Having to choose between your girlfriend and your dog is a nightmare. It may sound outrageous, but findings show that dog owners often have to put an end to their relationships because of their dogs.
Imagine if your dog hates your girlfriend or if your girlfriend asks you to choose between her and him – you will be in a dilemma, and the selection won’t be as easy as we may like to think. So, if you want to save your relationship with your dog as well as your girlfriend, continue reading.
In this blog, we are going to discuss how you can make your dog get along with your girlfriend.
So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
How to Make Your Dog Get Along With Your Girlfriend?
Facilitating a calm relationship between your pooch and your girlfriend should not be an arduous task if you execute it in a well-planned way. For this, you need to divide your struggle into three distinct phases:
Before the introduction, a phase that entails all necessary preparations; the introduction, a phase in which you let your dog and your girlfriend come across each other physically; and after the introduction, the last stage, in which you monitor if everything is going as per the plan.
Pre-Introduction
Use Your Girlfriend’s Scent
Dogs are known for their extraordinary olfactory memory. By knowing how your girlfriend smells in advance, you can feed significant data into his brain. You can introduce your dog to your girlfriend’s smell by taking a piece of her cloth (a sock would work fine) and rubbing it on your dog’s toys and bed or letting him play with it.
Let your doggo sniff it and write it down in his memory. To go the extra mile, say her name while your pooch sniffs – this will help him associate the sound with the particular smell. You can also rub your dog’s toys onto your girlfriend’s clothes to transfer your pooch’s scent.
This way, your girlfriend would smell a little less foreign to your four-legged buddy.
Talk About Your Dog’s Insecurities
Like human beings, dogs have insecurities, too – some become aggressive while others get scared. As a responsible dog owner, you must be cognizant of your pooch’s insecurities. You should tell your dog’s insecurities to your girlfriend so that she might not cause any discomfort to your dog.
For instance, if your dog feels anxious to be petted until he is fully relaxed, let your girlfriend know that. If she goes close to him when he is not in the mood, her actions can disrupt the budding bonhomie between the two.
Introduction
Start With Outdoor Intro
Dogs tend to act territorial in the home. Therefore, it is in your best interest to hold the first meetings between your dog and your girlfriend somewhere outside. As your dog would have already ‘memorized’ the scent of your significant other, he must be able to recognize her. This way, the chances of any sort of aggression or anxiety can be brought to naught.
Repeat such brief intros multiple times until you feel confident that your dog will not misbehave with your lovemate when she gets home.
Take Your Girlfriend Home
If everything goes well, invite your girlfriend to visit your home. Your dog should let her enter and spend time with you, showing little or no resistance. But here is the trick – do not let your girlfriend approach the dog first – keep her from doing that until your pooch himself takes the lead.
She should sit in an approachable place near or inside your dog’s territory, but there should be no direct eye contact. The message should be clear: I am not seeking your attention! The key to this trick is that some dogs become more curious when someone ignores them. Eventually, your dog should approach her and sniff. However, if he fails to do so, accompany your girlfriend to him and make him sniff her.
Let Your Girlfriend Be the Trainer
When your dog begins showing no signs of discomfort with your girlfriend nearing your or his territory, it is time to get some extra work done. Gradually, start sharing your pet-owner jobs with her and
Start with training sessions. Get your girlfriend to offer delicious treats to your dog. Besides forming a close bond, such activities will also make your pooch accept her as a new owner or perhaps even a pack leader. Start with simple coaching, but move to tough ones such as discipline training.
If your doggo seems to be really into your partner, he will be obedient, and even the toughest training sessions will not be a big job.
Post-Introduction
Keep an Eye on Your Dog
Sometimes, despite everything looking easy and simple, dogs might not be very accepting of the new person in the home. Eventually, they might become stressed and show behavioral problems.
Being an adept owner, you must constantly check for such issues. If your dog manifests signs like excessive chewing, territory marking or ignoring you or your partner, know that the introduction was not that good, and you need to rethink your strategy.
Keep in Touch With Your Girlfriend
Remember, a good introduction does not mean that all issues are resolved. You need to be cognizant of the affairs in your home constantly. Keep talking to your girlfriend about how she feels about your dog, whether he has done something bad, and so on.
But you need to look at the other side of the coin, too: be sure that your girlfriend is not being abusive to your pet. If she does so, it will not only rupture the relationship but get your pet depressed also. Note that abuse can take many forms, from physical punishment to shouting to throwing things at dogs.
Some Useful Tips
While you are on the mission of making your dog get along with your girlfriend, do not forget to strictly follow some key principles.
Be Realistic
Some people like dogs while others do not. You do not have to force your choice on someone else. Let us face it: if your girlfriend is not a dog person, do not expect her to respond positively to your dog’s courteous behavior. But you do not need to be disheartened and do your best to forge a good relationship between the two.
Take Your Time
Dogs do not develop a certain behavior instantly – you need to constantly push for it. When your dog shows that he is beginning to like your girlfriend, praise him and offer him treats. But never be aggressive with him if he does not.
Never Disturb Your Dog’s Schedule
Dogs are beings of habits – having an irregular routine in their lives does not culminate into something good. Though it does not fit all dogs, they might feel bad and start being irritated if they get their schedules disturbed. When trying to make your dog get along with your girlfriend, make sure that it does not end up causing routine troubles.
Final Words: How to Make Your Dog Get Along With Your Girlfriend?
Do it in three well-planned stages: One, plan and prepare; two, introduce your lady to your dog; and three, monitor the relationship between the two. Prepare your dog and your girlfriend for the introduction well, use helpful tricks to garner your pooch’s trust, and, finally, keep an eye to ensure everything goes smoothly. But do not expect much, give the processes due time, and do not disturb your dog’s routine.
Good luck!
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