Signs Your Dog Trusts You – Confirm It Today
What makes humans and canines perfect companions? The bond between a human and a dog is based on trust. In other words, a dog connects with you because they trust you. Let’s find out the signs your dog trusts you to the fullest.
Dogs are intelligent creatures; hence they are good at expressing and understanding emotions. When you raise a dog with love and care, it will spontaneously trust you and feel safe around you. If you ever wonder how to ensure your dog trusts you, this article will help you find answers.
So, What are the signs your dog trust you? Dogs show their trust in plenty of ways. Out of all such gestures, some of the common ones are, following your lead, adapting to your routine, obeying commands, asking you to pet them, maintaining eye contact, and coming to you for guidance. Not every dog shows the same behavior to signify their trust, but these can be seen among many.
You do not necessarily have to train a dog to trust you because it rather happens automatically. But keep in mind that how you interact with the dog and raise them will significantly matter in both making and breaking the trust.
If your dog trusts you, it will never hesitate to show it, and you can easily observe it through gestures, as mentioned above.
Clear 7 Signs your dog trusts you
We say that dogs are trustworthy animals, but how can you guarantee that they trust you? As mentioned, dogs boldly express their emotions; therefore, if you are observant of their behavior, you can clearly identify the signs of trust.
Let’s elaborately have a look at them.
- Relaxed body language
Dogs show relaxed body language, including calm facial expressions, slightly open jaws, wagging tails, and soft eyes when they trust someone. What does body language have to do with trust?
When a dog distrusts someone, it will typically act suspicious. Depending on their personalities, some dogs might act aggressively while some act nervously. Either way, they will not feel relaxed around you.
Contrary to that, when a dog trusts you, they do not feel any tension to be around you; instead, they feel happy and calm. Therefore they will show relaxed body language.
- Following your lead and obeying the commands
Dogs are domestic animals, but still, they have their early roots descending from hunting backgrounds. They are initially animals that live in a pack; although they were domesticated with time, they still have the pack mentality within them, at least to a small extent.
Dogs have an alpha whom they consider the pack leader, and they typically trust the alpha’s lead and follow their commands. Dogs raised in households consider their master as the alpha, in simple terms, their leader.
Therefore they will be obedient to you and follow your lead. It is also a sign of respect as well as trust. You might have seen how a lot of dog owners struggle to train rescued or shelter dogs; the reason is the lack of trust.
If you need the dog to follow the commands, first and foremost, you must win their trust; then, they will eventually obey the orders.
- Maintaining eye contact
Do dogs maintain eye contact? Usually, we say not to stare into a dog’s eyes because they usually keep staring as a sign of warning.
You have to understand that there is a difference between maintaining eye contact and looking into eyes. Dogs find it uncomfortable when someone keeps directly staring into their eyes as they find it threatening.
However, dogs use their eye contact to express positive emotions as well. If they look into your eyes and maintain eye contact with you, that shows your dog trusts you.
Maintaining eye contact reassures that your dog is attempting to maintain a healthy relationship with you.
- Adapting to your routine
If you do something particular regularly, like going for a jog every morning, your dog will likely notice it, and they will also try to fit into that schedule.
So you will see gestures like them bringing your shoes, signifying that they are aware you are going for a jog.
Moreover, when you train the dog for something consistent, it will automatically adapt to it.
Suppose you take them for a walk every evening, then the dog will come to you around that time with their leash. So if your dog attempts to adapt to a routine you follow daily, that is also a gesture of trust.
- Seeking for love
Wouldn’t a dog like to get some good cuddles from its owner? Well, they sure would. However, dogs can be picky too.
If they do not feel that their owners do not show affection towards them or do not bother about them much, then it will break the trust of the dog.
If the dog distrusts you, it will not show much interest in being close to you. They will always come for you when they trust you, seeking love.
So if your dog turns their belly upwards and asks for some belly scratches or keeps its head on your lap and asks for some snuggles, that is because they trust you with all their heart.
- Sleeping next to you
Not every dog likes to sleep with humans; however, some dogs are comfortable sleeping next to their owners. That is mainly because they trust the owners.
If the dog distrust you, they try to distance itself from you. But if a dog likes to sleep next to you, and if they sleep comfortably, that shows how much they trust you.
- Give their stuff to you
Dogs have particular objects they are highly attached to, such as a favorite toy. When dogs have something special like that, they rarely let others have it.
If someone tries to take it, the dog will surely get mad, but it will be different when they trust you.
When dogs trust someone, they will share their toys or whatever is important to them. That is why they bring their favorite stuff to you.
How do you tell if your dog trusts you?
If you read up to this point now, you already know the signs that dogs typically show when they trust humans. To figure it out, all you have to do is pay attention to their behavior.
Observe their body language, and see if they seem to be relaxed and calm. Notice how they respond when you return home after a while; are they happy and excited? Check whether the dog avoids eye contact with you or do they maintain soft eye contact.
Ask for their toys and see if they are willing to give them to you. Also, see if they like some gentle belly scratches and warm cuddles. If your dog is responding likewise, you can definitely say that they trust you.
How long do dogs take to trust you?
When we get a dog, we all want them to bond with us as soon as possible. Remember, building trust is certainly not a process that will happen overnight. It takes some time; therefore, owners should be patient and act accordingly.
Moreover, not every dog has the same personality type; therefore, while some dogs trust you fast, some might relatively get more time.
Let’s assume you brought home a puppy. During the puppy stage, dogs can understand and learn things much faster than grown-up dogs.
So if you interact well with your newly bought puppy, show them love and take good care of them, you can make them trust you very soon.
Usually, dogs start to bond better and trust their owners since they are around 2 to 8 weeks old. During this period, you can impact your dog immensely.
So if you need your dog to trust you, this is the best period to convince them that you will take care of them. So as they grow up, they will quickly develop trust towards you.
If you fail to build that trust at a young age, making a dog trust you when they are an adult will be more complex. It is not impossible still; it will need a lot of effort.
Also, if you are planning to adopt a rescue dog or a shelter dog, it will likely take more time to get their trust because of the past experiences that they’ve witnessed.
So always remember that earning a dog’s trust is time-consuming, so you should act calm and collected.
Some final thoughts!
Trust is the key to a healthy relationship between humans and their canine companions. The stronger their trust is, the better they bond with you. But how do you know if your dog trusts you?
Dogs express their emotions through body language and gestures; by observing them, you can identify signs of trust. As thoroughly discussed in this article, when dogs trust a human, they feel natural and comfortable around them.
Also, you will notice how they obey your commands and come to you seeking love and guidance. All such behavior indicates that your dog trusts you with all its heart.
Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner. See you next time!
