I wondered if anyone could explain why my 20-month Golden Retriever prefers my husband to me!
I walk him, feed him, groom him and generally take care of him, and spend most days with him.
Yet when my husband’s not at work, he follows him around, wants to be in the same room as him, lies at his feet, and comes back for him.
What do you think I'm doing wrong?
Wendy, by email
You're doing nothing wrong! But you're there all day, your husband isn't, and so he's 'different'. It's the same in my house, and when I recently went away for the day, I was the flavour of the month the next day, as "daddy" had been home all day with them!
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could start by shutting him away from you, behind a baby/dog gate for a while every day. You won't be so accessible to him, and when you do release him you could then have a really good and exciting game, but put any toys away before your dog gets fed up with the game. Any treats that you give, should be really tasty - perhaps home made liver, or pilchard cake, and short training exercises with lots of food/play and vocal rewards can all help with the bonding process.
ReplyDeleteSometimes though dog's just seem to 'gel' better with some people than other's, and this should not be a reflection on yourself. This is no different than you perhaps preferring the company of one friend over another.
Finally don't try so hard, be quite offhand during the day, but then break this up with fun times.