Living with a Dog: How to Improve Your Relationship

If you’re living with a dog, you probably go out of your way to make life together as pleasant as possible. You want to be the best “mommy or daddy” in the world, but sometimes this just isn’t enough. Despite your best efforts, things just don’t seem to work as well as they should.

Communication between humans and animals isn’t always easy, which can make living together difficult. You might even feel like your dog doesn’t listen to you anymore, or find that things that never bothered you before suddenly start to annoy you. Don’t worry. There’s a solution to every problem. And this is no exception.

Living with a dog: how to make it work

If you want to make sure both you and your dog are as happy as possible, you need to take a look at the following advice. But remember, as with everything, it will take time, patience and love.

Forget technology

Nowadays, in an age where our lives are pretty much ruled by technology, we often lose ourselves in our phones, TV, tablets and laptops, sometimes without even realizing it.

Think about it. If you had owned a dog back before all this technology existed, what would you do when you got home from work? Wouldn’t you want to spend some quality time with your beloved dog?

And what do you do? Do you give them enough attention? Play with them? Make a fuss of them? If the answer is no, it’s definitely time to change that.

It doesn’t matter what kind of pet you have. They depend on us, in every sense of the word. This includes emotionally. So, you need to make sure you set aside some time for your four-legged friend every day.

You don’t necessarily have to do anything special. You could simply talk to them and stroke them for a while, or play with them around the house.

It doesn’t really matter what you do. But make some time for your pet.

Keep an eye on their health

Don’t wait until something happens to register with a vet. As soon as you adopt a pet, you should look for a trusted veterinarian who you can go to whenever you need to. They’ll be able to advise you on things such as food, which is important for giving your dog a complete, balanced diet, and helping your pet to maintain an ideal weight.

Registering at a vet from the beginning also means you’ll be able to go straight to them in an emergency, and you won’t have to waste time looking for a reputable vet.

Let your dog interact with others

Many animals naturally live in packs, and dogs especially. If you have a dog, it’s important to let it play with other dogs and interact with other people.

Many owners worry about letting their pet go up to other dogs in the park, for fear that they might get into a fight. This isn’t beneficial for your dog. Quite the opposite in fact. As pack animals, they need to socialize with others.

Living with a dog: don’t isolate them

Many people seem to think that animals are simply things to be kept in the garden or out on the balcony. If this is you, it’s probably best not to adopt a dog at all. Pets are made to live with us in the house, to sleep at our feet and sit at our side.

You might be worried about things such as hygiene, but if you keep your dog clean and healthy, you shouldn’t have any issues. You can’t deny it the opportunity to interact with other people.

As we’ve already mentioned, socialization is essential for pack animals like dogs. Not to mention, leaving your dog outside in bad weather can have a negative impact on its health.

Forget what the people say

You might find that friends or colleagues don’t really understand your relationship with your dog. They might even make sarcastic or tactless comments… But who cares?

You know that it’s worth taking the time to improve your relationship and strengthen your bond with your dog. And what’s more, you know your dog is worth it. Not everyone understands – and will probably never understand – how special it is to live with an animal you love, and who loves you right back.

Defend your relationship with your dog, and forget any negative comments. Make a little effort every day, and you’ll soon find living with your dog is easy.