That may be a weird question to ask, but we found out the hard way that if you don’t intentionally create the relationship you want with your dog, you won’t get it. You may get a great pet. But you may not get the companion you envisioned.
She Chose Her Own Person (And It Wasn't Hope)
Back in the day, Hope desperately wanted a Boston Terrier puppy. She did everything right (see our guide to Finding The Right Puppy For You), but things fell apart. She was in contact with reputable breeders and waited while they carefully planned their next litters. The first one? Didn’t take—no puppies. The second one? Just one puppy, which the breeder kept.
Hope was young and determined. To let you know how long ago this was, she eventually contacted a backyard breeder who advertised Boston puppies in the Chicago Tribune’s classified ads. Real newsprint, real landline. Those were the days!
Anyway, to make an excruciatingly silly story short, she picked Ceilidh up at just five weeks old. We told you it was a bad decision! She brought the adorable baby home and named her “Sugar Sweet Party Attitude” with the call name Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee).
Ceilidh was a special girl with two speeds: full-tilt and off. And she decided early on that Fran was her person. So we got the “people dog” part right—just the wrong person.
Try, Try Again
We did better for the next puppy to come home. Fran was all set with Golly and Ceilidh, but Hope still wanted a dog of her own. We learned our lesson.
Hope went alone to Kentucky to pick up Roc, her Brussels Griffon boy. She spent two days of the trip carrying him around in a sling. When they got home, Fran wasn’t allowed to pet him, talk to him, feed him, or pick him up for a week. Maybe it was two. It was a long time ago!
It worked. Roc became Hope’s first competition Obedience and Rally dog. They were a true team, and it was a great feeling. Highly recommend.
Fast Forward To Now
A dear friend of ours has a six-month-old puppy who is seeing a different issue. Her puppy is a total "dog's dog." She doesn’t care much about people—not even her mom. That’s a problem, since our friend has plans to play in agility and rally with her.
It also makes a bit of sense. Our friend has two older dogs, and her primary focus when bringing the puppy home was making sure all three dogs got along and that the older two felt included and special. It worked wonderfully well from that perspective.
Unfortunately, the result has been the puppy’s complete reliance on other dogs for fun. She doesn’t seek out people and complains bitterly when no other dogs are around. It’s going to take some intense one-on-one time to change her attitude. It can be done, but our friend is starting from a deficit.
Best For Building The Bond
Our friend knows that one of the best ways to start forging that new partnership is playing focused training games—just her and her puppy. Her older dogs may not appreciate being temporarily excluded, but each will get their own dedicated time, too.
All relationships take effort. If you don’t have the kind of bond with your dog that you’d like, you can change it—even if your dog is currently a dog's dog. Transforming them into a people dog (and specifically your dog) is worth every minute.