How to become your dog's favourite person

What can you do to become your dog's favourite person? Karin Blom, a behaviour advisor for dog owners at Agria Vårdguide, believes you should invest in becoming an important resource in the dog's life in order to succeed in your relationship.

3 Tips on what you can do to become your dog's favourite

Play! Any game the dog likes works wonders.
Be the initiator of activity. Don't wait for the dog to ask for attention
Show that you take responsibility and are safe in situations where the dog experiences discomfort. Then the dog learns to trust you.

It's not so strange that dogs have favourites in the family. Just like humans, they prefer to spend time with people who make them feel good.

"You can actually draw parallels with how we humans work. After all, we resort to people we think are good for ourselves, and in general the same applies to dogs" says Karin Blom, who is a behaviour advisor for dog owners at Agria Vårdguide.

But Karin also has experience that there are certain people who have such a personality that, in combination with the dog's personality, always draws the shortest straw when the dog has a choice.

"Find out the dog's personality and what it thinks is important in life. Some people don't like to be out walking in the cold and wet, others love it. Some want to play with toys, others work on search or play hunting games, while others are completely uninterested. Ask yourself what your dog likes", urges Karin Blom.

Offer the dog quality time

By offering your dog more time based on what the dog perceives as quality time, the relationship can take shape. Dog and human need to find a common zone that can be just theirs. In a family, the dog can have different favourites and chooses people depending on what it wants most at the moment. At mealtimes, it can be the father, the children when the dog wants to play or the safe embrace of the mother if it gets scared.

Think about what role you want to play in your dog's life

"The time we have invested in the dog can be counted as fresh produce. If we stop being a great resource for the dog, for example if you travel away or start working more, it may happen that the dog looks for a new best friend. All friendships are perishable," notes Karin Blom.