Its been a strange year and now with Christmas, and New Year thrown in is your dog spontaneous or do they prefer a routine?
Some of you may know that I used to work in an office as well as run Friends and Canines, so we used to be very routine-based.
The alarm went off, get up, walk, breakfast, shower for me, then out to work, they knew the routine and got in the queue at the treat jar, then they got in their bed. Midday visit from Knine Camp and then I was home!!
Then it all changed
When I went full-time in Friends and Canines, at first I struggled having no routine and so did the dogs.
But I was lucky I was already a member of a supportive online website group built by Vicki Jakes (she actually showed me how to build the website from scratch!!)
They gave me the business support to go for it full-time but that didn’t help the pooches. They didn’t understand I was home but not available for them.
I am lucky that my dogs are very adaptable, they will have a lie-in but definitely love a walk, so I had to change my ways with them. Are your dogs stuck in a routine?
Is this good for them? I would say not, life is constantly changing so best to set your dog up to be able to change also. our lives change constantly, delays, traffic and everything else.
And what if they had to be looked after by someone else would they be able to change routine? It’s hard to think about but try to make it as easy as possible by making them flexible.
Life at the moment
They still have the run of the house but I had to take some time to teach them to settle while I am packing orders, as at first, they were crazy knowing I was at home and there were chews available. This has been achieved with boundary games and barriers like baby gates.
They don’t have access to me all of the time, they know I’m home and in another room.
Or sometimes I have to go out either with another dog and not them, or with none of them!! This can be really important in multi-dog households x
We now have a lot more deliveries to the house, our own, plus as now the couriers know I work from home we are happy to take in the neighbours parcels too! This means they would bark at the door and window, making them very hyper and over-excited with no output so I have now restricted access to the front window and door, instead putting the settees in the middle room over-looking the garden.
They go out at approx 12.30 then settle with a chew, with the radio or some music playing, as the courier now collects between 1pm and 2pm.
I know not everyone can just move rooms, but take a step back what can you do?
Plus we don’t feed at a regular time, what would your dog do if they weren’t fed at the usual 5pm for example? Your dog needs to be flexible, so try to mix up feeding times and mix up how you feed.
As much as we love feeding our dogs “treats”, these need to be included in your dog’s daily allowance especially if your dog has a diet or weight problem.
Do you want to make your dog’s food last longer? Why not use a slow feeder or stuff it in a trachea or hoof? Make it a game or training session?
Or check out the longer-lasting chews in our shop here
Let me know if this has made you think, or if you want any suggestions, and share what you do in the comments, we are here to help each other out x
How adaptive is your dog??
My dogs are very much routine based on every aspect of our daily lives. If we are late with mealtimes or treat times we certainly hear about it from the dogs! I like the idea of the longer-lasting chews for when we are away from the house as it gives the dogs something to do and then they would be less likely to get into trouble!
I love the idea of ‘presence doesn’t mean access’ plus teaching the concept of flexibility to our dogs. One of my dogs is the queen of anticipation which teaches me to be creative and re-think routines and patterns as she picks up clues from anything.
Long lasting chews are definitely a life saver and teaches independence as well, while they are staying in a positive emotional state.