Did you make any New Year resolutions for you and your dog? I did!
As a dog trainer a lot of my day is spent training with other people and their dogs. I love it and seeing the progress they make is so rewarding and thrilling for me too. I never tire of seeing that bond and focus improving between the human and their dog. I do love my ‘job’!
So back to my New Year resolutions for me and my dogs, Bo and the pup, Evie:
1. More time for walking
2. More variety in the places we visit
3. Research dog food and look how to improve the quality of what I feed them.
So how have I done so far?
1. I’ve made sure I don’t book so many 1:1 training appointments in the afternoons so that I can now get out and walk Bo & Evie before it goes dark. We can now go further and it’s less pressure for all three of us as I’m not rushing to fit time in with them.
2. Because I’ve allocated more time for my own dogs we can go exploring. I now drive out to different places and we are loving these new experiences.
We’ve been to a new dog-friendly cafe in the middle of town. We walked from the outskirts of the town, through the town park and then down the pedestrianised areas to the cafe. The cafe was small and welcoming. Bo & Evie settled very well and slept all the way home!
We’ve been to a new beach area. We’ve done this before it gets busy with holiday visitors. Bo & Evie had plenty of ‘sniffari’ time, with no pressure to get anywhere in particular. They also had off-lead play time – a must for every dog!
We’ve also visited a beautiful dog-friendly country park, with wildlife galore, cattle and sheep. This was a great experience for young Evie and Bo took it all in her stride. I made good use of the other people and dogs to help Evie learn that she doesn’t get to meet and greet every person and every dog she sees – essential life skills training for every pup! Again, Bo & Evie slept all the way home.
3. I’m listening to a fantastic book – The Forever Dog by Rodney Habib & Karen Shaw-Becker. ‘A new science blue print for raising happy and healthy canine companions’. If you have a need to know then the in-depth research that’s gone into this book is for you!
I now look at dog food in a totally different light – its impact on our dogs’ well being, behaviour and general health is huge!! This book is also very helpful in revealing what we are feeding our own bodies and the impact this can have on so many aspects our own health and well-being. I’m loving this book and can’t recommend it highly enough.
So, I’ve kept to my resolutions throughout January and into February too. Looking ahead? I fully intend to stick to them as it’s a win/win for me and the dogs. 😊🐾🐾
