#4 Help your dog learn to trust you
Studies have shown that dogs develop attachment patterns to their primary caregivers similar to those experienced by preverbal children. It is critical that your dog’s attachment to you be a secure one. Dogs who have secure attachments to their people are far less likely to display problem behaviours rooted in anxiety than their less secure counterparts. You can secure your dog’s attachment to you by responding consistently to his needs and never making him feel that he has to earn your love or caring. If he asks for your attention or affection, give it to him. Give him treats as “I love you and will always care for you” gifts rather than as rewards for his compliance to your directives.
#5 Stop training your dog
Current approaches to training dogs, including positive reinforcement, promote a sense of conditional affection—I love you if you do as I say, or I will feed you when you please me. This is something that can badly damage your dog’s trust in you and in himself, creating a vicious cycle. Damaged trust results in increased anxiety that increases the likelihood of problem behaviours. These problem behaviours may be linked to a desire to secure your connection or caregiving (think mouthing, jumping, and submissive urination), a need to exert greater control over his environment (such as reactivity or stalling on leash), or an effort to cope with stress (such as paper shredding, compulsive chewing or excessive barking). With most training methods, the suggested solutions to these problem behaviours involve increasing your control over your dog, thus starting the cycle again.
#3: Change your mindset right now
If you want to fix a broken relationship with your dog, start seeing things from a different point of view.
Specifically from a loving and understanding one.
This will also help you control your temper. Because by doing this, you’ll be focused on helping your dog to correct their behavior. Instead of punishing them.
Remember, dogs don’t know if they’re being bad or not. So they’ll never understand it no matter how much you scold or beat them.
How to repair relationship with dog
We won’t ask the reason why you hit your dog. It may have been accidental or out of pure frustration after your dog was misbehaving. Whatever the reason, hitting is hitting and you may need to take steps to rebuild your dog’s trust.
Dogs are generally forgiving and may still trust you after you hit them, especially if this was an isolated incident. That said, dogs also build up a strong association with pain and fear so you may need to take steps (and be patient throughout the process) to show your dog that you aren’t someone to be scared of. Here are some tips that may help you regain your dog’s trust.