Back to School & Helping Your Dog Adjust to Changes in Routine

It's almost September which means a lot of our schedules are changing! Whether it's back to school for the kids or for you, the end of a week of vacation, returning to the office after working from home, or any other change in your routine, chances are it'll affect your dog too.

Here are some strategies to help your dog adjust before they have a meltdown about it.

Start with Small Changes

The biggest struggle for dogs is when we make all the changes all at once and expect them to adapt right away. If you're going from lazy mornings until 10 AM to getting everyone in the car by 8 AM, that's going to be a big shift for everyone!

Start making some small shifts now such as:

• Get up a little bit earlier every day (set you alarm 15 min sooner every day until you get to your target time)

• Switch your event order to what it'll be after the change (if right now it's wake up -> potty -> breakfast -> watch TV -> walk but it's going to have to become wake up -> walk -> breakfast -> leave... start doing wake up -> walk -> breakfast -> relax)

Daisy wakes up full of energy and wants to do something right away! I've negotiated for a 7 AM wake up time instead of a 6 AM one :)

Practice Separation

If your dog is suddenly going to be alone much more frequently, ease them into it! Start with short outings and slowly increase duration if your dog is not distressed.

For very short duration out of the house, consider:

• Going outside to do some yard work or organize the garage/basement without your dog

• Getting the mail without your dog

• Putting out the trash without your dog

For very short duration working at home, consider:

• Going to your office or workstation to answer one email

• Going to your office or workstation to read a book

When Perry got neutered, we expanded his exercise pen to give him more space away from Daisy.

Increase Enrichment Activities

Often a change in routine means that we have less time to hang out with our dogs, especially on work days! However, we still need to take care of them and help them feel fulfilled and satisfied. Enrichment activities are a great way to do this.

For dogs that love to chase, consider:

• Flirt pole

• Fetch

• Tug

For dogs that love to sniff, consider:

• Treat or kibble scatter in the yard or home

• Puzzle toys

• Treat dispensing toys

• Sniffari walk

For dogs that love to explore and socialize, consider:

• Taking them somewhere new to explore about once a week

• Set up a play date with a friend

• Asking them "which way" and going in the direction they choose on their walk

Daisy enjoying a sniffy walk in a car-free space in order to avoid feelings about rush hour traffic.

Practice Morning/Evening Chaos

Is getting ready in the morning going to involve a lot of motion? Is the evening going to be a rush to get to activities after dinner? Practice these situations without the actual urgency and teach your dog what you want them to do instead of getting involved as your personal manager.

Some suggestions for what to do with your dog while you're getting ready:

• Supervising from their mat

• Busy with an enrichment activity from above

Daisy and Perry supervising me making lunch from across the room.

Don't wait for the whole routine to have changed - start early!

Want a plan for your specific dog? We can help! Get in touch with us and we'll get you started.