Author: Jenny

Trust is one of the most important factors in training your dog succesfully. If you don't have a mutual trust in one another, you will find it very difficult to train you dog. It's just not in a dogs nature to trust everyone it comes across. Years of evolution have taught animals to be wary, to look out for predators or other animals trying to steal their food.

One of the first things to do when training your dog is to gain his trust. For some dogs this might be easy. If the dog has been mistreated in the past then gaining his trust might be a more difficult but not impossible task.

You can use a dogs favorite toy to win over his trust. Typically your dog might growl at you or stop playing if you attempt to take or pick up his toy whilst you are playing together. This is a sign you dog doesn't fully trust you.

A simple exercise to get you dog to trust you involves using his toy. Moving your hand slowly towards the toy, if he stops playing or growls, leave your hand exactly where it is and do not back down. You are trying to show your dog that you are not going to take the toy, but when you are near the dog shold trust that you will not hurt him or take away the things he enjoys.

If the dog goes back to playing with the toy you can remove your hand. If the dog doesn't play but continues to growl, leave your hand in place as long as the dog growls. You are showing the dog you will not back down because of his intimidation.

The dog will eventually stop growling and either go back to playing with the toy or leave the area completely. If the dog goes back to playing with the toy, try this exercise again in a few minutes. If the dog leaves the area, call him back and allow him to play with the toy, uninterputed for a few minutes before trying again.

This exercise helps the dog to understand that simply because your hand is near, does not mean you are going to take the toy away. This builds trust that you will not take away the 'fun' the dog has when you are near.

Try it over a few days and see how your dog reacts. He will eventually trust you and in turn you'll have built a great platform for the rest of his training.

About the author: I'm a dog enthusiast and part time dog trainer. If you're looking for more Dog Training help then check out the e-book http://www.home-dog-training-course.com