What you do with your dog today sets up how your dog views you tomorrow.

Dogs live in the present. They aren't concerned with what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. However, when you invest the time to build a healthy relationship with them for today, it informs their relational tendency towards viewing you as their leader and friend for tomorrow.

What are you doing today with your dog that deposits positive experiences so that tomorrow you are even closer? Go for a walk with your dog today. In my experience, walking is one of the best relationship builders between dogs and their owners. It is completely natural for them to travel with their pack, and this is a huge part of how the pack bonds.

Doing something that your dog loves to do as a fun extra activity is extremely healthy, too! Do they like to play fetch? Do they like to run around the dog park with other dogs? Do they like to swim? These are all great things that you can do to reward your dog for being good on a walk. At the end of these two activities (walking and something for extra fun), does your dog seem tired out? If not, maybe the level of activity that you are doing with your dog isn't challenging enough for them.

Dogs love to be challenged both physically and mentally. They are healthiest when they are being stretched and asked to do engaging tasks. Engage their mind by challenging them daily. Sometimes these challenges are breed specific. For example, if you own a hound dog, giving them a search and rescue game to play could be more engaging than simply playing fetch.