Like any relationship, we can get into ruts and routines that become predictable, boring, and no longer provide fertile ground for growth. This can happen even as a dog parent. And those ruts and routines mean your dog is not getting the mental or physical stimulation they need to live their best life. It also means you’re missing out with your dog. So let’s look at some simple ways to be a better dog owner.
These things will also, as mentioned, be good for you in the long run. A happy and engaged dog is good for their owner. Remember that dogs do so much for us in terms of our mental and emotional health. We can take that for granted and it is easy to stop noticing that after a while.
Enrich your walks
- Make your walks longer. It’s so easy to get in that mode where you’re just trying to “get them over with.” But see this time as meditative and playful. For your dog and for you. Longer walks are associated with longevity for both of you.
- Find different walks. Walking the same route every single day, week after week, month after month gets boring. Again, for both of you. And specifically for your dog, there are no new scents to explore. Remember that walking your dog is very much about their noses. Find new places that excite their sense of smell. And allow them enough time to explore in this way.
- Find walking partners to go on walking play dates. This doesn’t even have to be weekly, though that would be nice, but even if you just met up once a month with a friend and their dog, again, it’s good for both of you. Dogs need socializing with other dogs just as much as you need other human friends.
- If you live in a city, make sure to get out of the city and find places to hike that are deeper in nature. Or along a lake’s edge. Anything that smells, looks, and feels different than sidewalks and buildings.
Increase other physical (and mental) activity
Besides walking, find other ways to increase physical activity with your dog. This is great for their joints and their overall mental and emotional health. A physically active dog who is always learning new things is going to have a great old age.
Maybe sign up for agility classes. Take a class to learn new tricks. Create mazes or problems to solve in your own house or backyard. Go for a swim together.
And of course, make sure you’re looking for things to stimulate them mentally specifically. We’ve written a whole post about brain games for your dog.
Change up their food
Those dry kibbles they’ve been eating since they were little? Nah… You could add more nutrition to that base by adding in healthy people foods. Check out a good list here.
You could also experiment with making your own doggie treats. Here are some recipes.
Consider their time when you’re not at home
Really put some thought into how you can help them to be content and stress free when you’re not home.
There are calming sprays and diffusers you can use in your home to decrease stress. You could consider a camera that has a treat dispenser. (And we just wrote about why a dog camera might be a good idea for you.)
You can also find a lot of dog TV on YouTube and have that playing, or maybe your dog loves music. Leave it on when you’re not home.
And of course, you could consider doggie daycare or even have someone come to your house and walk your dog in the middle of the day so your time away doesn’t feel quite so long to them.
Have we missed anything? What have you done lately to enrich your dog’s life?