Hello, this is Dr. Karin! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Koda, Ned and Fred.
I’m sure you all know that it’s important to give our dogs something everyday. A predictable diet and exercise schedule will allow you to relax and safely relax at certain times with the knowledge that the strings and bowls will fall, and the fun and food are on the way. But what if you tell you there is another way to do things?
Molly The Clock-Watcher
Many years ago there was a patient named Molly. She was a gorgeous black Labrador that looked a lot like my poppy and was always cheerful, kind and well-behaved. One day she was in the hospital for dental work and was scheduled to return home around 3pm. However, an accident occurred on the highway, and her owner was trapped in traffic and was unable to gather her until 6pm. This wasn’t a problem, but Molly didn’t seem to mind except that she had a severe food allergy and was taking certain prescription foods.
Molly was quiet and calm all day. We took her for a walk and she would doze off in the kennel most of the afternoon. A few minutes after 5pm, the cry began. Assuming she needed a toilet, we took her out, but obviously that didn’t matter. Back at her kennel, she began pacing and whining, pulling at the door and giving her an occasional YIP. For this gentle, managed retriever, it was completely uncharacteristic. When her owner finally arrived, I mentioned her unusual behavior and they smiled intentionally.
“Yeah, yes, she’s fed at dots every day at 5pm.”
Well, I knew that dogs could maintain a rough track at the time, but I never met any very accurate people. I commend the Molly owner for being so strict about mealtimes, but I realized that it’s not what I want to do.
What I saw at Molly was a dog that became very reliant on the predictability of schedules. Certainly, it could be argued that it might be why she let the rest of the time cool, but I thought that if, like on that day, they weren’t at home in time for her 5pm meal, her owners might have felt uneasy too.
Casual routine
Things in our home are clearly uncontrollable. It’s sorted confusion, you might say. Our homes are always neat and tidy, but our schedule is clearly low. Getting people used to taking your dog at a certain amount of time each day will inevitably cause regular disappointment. So I use a slightly different scheduling method that I like to call “casual routines.”
Instead of feeding your dog (and cat) every morning at 7am, there is a window for 2-3 hours. Similarly, they don’t walk at any particular time every day, and to be completely honest, they don’t walk every day. We have days when we just played in the garden, and on miserable, wet, windy days, we play games and keep busy hiding things around the house.
I often walk my dog in the rain, and see sleets, or hails, slaves, slaves on a daily basis, knowing that dogs get hooked without a walk at 4pm. I admire their dedication, but I can’t help myself laugh either. Obviously, for those who are not as lucky as we have a garden, it is necessary to take your dog to walk, hail or shine, but we know a lot of people who don’t go to the bathroom at home. They only go when they are out for a walk.
Please don’t get me wrong. If the cat is not fed by 8pm or if the dog’s breakfast is not served by 10am, things start to get a bit wild. There’s no chance no one will miss the food! However, they have not filed complaints if they walked around the floor, damaged the door, or were not eating after six times at age 6. They know they will be fed. They are as happy as they pee and poop in the garden as they are on a walk, and if they are cold and miserable outdoors, they look happy to spend the day indoors.
Do work for you
If a strict routine works for you, that’s great. But if, like me, you prefer to sleep occasionally, drink another drink before you go home, or open the door to let your dog go to the bathroom rather than get brave in the cold, then a casual routine probably works for you. After all, your dog will feel stressed if you are stressed, and they are much more adaptable than we think. As long as you can expect them to be fed, exercise, play and beloved, they are not going to pay too much attention to the watch unless you do.
This article is part of Dr. Karin’s series with Five Dogs.
