Puppy bonding Tips

O

orcaluvur

Forums Regular
Just got my new puppy Snow last Saturday (see pictures under Introducing Snow-in introductions). Was looking for good ways to bond with him. He seems more interested in other people than me, but im not sure if that is because i am the only one being the "boss/alpha" and letting him know when he is chewing on the wrong things.

We are doing clicker training and going for walks-- he is getting better at walks and he follows me most of the time.

Hes not super cuddly-more independent. Sometimes he will come lay by me but if i go over to him and sit or lay by him he will move a little away and lay down.
If i leave the room he follows me so he can see me and lays down. He really enjoys children and going outside. I am the onyl one withhim mostof the day. I give him alone time in his x-pen and lots of playtime outside the pen.

Does anyone out there have some suggestions for things i can do to bond with him?
 
Right now, snow is "bonding" with everybody and everything. He's curious about the world and that's why it seems like he's not interested in you. He already knows who you are ... to a point.

Just keep working with him and he'll make you his personal human.

Bonding is like falling in love. First you meet and then you date a while and then one day, it all clicks. Give it a little time.
 
I hand feed all my puppies at least 1/2 to 100% of their meals for the first 2-3 months. Bowl feeding is such a waste of a resource. The rest I fed in some kind of puzzle toy ie a tug a jug or a kong or nina ottoson. Does 2 things makes food important to them and sets food up as something to be worked for not something earned for free. (at the same time you are the source of this important resource)

If you are clicker training start caring a bait pouch with his food and click him for anything you like even if it is just looking at you. I guarantee you will start looking for you more. :smile2:

Also start teaching him to play with you with a ball or a tug or his toys. Don't won't about the formal stuff, unless he is offering it, yet just have fun being with your pup.
 
Get on the floor with him. Small pups like having you down on their level; it makes you look less imposing. Dickens was an aloof kind of pup, or at least he seemed to prefer canine companionship to the human kind. I'd get on the floor and engage in "rassling," and doing silly things like barking and making funny noises. At times I'd fall backwards, crying "Oh! My heart!" at which he'd always have to investigate to see what was "wrong" with me; I'd end up with a wet dog snout right in my face. And always, of course, there would be treats; usually soft chicken liver treats meant for very small dogs. Eventually he came around, and yours will too!
 
Puppy bonding....
I swear I didn't think Gavin wasn't bonded to me for 2 years :D
I think our definition of bonded needs to be more flexible, cause it really depends on the dog's personality. My boy is pretty independent, and some say he's aloof. But I think of him as calm and perfectly behaved :D And yes, he is bonded to me, but he isn't glued to me. His 'job' isn't what other people think it is, so we misinterpret his behavior. So just remember that your expectations might not be realistic depending on your dog.
Gavin's chosen 'job' is to keep an eye on me and keep me safe, so he's always near me (never on me unless I cuddle with him). He doesn't go crazy to greet other people unless we are in a defined safe area ('cause then he can relax because I'm not going anywhere). Other dogs and food are his main motivators. We had great fun with treats :D When he was a puppy, I would treat him with cheerios on walks (sitting at corners, crossing streets, etc.) and for a while he would chew out the pockets on my coats looking for remnants (I learned) and that was very helpful.
 
My Laddie "bonds" with everyone but me. He will even run to others before coming back to me.

I am reading these answers as well. He is 7 months old, and I am sure due to my lack of proper training, very unruly.

I am sure in time, your sweet "snow" will become the "pal" you are wanting.
 
We teach our puppy classes to massage their dogs - it's a great way to bond.

He will be more interested in children, he's a kid himself. As someone mentioned they do bond with adults more as they get older. But if you want a super cuddly dog, I think it's something you can teach, just like sit, drop or stay. My pets are all uber-cuddly, mostly because I persisted in cuddling them as pups/kittens. Okay so they may have squirmed a little as pups, but now they love human touch.
 
My bonding experience with Layla was very unusual. My DS was home working on her doctorate, so she did all the crate training, feeding, etc. Also, we got Bitsy Boodle just two months after Layla came home, and Bits is her cousin; they became very close. But somehow DS managed to care for Layla without Layla thinking she was Mom -- only Bits bonded to Colleen. Layla somehow "knew" that I was Mom, even though I was only home nights and weekends. She slept in her crate beside my bed, and I took her out for her five-thirty am walk every morning.

She was never a snuggly puppy -- Layla still much prefers being near, but not touching. Still, she's almost always in the same room, and some nights find her curled up next to my head, nestling into Mamma.

Bonding, I have learned, is a lifelong process of love and renewal! :yes:
 
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