The Daily Routine
5 cards · about a minute
The same hours
Dogs cannot read a clock but keep excellent time, and the same walk, meal and bedtime hours do more for a nervous dog than anything else on this list.
Walk before breakfast
Exercise first and feed second: a dog who has already worked eats calmly and settles afterwards instead of looking for something to do.
A middle to the day
Somewhere between the walks, ten minutes of something to solve, a scattered meal, a hidden chew, a puzzle, takes the edge off the whole afternoon.
Wind down on purpose
Lights lower, screens quieter, no games after dinner, dogs take the household’s evening as an instruction, and a house that never slows has a dog who never does.
One place to sleep
A bed in a quiet corner that is theirs and undisputed gives a dog somewhere to go when the house is busy, and most use it far more than you expect.