How To Get Your Dog To Trust You

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Building trust with your dog is one of the most important parts of owning a dog in the first place - if your dog doesn’t trust you, how are you going to train them, take them for walks, trust them in your home, and so on? How are you going to enjoy them and give them a good life, in other words? 

Photo by Sean Brannon

The question is, of course, how can you earn a dog’s trust because although you might assume they’ll just give it to you, there is some work involved. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to get your dog to trust you so you can start the right way with yours. Read on to find out more. 

Be Consistent 

If there’s one thing you need to know about dogs it’s that they thrive on routine and predictability (just like humans!), so being consistent is a big part of earning their trust. That means feeding them, walking them, and playing with them at the same time (as close as possible anyway) every day - and they’ll learn that time as well, so if you’re not there with their food or leash, they’ll know it, and they might even start to trust you a little less. 

If you’re able to stick to your routine with your dog, they’ll know you’re reliable and that you’ll be there when they expect you to be, and that’s going to make a massive amount of difference to how much they want to be around you and how well they behave. 

Give Them Time And Space

If you’ve just got your new dog, it’s absolutely vital to give them time to adjust to their new home - it’s going to be strange for them to suddenly be somewhere new with new people, and you can’t just explain it to them, so they’ll need some time to get used to things before they can really feel settled and start working on trusting you. 

The key is not to expect too much to start with. Although some dogs, especially puppies, might warm up right away, some are going to take more time, and you’ll need to respect that and not force any interactions with them, or they’re not going to trust you. They need to learn their way around and understand that you’re not going to hurt them, and only then will they want you to come near. Work with the dog’s timeframe and trust will come; rush it, and you might not be trusted at all. 

Use Positive Reinforcement 

One of the best ways to build trust with your dog is through positive reinforcement, which basically means using praise, treats, and affection when they do something right - they’ll get a positive association with you and they’ll feel good about interacting with you because they know you’ll be kind to them. 

So, every time your dog does something you like (it could be anything, like staying calm, following a command, and so on), give them a nice reward. And always avoid punishment! Trust can easily be broken if your dog has negative associations with you instead of positive ones, and trying to get it back could be an impossible task. 

How To Keep Your Kids Entertained During Vacation

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When the kids are no longer in school, whether it be homeschooled or not, vacation can be a challenging and testing time for all parents.

What do you do with them on the days when you have nothing planned? How can you keep them entertained? The energy of a young child or even that of a teenager is much larger than what we adults have, so it’s important to find things to keep their minds and bodies active all day.

With that being said, here are some helpful tips to keep your kids entertained during vacation.

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Take them on a nature walk

A nature walk is a great way to keep your kids entertained and it’s something that can be highly educational for them too.

That’s why it’s a good opportunity to get them outside and into some fresh air, away from any electronics that they’d otherwise have their face in front of all day.

Consider the weather conditions and whether it’s dry or wet, and dress for the occasion. It’s often a great adventure whatever the weather and you might find more wildlife in some weather conditions than others.

Explore what’s around you, whether it’s as close as the backyard or a short car journey away. A nature walk is a great day out and you could make a day of it by prepping some food for a picnic or snack along the way.

Have a DIY craft day

A DIY craft day is a great way to get your children’s creativity flowing and creativity is something your kids will want to have as they get older and explore various routes for careers and just life in general.

Everyone should have a creative streak and that comes from doing creative things as a child. DIY is also helpful to have as a skill because it can evolve into something more prominent and helpful when you need to be handy around the home or in general life.

Have a DIY craft day and invest in an arts and crafts box so your kids can get out the paints and other craft stuff when you’re busy with other things. It’s a good activity that can keep them busy and not necessarily need your full attention all the time.

Learn some skills around the home

There are various skills around the home that they could watch and learn from you. For example, having them help with the food whether it’s baking or cooking, can be a great life lesson for a child. Not only is it helpful to have an additional helper in the kitchen but it’s likely to improve their relationship with food in general.

Make a list of skills that are helpful to have as an adult and try to introduce these in kid-friendly ways when they’re on their school vacation. It’s going to help them adapt as they grow and become - hopefully - well-rounded adults.

Go on vacation to somewhere new

Vacationing is a great way to help inspire your children and to also expose them to all different cultures and ways of living. The world is a diverse and interesting place, but in order to discover all of it, it’s good to go beyond your local area.

Consider what types of vacations you’d like to go on as a family and aim to do a vacation every year if possible. Not everyone has that luxury so you might need to save longer before you get the chance to do it.

Have a movie marathon

A movie marathon is a great way to enjoy some quality time with your kids - without needing to do much. It’s ideal for the days when it’s raining outside and you don’t fancy doing much in the way of activities for the kids.

It’s worth getting a VPN so you get access to all of the best films and television shows, for example, it can be handy when you’re looking at where to watch Harry Potter.

Get help with the chores

Finally, look to get some help with the chores. If your kids are bored and looking to do something with their free time, getting help with the chores is always something that can come in handy.

Keeping your children entertained during vacation time can be hard but it’s definitely something that can be achieved with the right amount of planning and preparation. These tips will surely get you started on keeping them entertained, no matter how long you have off with them.