[Cindykb]

Hi,

I have three dogs. Two 4 year old terriers that are totall bonded with me more than my mum and brother, and a ten month old puppy.

I train, walk, play with, feed, groom, etc all the dogs myself. Sometimes I go to bed earlier so my mum puts him in his crate but that's all. When I go upstairs, she tells me that he will sit on the cushion on the other end of her couch.

The puppy is a show dog that I prepare and handle myself. I take him for walks separate from the other two dogs.

My problem is that I am not sure if the puppy is bonding to my mum more than me? We got him at almost six months old.

Am I just being paranoid? Is it just too early?

I think that I am used to unquestionable devotion from the terriers so I'm not sure how to deal with this puppy, who isn't a lap dog but will sit/lay by your chair.

This is really troubling me as he is meant to be my dog, it was my research and asking for a whole year that got him, and my name is on his contract.

Do you think that he will just grow to be more attached to me ?

Thank you.

[Irish_rebal]

Well if you talk to dogs a lot in a smooth sweet tone while stroking them slowly this is a great way to show your dog that you want to communicate with him or her. They will start to show more adoration towards you if you talk to them a lot. This requires patience and you have to do it regularly. It is by far the best method to get a dog to love you. Hope this helped.

[Alty]

Dogs are pack animals. The one that feeds him, the one that cares for him, the one that teaches him, is the pack leader. Having your name on his ownership papers doesn't mean you will be his pack leader.

So what do you do to show yourself as the pack leader. The adult of the house is most often viewed as the pack leader, especially the mom. Here's why. Your mom feeds you. Your mom cares for you. Your mom disciplines you. In other words, in a dogs eyes you're another member of the pack, not the leader. The leader isn't fed, the leader isn't disciplined, the leader is the one that cares for the pack members. Who does that? Your mom does.

That doesn't mean that you can't form a bond with this dog. You can, and spending time with the dog is the way to do it. But until you're the one that cares for you, and everyone else in the household, you're just a puppy, not a pack leader.