A Good Routine

Like children, dogs need a consistent routine. An inconsistent routine for a dog can produce anxiety, they don’t know what is happening and when, often resulting in restlessness and undesirable behaviour. When settling a new dog into a new environment, it’s important to reassure them by showing them when they will go out for a walk and do their toileting, when they get their meals, when it’s time to play and when it’s time to sleep. If you had a friend to stay, you wouldn’t keep them guessing when they would be fed, or not show them the toilet?

So far George is doing really well and his morning walk chills him out for the day. He has to sleep downstairs at night as he has very loose stools still and only seems to pass in the morning. We’re hoping his regular routine of walks and meal times will change this pattern and make him more consistent and regular. We can all rest assured that there will be no surprises on the carpet upstairs if he sleeps downstairs. He has been pretty clean so far, only having a small accident one night. We don’t want to be upset with him for doing inside what he should do outside, so it’s up to us to get him into a routine.

Dogs rely on us to help regulate them and it’s often NOT their fault when things go wrong.