The Importance of Routine
Have an anxious corgi? Routines are great for dogs. But is there such a thing as too much? Let's talk about building structure instead!
Just like humans, dogs thrive when they have a predictable schedule and know what to expect from their daily lives. Establishing a routine not only helps to keep a dog's physical and mental well-being in balance, but it also plays a crucial role in strengthening the bond between a dog and their owner.
In this blog post, we will explore the many benefits of providing dogs with a consistent routine and structured environment and how it can contribute to their overall happiness and contentment.
It's ironic that I'm writing this post now—I'm actually a few days behind schedule on posting this article. However, it introduces a great point. A strict routine for dogs is not something you want. By that, I mean you shouldn't train your pup to always expect breakfast at 0600 and an evening chew at 2000. Life just is not this predictable.
In fact, building a rigid routine can actually introduce anxiety. If you decide to sleep in or come home from a night out later than usual, you don't want them to feel uneasy or troubled by falling out of the prescribed routine.
Rather, you can build a routine based around structured consistency. You want your dog to learn that certain actions follow each other. For instance, they'll always be fed after they're let out from their crate in the morning, but that doesn't always occur at 0600. Following that, they'll always go outside to use the bathroom.
With this method, if you're running late from work or just sleeping in, your dog won't feel the weight of time bearing down on them. They'll know that after a certain activity, the next one logically follows.
Consistency is King
Establishing a routine isn't just about building the structure, however. It's also about establishing clear expectations. If you expect your dog to behave a certain way on a walk, make sure that's part of the daily routine.
For example, we have Monty sit every time he is in the elevator (we live in a condominium). We always bring treats on the walks to reward him for doing this. Eventually, we'd like him to sit automatically without us even telling him.
Consistency is more difficult in practice. If you have multiple people working on training him, like a partner or roommate, make sure they understand the proper cues and rewards. In training Monty, my partner and I were sometimes inadvertently using different cues for the same actions; one of us would use a fist when saying "sit" and the other would use one finger.
This didn't set Monty up for success. All parties must be on the same page, so there's no confusion. We addressed this by always going on walks with each other. This way, I could observe how my partner interacted with Monty and vice versa. Since we build his training into the daily routine, we see most of each other's interactions.
How to Change Up the Routine
Changing a routine is stressful. You don't want to go all-in at one time. Start by changing one action at a time. If your dog is used to getting a chew exactly at 2000, try to vary this time plus or minus fifteen minutes.
Even something as seemingly simple as this can be really stressful. I know one dog who got the same brand of chew at 2000 for several years. How would you feel if someone gave you a cookie after dinner every night for a decade, and then took it away?
Once you've varied one action, try varying another that occurs next to the one you previously changed. For instance, this might be dinner that occurs around 1830 before the chew comes out.
To help with the anxiety associated with changes, our veterinarian and dog trainer both recommended Solliquin chews for dogs. I have not yet looked into the science behind it yet (maybe that should be the topic for a future blog post!), but I do trust both of them. They said that it takes around 30 days to take effect, but it should lower Monty's levels of anxiety. I'll let you know how it goes!
The vet also recommended some calming sprays, but I got essential oil vibes from it, so we didn't pursue that option. Your mileage may vary.
Monty's Routine
I'm adding a timeline here just to get a general overview of when things happen. They're not precise and they shouldn't be. We enjoy sleeping in on the weekends and, by his sleepy demeanor, so does Monty.
- 0600 - Humans wake up and let Monty out, lots of morning pets.
- 0615 - Monty gets his morning breakfast.
- 0630 - Monty goes outside for his morning walk, about one mile.
- 0700 - Play time! We throw the ball and play tuggie for about fifteen minutes.
- 0730 - Humans have to leave for work and Monty has to go back to the crate or a portioned off area of the house.
- 1600 - Human #1 (Travis) arrives home from work and takes Monty out for his second walk of the day, about one mile.
- 1630 - Play time! More time for throwing the ball and playing tuggie indoors. If the weather is good, sometimes this includes fetch outside.
- 1800 - Human #2 (me, Sean) arrives home. Monty gets his second wind and we play for around fifteen minutes.
- 1830 - Dinner time. Sometimes we like to give him dinner in a Kong, which takes him about twenty minutes to fully lick clean. This is a great way to keep him busy.
- 1915 - Final walk of the evening. We do about one last mile.
- 2200 - Time for bed. We put Monty back in the crate for some much needed rest. He's a really active corgi!
Seeking Professional Help
I'm not a certified dog trainer. I'm just a regular guy who wants to spend more time with his corgi and blog about what works (and doesn't) for us. We've used a certified behaviouralists with Monty before. She's helped us work through some of his triggers with anxiety and resource guarding. If you're in the Baltimore area, we would definitely recommend baltimorek9tutors.
If your pup has a lot of anxiety or you feel overwhelmed, I would definitely recommend reaching out to a certified trainer.
I'd love to hear your pup's routine. Have you ever had to change anything up? How did it go? You can add your thoughts in the comments below by signing in. It's completely free and you can unsubscribe whenever you'd like. I'm a little behind on publishing this article, so there's not podcast this weekend, but you can check out Monty's previous podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
References
Pupstanding Academy
Sassafras Lowrey, CTDI