Puppy bonding with you vs other people
Hi everyone, I’d really love to hear your experiences and opinions on this.
I had a puppy a while ago when I was still living with my mom. Even though he was technically *my* dog, he ended up bonding much more closely with my mom. He loved me, but she was definitely his person, and I could really see the difference.
Now I’m living on my own and have a new puppy, and I think I’m a bit anxious about the same thing happening again. My boyfriend comes over about twice a week and spends time with us, and about once a month I go visit my family. I’m worried that my puppy might end up bonding more strongly with someone else instead of me.
So I wanted to ask:
* How do you tell if your puppy is truly bonded to you?
* What behaviours or signs made it obvious to you who your dog’s “person” is?
* Can bonding shift over time depending on who they spend time with?
* Is there anything you did intentionally to build a stronger bond?
I think I might just be overthinking it, but I’d really appreciate hearing how others have experienced this.
Thanks in advance 🐶
PS I have a 5 month old male Maltese puppy.