When we bring a dog into our home, many of our initial instincts are to spoil the heck out of them, sometimes going so far to let them “figure it out” and “make their own choices”. While we encourage people to be positive and loving, and for dogs to make their own choices, it is important as their people to help guide them to make the best choices for their behavior.
After being an Atlanta dog trainer for over 10+ years, I’ve met a lot of people that are shocked when I tell them that their dog DOES want their people to tell them what to do. Of course dogs may have moments of rebellion, or moods where dogs might just not want to follow that command or get off the couch. But the truth is – dogs LOVE routine and not only that, they behaviorally thrive off of it. Dogs are adaptable to change but they prefer to have their rituals and expectations consistently met.
When it comes to training, creating and maintaining routines for your dog will benefit everyone – your dog will not spiral into anxiety, wondering what’s with all the changes. If you have a consistent message of boundaries and desirable behaviors for your dog, they will do better to follow them. For example, if you and your spouse have a dog and you let your dog on the couch, but your spouse does not, your dog will be confused on what is right and wrong, and consequently might develop anxiety since they do not know the answer. Or if you normally take your dog on three walks a day, and it suddenly changed to 3 walks a week, your dog may be unsure on what’s going on, and if they’re getting less exercise, there’s a higher risk of boredom and anxiety developing, which could manifest into destructive and excessive behaviors
Naturally, change will happen in life and maybe you’ll have to reduce exercise for your dog, or maybe you won’t be home as much with your new job (we certainly saw a lot of clients during the early-mid pandemic struggling with their dog’s anxiety with all the changes happening!). We can’t ALWAYS be perfectly consistent all the time, but the important thing is to help guide your dog with all these new changes. And if your dog is still struggling and you need some help, such as a dog walker to let your dog out while you’re working crazy work hours, or a dog trainer here in Atlanta to show you how to teach your dog how to acclimate to the new routine (so it becomes the current familiar one for them), then reach out for those resources – it will make life better for you and your dog.
When we train, we work on creating a customized training plan that works for the individual client and their dog, based on their lifestyle, their training goals, and their own routines. And if we need to instill new routines, we show owners how to create and maintain feasible routines. Sometimes just a little structure will have a HUGE impact in dog behavior and training!
If you are looking to establish some better routines for your dog and might need to work on some dog training, reach out to us and we’ll set up an initial consultation to get all the info to create a personalized program for you and your dog!