You’re doing everything you’re supposed to do with your dog: exercise, mental stimulation, obedience training.

You taught them the basics like sit, stay, come, watch me, even a couple tricks. And they listen just fine at home or at obedience class.

But in real life, it’s like you don’t exist.

It all feels hollow. Like your connection is surface level. Like if you stopped using treats or dropped the leash, Sparky would take off and not look back.

You want your dog to trust, love, and listen to you, but you can’t shake the feeling that they don’t even like spending time with you.

I remember going through that in the early years with my first dog, Friday.

If you’re anything like I was, you put a lot of work into practicing obedience skills, and diligently trying to get them to follow those cues in distracting places like the park or on a walk.

But the harder you work, the more frustrated you feel.

I could do endless repetitions of Sit and Watch Me, but I couldn’t figure out how to get Friday to, ya know, be my friend.

As soon as the treats were gone or the choke chain came off, she was all “peace out bro ” and back to sniffing or bird watching or whatever else she deemed a better use of her time than hanging out with me.

Rude. Where was the Man’s Best Friend I was promised?