Humans love spontaneous activities, which is why you will yell, in a good way, to a surprise. For dogs, it is a little different. The life of a dog revolves around four basic needs; food, sleep, exercise or play and potty. Creating a routine helps your dog know what is expected of him and takes stress out of the way. It can help them avoid destructive behaviors, anxiety, as well as keep them happy in general.
Since your dog will appreciate a steady pattern of activity, there is a catch in establishing a routine. The requirements for different breeds may differ slightly. Also, you must take into account the age of your dog. When you have two dogs of different ages, this can be a bit complex, especially since you don’t want one to feel like the other is getting more attention.
Benefits of routines
For a newly adopted furry friend, having a routine helps them become home-schooled and adjust to their new home. Of course, you want to avoid accidents from going to the bathroom indoors. Therefore, having a feeding routine helps you anticipate when they need to go to the bathroom. This can be more difficult to predict if your eating pattern is irregular.
Another thing to avoid with your faithful dog is excessive weight gain and the health risks that come with it. Without a feeding routine, you may be tempted to leave food for the dog several times a day, eventually leading to weight gain. Generally, if you want to train your dog to adapt to a particular behavior or to understand hand signals or verbal instructions, consistency is key.
However, not only does your dog benefit from a routine, you do too. A routine helps you understand your dog better. If your dog has any health problems, you will know faster, especially during your dog’s walk session. It helps you plan your own routine and frees you from pet-related anxieties.
The challenge of daily routine
As your dog grows, it is necessary to adjust the daily routine to the needs of his new age. Knowing when and how to make this transition can be challenging. It can also be a source of stress for you and your faithful companion. The second biggest challenge with a strict routine is keeping up. Imagine a scenario where you get sick and can’t walk your dog or are too busy with work. This can make your dog anxious.
Benefits of the daily structure
In simple terms, the daily structure is a flexible routine. Having a flexible routine from the beginning makes it easy for your dog to adjust to changes when necessary. Let’s say that instead of forcing your dog to wake up at 7 a.m. and eat at 7:30 a.m., you can have the schedule that stipulates that the dog will eat in the morning, but with no time limit.
Effective way to make changes to a routine.
The transition from a strict routine to a daily structure is a challenging activity that all dog lovers must deal with. However, if done right, it is very rewarding. One thing you should never do is change the whole routine at once. Instead, make small changes to different parts of the routine while paying attention to signs of stress.
For example, you can start by breaking free from strict feeding schedules to flexible hours. Once your dog has gotten used to the new flexible feeding schedule, you can start planning to make changes to his sleep or exercise time. Speaking of exercise, one way to ensure a safe dog walking session is to use a leash attached to a dog name harness with a personalized tag.
Final words to all dog lovers.
Make sure your routine is realistic. For a routine to be effective, your needs and those of your dog must be taken into account. While a routine is good for dog training, you don’t want to put your dog at a disadvantage when the routine is broken. Therefore, having a flexible routine works best to help you achieve your goal and also helps your dog build his resilience. Feel free to scroll through our blog for more informative articles.
