How to bond with your dog: 12 vet-approved methods

Updated 15th September 2025

Want to learn how to bond with your dog? Look no further than this vet-approved guide that’ll help you build a better connection with your canine companion. Find 12 tips to strengthen your bond below.

How to bond with your dog: 12 vet-approved ideas

• Build a routine. A consistent, daily routine helps dogs to feel safe and trust those around them.
• Prioritise training. Training your dog is a bonding experience in itself, and ties in with your dog’s daily routine.
• Exercise together. Walk, run or swim with your dog to strengthen your bond and have fun in nature.
• Play regularly. Play with your dog daily to give your dog positive experiences with you.
• Give affection. Allow plenty of time for cuddles and affection with your dog, and know when your dog has had enough.
• Dedicate quality time. Spend time getting to know your dog through walks, games of fetch or training blocks.
• Give your dog some space. Build trust with your dog by respecting their boundaries, and giving them time alone when they retreat to their bed or crate.
• Respond to body language. Get to know your dog’s cues for happiness, tiredness and when it’s clear they need a break.
• Teach your dog tricks. Teaching your dog a trick or two can strengthen your bond and build their confidence.
• Prioritise grooming and massage. Pamper your dog with a scratch behind the ear, a tummy tickle or even by brushing their fur.
• Consider agility training your dog. Agility training can be a hobby for both dogs and owners to enjoy, and it’s a great way to build trust and boost your dog’s confidence.
• Try hand feeding your dog. Hand feeding your dog a treat or a small part of their meal can help to strengthen your bond.

1. Build a routine 

Love it or hate it, routine is seriously healthy for our furry friends. Dogs are at their happiest when they know what’s expected of them (we’ll get onto consistency below), so building a routine is paramount to a happy pooch.

Repeated actions and tasks in their daily routine help your pup to feel safe, and build trust with those around them. 

So, if you want to know how to bond with your dog, start with building a routine that makes them feel secure.

Think about sticking to a consistent time for walkies, exercise, training, and feeding - keeping it all regular and similar helps your pup to know where they stand, and what’s expected of them.

2. Training and consistency

If you’re wondering how to build trust with your dog, one sure way is to train your pooch up from the moment they’re in your care. 

Picking a training routine with positive reinforcement throughout will help your new doggo grow into a happy, confident adult dog. Plus, if you’re their trainer, the sessions themselves help the two of you to bond, and the consistency will help to build trust.

3. Exercise together

If you’re unsure how to connect with your dog in a way that fits into your routine, one way to strengthen that wonderful human-canine bond is to exercise together. Whether you walk, run, or swim, exercise is one way to spend quality time with one another - those positive endorphins will be flying between you!

4. Play 

One of the most important parts of bonding with a puppy or new adult dog you’ve welcomed home is play. Amongst all the training and new routine, play is integral to not only the bond between dogs and humans, but your pup’s happiness and in turn, their behavior. 

A study by Bristol University found that playtime has a key role in the behavior of dogs. In fact, those who don’t get enough could suffer from anxiety and develop aggressive tendencies.

So, whether it’s playing fetch, ‘find it’, or hide and seek, playtime sure is key to a happy dog (and human).

5. Affection with purpose

If you’re wondering how to make your dog love you, show your doggo you love them first - they’ll appreciate physical affection (in small doses). Along with mindful cuddles (that means more than the odd stroke as you pass by), our furry friends also appreciate eye contact. 

That’s right - gazing into your eyes can make your pooch feel great and strengthen the bond between the two of you. In fact for dogs, holding eye contact with their favorite humans causes dogs to release 130% more oxytocin (i.e. the love hormone) than when looking at something else, research shows.

6. Dedicated quality time

Just like us humans, it’s safe to say that our furry friends need quality time with their humans. So, if you’re wondering how to bond with your dog, spend time with them - it’s priceless, and it only helps the two of you become closer.

7. Allow for space

While it might seem counterintuitive when you’re looking for how to bond with your dog, we can’t stress how important it is to give them the space they need.

Allowing your pooch a safe space to recharge after a busy day or time spent with lots of other dogs builds trust and helps them feel comfortable and safe in your home.

8. Respond to body language

While you might have the best intentions with your pooch, sometimes they might simply need some time out. And as our furry friends can’t speak, it’s really important for the humans around them to read their body language.

To build a stronger bond and trust between the two of you, get to know your dog’s emotions and how they’re displayed. That way, your pup doesn’t feel you’re invading their space, and trusts that you respect their boundaries.

9. Teach tricks

There is nothing quite like helping your pup master a few tricks. Whether it’s dance, roll over or speak, teaching tricks to your pup will build a strong bond as your doggo will be eager to please and get reward no-end when they achieve in front of you.

10. Grooming and massage

One way to show love to your pooch and build that life-long bond is through massage and grooming. Spending time on pamper sessions will be greatly appreciated by your pup - whether it’s a dog massage or a coat tidy up they prefer.

11. Agility

If you’re after bonding activities to do with your dog, why not take up the hobby of agility training? Yup - it’s just as much learning (and reward) for us humans as it is our dogs. 

12. Hand feeding

If you’re wondering how to bond with your puppy and how to gain your dog’s trust, one great way is to hand feed your pooch every now and then. We’re not suggesting you sit there for every meal, but handing treats and part of a meal helps your pup to know the trust is reciprocated.

Meet our veterinary expert, Emma

This article has been checked by veterinarian Emma Chandley, BVetMed MRCVS PGCertSAS. Emma graduated from the Royal Vet College in London in 2011. She has a keen interest in surgery and went on to do a postgraduate certificate in small animal surgery and was then awarded advanced practitioner status in the same discipline.

Useful resources

• How to train a rescue dog: settling in & house training
• Puppy training for beginners: how to train a puppy
• How to house train an adult dog: bathroom training dogs
• Why do dogs get so excited when you come home?