-feed your dog treats as reinforcement. Seriously, give it a try! You and your dog will feel great. I know you want something that lasts longer than 10 minutes, but short bursts are the best way to train, and training is probably the best way to bond. If for some reason it does not improve your bond, at least your dog will know some cool new tricks.

 

[disciple315]

@brayandrea15 Haha thank you, I actually taught him everything he knows so far, which is why it stings that he doesn’t even want to be pet by dad anymore

He can sit, stay, go to bed, hop up/down from something, and boop your hand with his nose on command (should you be able to get his eye contact.. hard to get that reliably unless you’re the only person in the house).

I’m looking up some dog courses for those > 6 months, seeing if I can apply to one (though will be tough to do it in my second language)

 

[brayandrea15]

@disciple315 Ahh, I see. I also ran out of tricks to teach my dog. If you're up for it, this might be fun to try in the meantime:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dogs-imitate-humans/

Good luck!

 

[verkas]

@disciple315 Training & quality time time together is a great way to bond. If he really is not big on walking, there are definitely other outings you can go on with him. Dog friendly stores, a beach or campsite if there’s one nearby, I mean my girl gets so happy to just ride around in the car with me. Now I know everyone has different opinions on this, but: if he sleeps in a crate, having that crate in your bedroom is a great way to solidify that you are a pair, even more so if he sleeps in the bed with you (though these things are all depending on your personal boundaries & future expectations).

Don’t be too discouraged, though- at 6 months your puppy is probably starting to enter that “teenage” phase. Lots of puppies are less interested in their owners & more aloof than usual during this time, and it’s completely normal! They also tend to act like they’ve forgotten a lot of training, so it’s a wonderful time to continue working on training together.

 

[disciple315]

@verkas I really appreciate the response, I actually took him on a rather big outing today with a long walk in a park, stopped for some coffee at a cafe and took him to the groomers. Hand fed him some puppy moose and gave him a good massage behind the ears.

However on the couch he cuddles up to my girlfriend and completely ignores me, I’ve actually moved to my bedroom now as I type this as he has been proving his preference towards her all day and my heart just got too close to breaking for one day

I called a local dog school today and I’m planning to go to do some dog classes with him next month hopefully, but given I’m his owner and wanted him over 3 years, it hurts haha