Little Changes, Big Rewards

A lot of people I know talk themselves out of changing their routines or behavior, thinking erroneously that it takes big changes and big commitments to achieve noteworthy results.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Little steps, made in the right direction, add up to big changes in the long run.  So, even if you know you can't run for even five minutes without passing out, for example, that's okay.  Just walk, every single day, picking up the pace as you become more limber.  One day, start to jog a bit, and then slow it back down to a walk.  Over time, you'll find yourself jogging more than walking, and that's terrific!  At that point you might be ready to try a slow run, or not.  Even jogging and walking is better than never starting that new exercise plan at all.  Small steps, big payoffs.  The same is true when it comes to our dogs.  We don't have to do it all, nor do we need to do it all at once.  Small changes will make a world of difference to your dog.  Here are some examples:

Stop feeding them in a bowl.  Now, I realize that it takes more time, and more pre-planning, and some additional cleanup as well, to feed your dog from something besides a traditional dog bowl.  Feeding them in other ways, whether that's in a feeder ball, snuffle mat, bob-a-lot toy, box, or just kibble scattered in your backyard, serves as mental stimulation.  Wild canids don't eat in bowls; they forage and hunt for their meals.  Feeding dogs in more creative ways is good for their brains and their bodies as it slows down their consumption process, leading to more efficient digestion of nutrients.  Even if you just feed one of their meals outside of a bowl everyday, every other day, or even just once a week if that's all you have time for, your dog will reap the benefits.

Let them sniff on their walks.  I know it's frustratingly slow to walk a dog, letting them sniff as much as they want, but it's important to try to let them sniff for at least a portion of every walk.  Start small.  Maybe let them sniff for the first five minutes, and then walk faster, encouraging them to trot along rather than stop and sniff constantly.  Build from there, allowing them to sniff for five minutes, trot for five minutes, and then sniff again for five minutes.  Try to make your goal be that half their walk was sniffing and the other half devoted to some exercise and fresh air.  And if you have the time to let them wander, please do it.  Put them on a long line and let them sniff and wander around to their heart's content.  Enjoy watching them!  And then, put them back on that shorter, walking leash, and get them some physical exercise too.

Rotate their toys.  While toy rotation is critical for puppies, it's still important for adult dogs too.  Toy rotation stimulates their brain to solve problems; it changes up their chewing options; and it allows them to blow of steam in different ways.  Toy rotation can be as simple as dumping the toys out of their box or basket once a week and changing which toys are on the top.  Or, maybe move the toy bin to a closet and every time you pass that closet, put a toy away and grab something different for them in exchange.  I have one client with a lot of toys (and she jokes, a lot of spare time on her hands!) who sorts the toys by style, sometimes giving he dog just rolling/round/ball type toys one day, and then only stuffed toys the next.  I appreciate her enthusiasm for toy rotation ingenuity, but I did encourage her to make sure her dog always had a readily available chewing option, regardless of how she'd sorted the day's toys.  Dogs need chewing options every single day.

Change up the treats.  You should always have treats in your pocket, or at least readily available, to reinforce your dogs for a job well-done.  While varying their daily diet isn't highly recommended as it can lead to digestive upset, varying their treats is a different story.  Even for dogs with food allergies, varying their treats is valuable for stimulating interest and enthusiasm with tasks, you just need to (obviously) avoid treats that contain those ingredients they aren't allowed to have.  Henley is allergic to so many things, including anything with chicken, turkey, or duck in it. Consequently, I choose treats for him that are 100%  rabbit or any kind of fish.  I don't give him the same rabbit treats or fish treats though every time; sometimes he gets salmon, sometimes it's salmon skin.  He may get cod or cod skin, or even pollock or smelt.  Just varying the kind of fish treat he receives, gets him excited!  This means that even for a dog with a limited ingredient diet, I can still provide some variety.  And for those of you with dogs who can eat anything, why are you always buying the same treats?  Change it up!

Never stop training your dog.  It doesn't have to be weekly classes and regular trips to specialized training facilities.  Just work with your dog every day for a few minutes.  Those minutes don't even have to be consecutive!  It could be one minute in the morning, two minutes before a walk, and then a couple of minutes at bedtime.  Start with just five minutes a day and see how that looks for your dog.  If you're both having fun, increase your training time, but I wouldn't push past about 10-15 minutes.  Shorter, more frequent training sessions are more valuable than those longer ones.  And for puppies, keep it to five minutes or shorter, multiple times a day.  You can work on behaviors your dog knows already, and then segue into learning new behaviors or tricks.  This is where the internet can be your friend!  Watch some of those fun dog videos, showing tricks and behaviors that any dog can do (honest!) with a bit of training.  Break down those videos into smaller pieces and teach your dog to do them.  Even if they don't end up doing it as well as the dog in the video, they still had a good time learning.  Besides, do you want to know how long it took to teach that dog in the video? A lot longer than that finished reel you watched for sure!  And that video? It was edited too.  Your dog is learning and doing it in real time!

So, what's the take home message?  Just making small changes can have big, positive consequences for you and for your canine companions. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"--Lao Tzu

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Zelly with her chewing option du jour: An antler from Woof!