Submitted by pull-up-capy t3_1282vd2 in AskReddit
Comments
ApertaPrincipium t1_jegxz1f wrote
Treat them well, read their body language, respond accordingly, and train them properly.
Badilol t1_jegy4d7 wrote
Love them
RetroactiveRecursion t1_jegy5iy wrote
Just be kind.
CR318 t1_jegybbe wrote
Don't be a ass and don't force it.
Hang-Fire-2468 t1_jegyda6 wrote
If the dog is starting off scared: stay low to the ground. Pat your hand when approaching. (they interpret it as your tail wagging.) Don't stare into their eyes. Don't show your teeth. Give them food.
If the dog is just not into you: Give them food and play with them. Get them to associate food with some sort of action, like petting. Eventually, they will treat the action the same as food.
warmachineries t1_jegz4lw wrote
Simple, tell them they are a good boi and high five them
oblongdon t1_jegz8f9 wrote
Have feelings.
If you don’t healthy express your feelings. Gtfo
SVZ0zAflBhUXXyKrF5AV t1_jeh3x8b wrote
Don't try to force it to happen and don't resort to bribing with treats and food all the time. Bits of food can be used in the right circumstances. Treat them like a dog, not as a human. Be mindful of your personality, attitude and your body language. Be especially mindful of their personal space.
Animals can read people like a book. They do it all the time, even when we may not realise we are communicating anything. We have to be mindful to not accidentally communicate the wrong thing.
Be consistent. Try and learn the basics of how dogs think and act, what makes them tick.
I think it is really important that we learn to listen to animals. They do talk to us in their own way through their body language and sounds. It's up to us to learn to listen and understand.
Just imagine if you and I just met and you are tired and have had a rough day. Now imagine if I totally ignored everything you tried to say or do and ignored your personal space and got right up in your face. You'd hate it and resent me.
Animals really appreciate calm, quiet, relaxed, aware and assertive leaders. By assertive I don't mean a bossy iron fisted tyrant. Any weak or vulnerable animals in the group will really appreciate such a leader who can look out for them. Depending on the animal they may even run and hide behind you if they are frightened.
Edit:
I imagine I don't need to say this, but either way I just wanted to make this crystal clear about the word assertive:
Being a calm and assertive leader is radically different from an angry person taking their temper out on someone who hasn't got a clue what's going on.
Do not get angry and do not take your temper or frustrations out on animals if you're having a bad day. All it teaches them is to fear you. They're not punchbags for relieving stress.
Trying to get to know animals who have learned to fear humans is difficult and tragic. It is very rewarding when they finally realise that you're a good person that they do not have to constantly fear, that they can be your friend.
vinsolo2000 t1_jegy0w8 wrote
Pet them