Dobermans are an intelligent and sensitive breed. They are very attached to their families and because of this, you may think you don’t need to work on your bond with yours at all. However, your bond is about more than whether or not your Dobie is lonely when you leave the house or greets you with kisses when you return. A strong bond means your dog will listen to you when you ask him to do something. This takes time to develop and can be frustrating if your Doberman seems uninterested in listening to you. If you are having trouble, try the following three ways to strengthen your bond with your Doberman.
#1 – Learn Your Doberman’s Language
What better way to improve your relationship and deepen your bond than to understand your Doberman better? In order to do that, you need to learn how they communicate through body language. Dr. Sophia Yin’s website has a host of free body language posters that can help you learn to speak “dog,” which your Doberman will greatly appreciate.
#2 – Training
Not only does it make them a better housemate, training will strengthen your bond with your Doberman. When you and your dog train together, you are learning to communicate with each other and that goes a long way to great a lasting bond. The key here to make sure your dog is enjoying the training, it should be fun and engaging. The point is to make your dog want to work with you. If they aren’t enjoying it, it can do the opposite and damage your bond.
#3 – Play
Play is an easy and fun way to bond with your Doberman. Any game she enjoys is fine, just as long as you’re doing it together! Agility trainers encourage play with their students because they have found it creates dogs that listen better and work harder for their owners.
