You’ve probably heard the advice from trainers. If you want your dog to pay attention to you, you have to be the most interesting person ever.
But what exactly does that mean?
Is it more than just carrying yummy treats? And what about dogs who aren’t food motivated?
What can we do to make ourselves irresistible to our dogs?
My Dog Can’t Resist Me When I…
squeak a toy hidden in my pocket every so often
wear Milkbone underwear
run away from her
duct tape squeakies to my feet
get out the clicker to teach her a new trick
howl like a wolf
point out interesting sights on a walk (like cats) she hasn’t noticed yet
wear dark clothing right before leaving the house
bring out her favorite ball
put the camera away after trying to catch her being cute
stuff my pockets with stinky treats
try to get work done quickly because I have a deadline
make excited, high-pitched sounds
roll in something rotten and stinky
wad up paper to toss into the recycling bin
take our usual walk first and scent mark a trail for her to follow (it’s best to do this before the sun comes up; why risk getting arrested for indecent exposure?)
pay attention to what she wants to do and go along with it
What Makes You Irresistible To Your Dog?
You might have noticed that I made some suggestions just to be funny. After all, I’d never put a spitty squeaky toy in my pocket. 😉
What’s on your list of things that your dog can’t resist about you?
Do We Always Have To Judge?
For Roxy I am a nice warm place to sit. Torrey, she just wants a belly rub and I guess I do it just right.
I’m an awesome cuddler and the dogs love love love our pack walks 🙂
My family has sometimes said that Harley and I are entirely “too close” to each other! I just laugh. We are always together because I work from home.
If I had to tell the truth – I think “he” is irresistible to me!! I love this doodle so very much 🙂
Hmm…Jack is pretty attached, but certainly the treats I dispense are the biggest attraction. I think for him it’s just attention – he’s the biggest attention hog I’ve ever met.
I’m trying to find Milkbone underwear. What was the question again?
It comes down to just one word: FOOD. I do have Corgis after all.
Theo is all about food and snuggling on the sofa. When he’s outside he’s hard to distract without a treat. I’m not sure what it is that Nelly likes about me, but I’ll take it! Sophie always find me most interesting when I don’t want her to!
I asked Mom to put the squeaky toys under her shoes but she flat out refused. I think Mom offers fun and we can tell when that is going to happen and that makes her irresistible, snuggles do it too, though.
Elka loves food, snuggling, snuggling under blankets, food, and tennis balls. Squeaky toys have only recently made it into this coveted inner circle. She also comes and bugs me while I’m brushing my hair, so I’ll hold out my brush and she brushes her neck/face on it (don’t judge me).
Opening the fridge. Opening a yogurt container. Any crackling bag or wrapper. Do you see a pattern?? LOL! Chasing squirrels or even pretending too. Glasses of pop. The list is endless. 🙂
Very cute post Pamela!
Right now I think I’d have to at least smell like a bunny to get any sort of attention from Asher. To get his undivided attention I’d probably have to be holding a live one! He is fascinated/obsessed with our bunny visitors on the front lawn. I wonder if Milkbones would work though? We don’t have them over here.
I love the idea of you shouting run away, and then running away. It really is the simple things that cause me pleasure. I think I may have to play this with my two!!
Anytime Laika gets the impression that I’m about to play or train she instantly perks up and places herself excitedly by my side and I live for it. I love knowing that something I enjoy is bringing her some sense of purpose and joy as well. I’d never been quite so close to a dog until Laika – there’s something extra special that happens when you invest so much time into training and learning about their behavior. It really looks like you have that bond as well, and to me it’s the sweetest bond there is.
I’m working on getting Luke to pay more attention to me. One thing he loves is when I sing. I’m not sure if it’s because my singing is good or bad, but whatever works. 🙂