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3 Great Ways To Strengthen Your Bond With Your Shetland Sheepdog

| Published on April 7, 2017

Shetland sheepdogs are loyal dogs that develop bonds fairly quickly as long as the humans who share their lives with them treat them well and understand dog body language. If something has happened to cause a Sheltie to be distrustful of humans (or maybe genetically they were born more fearful), then you may have to work a bit harder to get to a place where yours listens to you. This is especially the case if you rescued your Sheltie – it can take some time for them to trust a new human. If you are in that place, here are three great ways to strengthen your bond with your Shetland Sheepdog. Even if you and your Sheltie have a great relationship, these are still good things to do so your bond stays strong!

Image Source: Paul Morris Via Flickr

#1 – Learn Your Shetland Sheepdog’s Language

What better way to improve your relationship and deepen your bond than to understand your Sheltie 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 Sheltie will greatly appreciate.

#2 – Training

Not only does it make them a better housemate, training will also strengthen your bond with your Sheltie. 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. As long as you keep training fun and engaging, it will help you strengthen your bond. If you are dealing with a fearful Sheltie, keep the training short and easy at first. Don’t try to get a ten minute down stay. Ask for easy behaviors such as a sit or (for some dogs) a nose touch. Pay attention to their body language and stop or modify the training if you see signs of stress.

#3 – Play

Play is an easy and fun way to bond with your Sheltie. 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.

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