How to create a bond between pet and owner through treats

That’s why we make the tastiest of treats to help you train and bond with your pet. Read on for more ways you can help build that special bond with your number one pal:

Petting your fur baby

It has been proven that spending time stroking your pets can have many benefits for both you and your fur baby. Petting can help reduce stress levels in animals, lowering the heart rate and the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as increasing oxytocin, the happy hormone. Therefore, researchers believe that petting and physical contact can enhance the bond between people and their pets.

After spending time petting your cat or dog and once they are nice and relaxed, this is the best time to treat your pet, as it will help positively reinforce calm behaviour. Treats such as Webbox Lick-e-Lix or Webbox dog treats are a great for bonding. Lick-e-Lix has a soft, yoghurt-like texture and cats love to lick them straight from the packet! Webbox Tasty Sticks for dogs are soft enough to break up into small pieces and won’t make a big mess, so they are perfect for keeping in your pocket ready for the right time to treat your pet.

Playtime with your furry companion

Playing games and having fun with your pet is a great way to strengthen your bond. Dogs in particular, who don’t have the freedoms of outdoor cats, can get bored and frustrated after spending all day inside. While their daily walk is great exercise, playing games can enhance your bond while stimulating their brains at the same time. 

Games such as ‘Hide and Seek’, where you hide your pooch’s favourite treats around the house and ask your dog to ‘seek’, is great to play indoors and doesn’t need much preparation. Webbox Duo Bites are a firm favourite for this, as the wheat-free recipes are perfect for sensitive tummies and the ‘bites’ are easy to hide!

Dogs often have a reputation for being more rambunctious than their feline counterparts, but cats enjoy playtime, too. You can bring out your cat’s playful side by training them to ‘fetch’. To do this, use one of your cats favourite toys or even just a scrunched up piece of paper. Throw it a short distance across the room and each time they bring it back to you, give them a treat to show them they are doing a good job.

Training your four-legged friend

Well-trained dogs tend to have more harmonious relationships with their owners. If they come when you call them, you’re likely to be more confident with them spending time off their lead. If they don’t go for the food on the table, they won’t need to be kept away during mealtimes. Training also reduces common pet parent frustrations; the more time spent training your dog the more they will understand what kind of behaviour is expected from them, thereby strengthening your bond.

Spending time each day training your pooch can help enhance your relationship, whether it’s a simple trick or day-to-day tasks such as walking on a lead. Using treats to help with training will ensure your dog comes on leaps and bounds.

Although you might not believe it, it is possible to train your cat. Whether this is to use the cat litter tray, coming to you when you call or staying calm when travelling, training your cat is equally as important as training your pooch and will also help build a better relationship with your kitty! Cats also respond well to treats; all you have to do is reward them with some of their usual kibble or treats and give them lots of praise in an upbeat tone. This will go a long way to improve their general behaviour and help maintain an unbreakable bond between you and your cat. 

There are lots of different ways to use treats to help bond with your fur baby and we want to know how you spend time bonding with your pet? Head over to our social pages to tell us all about the special relationship you have as a pet parent!