Don’t Live Your Life For Your Dog

Owning a dog should be enjoyable. Even having a puppy who needs more attention should bring rewards. Yet I speak to so many people who are finding dog ownership a chore. They are struggling to enjoy family life because they are exhausted with taking care of their dog. They are organising their life around their dog, when the dog should be fitting in with their routine.

I’ve only had my puppy, Skye, for three weeks. It’s been a crazy time for me with lots of media interest around the new puppy. I’ve also been driving all over the place to pick up sheep for the Tessleymoor Farm. Skye has had to fit in with all of this. I set the groundwork from the word go by expecting Skye to travel in the TransK9 box when I picked her up. She is now happy travelling everywhere in this. Skye knows that she doesn’t always get to come out of the Land Rover when I get out.

When I’m working in my kitchen, she has learnt to sit quietly in her crate. Of course, she also gets lots of interaction, walks, training and toilet breaks. This means that when I wanted to go out for dinner at the weekend, I was able to leave Skye for a few hours. Her crate was clean when I got back and after some interaction with me, she went back in her crate and slept through the night.

Make your dog adaptable, then you can take them with you wherever you go or leave them settled at home. Don’t live your life for your dog – that’s exhausting. Establish a routine and let your dog know what you expect of them. Then when things change a bit, they are confident enough to adapt.

Posted: June 18, 2021