Template to bring the whole family on the same page regarding behaviour with the dog

Dogs are habitual beings, the happiness, calmness and confidence in them depend on the quality of their and your habits.

Keep a paper and pen handy for this.

Humans must become clear about the expected behaviour in five areas of dogs.

The five areas are:

1. Walk
2. Rules, Boundaries and Limitations
3. Feeding
4. Socializing
5. Play

Lack of your clarity in any of these five areas can make your dog unstable and lead him to some kind of behavioural issue.

So, give ample time to read and fill this. It is very essential that you share it with all the family members.

WALK

Walking is “the most important activity” for dogs, the way you walk your dog influences his behaviour in a deeper manner.

So, how should we walk our dogs?

• You take the dogs on walks at fixed times.
• You take the dogs 2+ walks/day and the walk should be 45+ minutes long.
• You initiate the walk calmly without making any big fuss about it.
• The dog is calm when you pick up the leash.
• The dog is leashed and he is sitting beside you when you open the door.
• You lead the walk by going out of the house first.
• During the walk, the dog is walking beside you or behind you.
• You understand that walk is for both of you, it’s for the leader-follower bond between you and your dog.
• You are leading the walk by walking briskly and giving a break of 5 min to the dog after walking for 15-20 mins.
• You do not use a mobile phone or lose focus and stay present with the dog.
• You follow the same structure of leading the dog while entering into the lift, going out of society or coming back.
• You are consistent

Please write down your schedule for walking your dog, mention the time and who’s responsible for giving him two mandatory long walks every day.

(Ex: I am responsible for taking my dog on long structure walks. I am going to take him on a walk at 7 am and 5:30 pm, I am going to make time. I am going to make sure that I and my dog both follow the structure of a perfect walk. I understand a structured walk is very essential if I want my dog to live a balanced life)

DISCIPLINE

Rules, Boundaries & Limitations are part of mother nature, you must be clear about them and ready to create for your dog.

Example of rules, boundaries and limitations:

• No entry into the kitchen.
• No jumping on furniture(Sofa, bed, etc.) without permission.
• Not allowed to chew or take any object other than you provided to them.
• Not allowed to steal any food from the dustbin or table.
• You do not get angry or frustrated if your dog breaks any rule.
• You choose a calm assertive way to help your dog understand even if you have to discipline your dog 100 times, you do it with calmness and assertiveness.

Write down what rules you are going to create for your dog and then sign it so that you will not get frustrated but will work on yourself if you get frustrated or angry at your dog.

Feeding

Food is a big reward for your dog, so giving it without awareness of its importance can make your dog or break your dog.

Feeding Ritual Guidelines:

• There should be a fixed time for the meal.
• Meals should always be after 20-30 minutes of a long walk, dogs love to earn their meal, it keeps them humble towards food.
• You should be calm and should not start the feeding ritual by creating excitement.
• The dog should wait calmly for the food.
• Be there when your dog is eating his meal.
• Pick up the bowl if your dog shows no interest in eating his meal within five minutes and provide the meal at the scheduled time only.

Write down who is responsible for feeding the dog and be clear that you need to project calmness and follow the proper feeding ritual guidelines.

Socializing

This is not about you socializing your dog with other humans or dogs but it is about the way you meet with your dog on a daily basis.

The way we meet with dogs and the way dogs meet with each other is totally different. We use a lot of sound and excitement while meeting our dogs but in their natural habitat dogs meet with each other calmly and using their nose.

Proper Socializing Method:

• Practice no touch, no talk, and no eye contact so that the dog can use his nose while meeting you.
• Give affection only when your dog is calm.
• Do not give affection when your dog is jumping on you.
• Whenever you give affection to your dog, you are going to nurture the state of mind he is in.
• Excitement and happiness are two different emotions.
• Excitement is unstable energy in animals.
• Practice calmness and project calm-assertive energy while meeting your dog.

Write down that you are going to meet your dog by practising no touch no talk no eye contact and honour his identity of being a dog. Whole family members should be on the same page.

Play

Dogs have a playing circuit in their mind, just like us. They must play every day but playing every time is damaging to their behaviour, they are using play as a way to release their energy which means they are using excitement which is unstable energy in animals as a way to release their energy, you need up the duration of their walk.

Play with obedience:

• Decide a time to play with your dog.
• Be consistent.
• While playing bring your dog to a certain level of excitement and then practice obedience with them. (ask him to calm down or sit)
• You will learn to control his impulses and he will learn to listen to you even if he is excited.
• Practice daily, it creates wonder, your dog will become more obedient with every repetition.

Write down who is responsible for playing with him and at what time you will play with him.

Please read it carefully, print it, fill it and share it with all the family members or better if the whole family can discuss and fill it together.