You Might Be Ruining Your Dog's Trust And Not Even Know It

Barconey said this is one of the biggest things that can ruin a human and dog relationship. She uses nail trimming as an example. If your dog hates getting their nails trimmed, it's probably not a good idea for you to constantly trim their nails without considering their feelings. 

"That can lead to the dog expressing themselves in ways that are very scary, like bites or actually trying to back you away from them," she said. 

Hopefully, you're catching onto the theme here. "Forcing" your dog to consistently to do things you know they do not like isn't going to make them come to you for guidance or help. 

Those bones and toys that they love shouldn't be used as leverage. Don't turn taking these keepsakes away into a habit. 

"If they're actively using those things, this is one of the things that can lead to resource guarding," Barconey said.

If your dog, by chance, doesn't want to be picked up at the moment, don't pick them up. "You've got to be cognizant of what they're trying to tell you with their body language," Barconey said. Otherwise, you risk jeopardizing their trust. 

Your dog needs your help to navigate the world, which means you should advocate for them when they need it. Barconey outlined a few examples, including letting other people touch your dog even though they don't like it or forcing them to be around a lot of other dogs when it's not really their thing. 

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to being a dog parent. If you picked a specific breed, make yourself knowledgeable of what that fully entails. 

"There's a huge myth that all dogs are the same. That is not the case. Every breed is different. Every single breed has different needs," Barconey said.  

Constantly yelling or even hitting your dog can definitely ruin trust, Barconey said. The premise of their dog training program is to promote positive reinforcement to convince people to use other ways to get their dogs to communicate with them.