Develop A Routine For Your Dog

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I thought I would talk on a more personal level today regarding why it was important for me to develop a routine for my dog, Zoe (that is her on the left), so she knows what to expect and look forward to and so that I can maintain my routine in my home office.

I work full-time at home online as I run my own online business which does require discipline as it is so easy to get distracted in the home environment. When I acquired Zoe, my tri-colored Jack Russell Terrier, I felt it was important to develop a routine for her as soon as possible so that I was able to carry on with my work and at the same time give her the attention she needed.

Zoe is not a morning girl!! I like to rise very early and put in 2 – 3 hours work online before breakfast, so it suited me fine that she preferred to stay in her bed until then!

Immediately after breakfast we got into the routine of going for our morning walk. This keeps my blood circulating and gives my eyes a break from the computer and Zoe gets a good start to the day.

I walk Zoe on a 15 foot retractable lead which gives her quite a lot of freedom and there are areas where I can safely take her off the lead too which she really enjoys. She sticks close to me and does not run off and immediately stands still when I say the word wait.

Once back home she is happy and content and as she has the run of the front garden and the house she is in and out for the rest of the morning doing her own thing, such as guarding the house, basking in the sun or chasing lizards in the garden. Every so often she will pop into my study just to say hello and to let me know she is still around!

I have always made a point of setting aside about 30 minutes after lunch and supper for what I term quality play time. As I am finishing up in the kitchen she will arrive with her favorite toy for a game of tug-of-war! When I say “back to work now” she is quite happy to stop playing and let me return to my computer.

We set out on our second walk of the day at 4pm and she will come into the study to remind me. This is usually quite a long walk and on the way back we stop in to see my mother where Zoe gets a biscuit! At exactly 5pm she will come to me and lick her lips as if to say “please can we go home now so I can have my supper”! Her inner clock is extremely accurate.

We return home and once again she is content to do her own thing until I have had my supper and again she will bring her favorite toy to the kitchen ready for another game of tug-of- war.

Back for the last stretch of my working day on the computer and she usually sleeps under my desk until I tell her it is bed time. She loves this because she races down the passage to the bedroom with another special toy and waits beside it for her two biscuits.

Zoe loves to go in the car and I just have to say the words shall we go in the car and she runs and sits beside the car door ready for me to put her harness on so she can sit on her specially covered part of the seat in the back, with a short leash attached to her harness and secured so in the event of sharp braking she cannot fall off the seat or be thrown around the car.

All in all the routine keeps both of us exercised, allows me to run my home business without unnecessary interruptions, Zoe is content and knows what the day holds for her, she rarely gets bored and she is a great companion.

It took time to get the routine established. When Zoe was still a puppy I played more frequently with her but for shorter periods of time. I took her to puppy school at a dog training center close by when she was 4 months old and continued training her at home. I stuck to the daily routine as rigidly as possible so now she knows exactly what the day holds for her and she is such a pleasure to have around.