Assessing your dog’s routine
When I conduct a behaviour consultation or training session, I assess the dog’s life from all angles, and this always involves looking at their routine. Often, to help dogs respond to behaviour modification, I suggest tweaking their routine. These tweaks consider the natural behaviour of the dog as a species and their physiology and health (and how it can be affected by routine).
Here are some of the things I look at and why:
Sleep and rest
Dogs as a species should be getting approximately 14-18 hours of rest and sleep (16-20 hours for puppies) a day. This isn’t a random figure. Observations of free-ranging dogs show that they spend the majority of their day doing very little. Another study (not peer-reviewed) found that dogs who achieved more than 14 hours of rest and sleep engaged in fewer behaviours associated with stress. Lack of rest and sleep can result in impaired cognitive ability, irritability, sensitivity, or even apparent hyperactivity, so getting adequate sleep is hugely important to all species, including our dogs.
Quality of rest
It’s important that rest is of high quality. Frequent interruption from home (or workplace) activity, door activity (doorbell setting them off), external noises, etc., can have long-term implications on a dog’s mental (and even physical) health.
There is such a thing as overcompensating and doing too much of what we perceive to be a good thing. Too frequent interruption from well-meaning dog walkers, owners, neighbours, etc., can have a detrimental effect due to interrupting rest and preventing quality sleep. Following an event (someone visiting or a walk), dogs need the opportunity for 2.5-3.5 hours of quality rest and sleep. Also, consider dogs who react to every noise or follow their owners’ every move. Are these dogs getting quality sleep?
Alone time
Dogs are polyphasic sleepers, meaning that after 2.5-3 hours of rest, they will start to get up and move around. Have a think about where crates with closed doors fit into that! Often, in the daytime, after this duration of rest, dogs may become ready to do something. Their exercise and social routine should be planned taking this into consideration. Naturally, after a good walk and in an environment that promotes quality rest, providing a dog copes well alone, they will often rest for an extra hour or so. However, around 4-5 hours, they are almost certainly ready for something to happen.
One study found that dogs left alone for around 2.5-4 hours (providing they could cope) showed the fewest stress-related behaviours. We should carefully plan the amount of time our dogs spend alone, using dog walkers, friends, or our lunch breaks as a way of breaking up their day.
We should also look at the total amount of time in the day a dog is left alone, and on days where this is longer than normal, ensure that the time we spend with them is quality, stimulating (in a good way, i.e., not over-stimulating), and enriching for them.
Activity
Observations of free-ranging dogs show they are often more active in the morning and mid-afternoon to early evening. Exercise around these times may suit many dogs. It is a big ask for a dog to spend all evening and all night resting and then be expected to do nothing until a walk can finally be accommodated into their carer’s schedule. Some dogs don’t want a walk in the morning, which is fine. But we need to be ready to provide exercise (and the subsequent mental stimulation it brings) when a dog is ready to do something after a long period of rest.
Often, people overdo dogs’ exercise, with the very best intentions. I’ve met some dogs who have had as many as 4-5 walks a day! This goes completely against their species-specific activity budget. Of course, we have breeds bred to do specific jobs, but few to no border collies herd sheep for 4 hours 7 days a week. Assuming a dog has a garden to toilet in, 1-2 walks a day totalling 45-90 minutes (depending on breed/physical ability) is enough to keep most dogs fit and mentally stimulated.
Types of exercise
I also look at the type of exercise, because many dog owners have a tendency to love putting their dogs through high-intensity exercise (ball games, running, cycling, playing with other dogs, or allowing hunting/rampaging) on every single walk. Alternatively, breed-specific tendencies or high arousal can cause some dogs to struggle to regulate their behaviour on walks. This amount of activity should be taken into consideration when planning walk frequency and duration, because a working cocker spaniel may cover 8 miles at high speed while you walk 4 miles.
My observations are that dogs are more high alert in the dark. Whilst their eyesight is better than ours in the dark, it is still impaired compared to daylight. They often become more sensitive to movement and sound and, in my opinion, are generally more reactive and vigilant. I, therefore, advise dogs are walked in daylight as much as possible.
Feeding
Often, this is where most tweaks are made. Too often, I see dogs facing the world on an empty stomach. Low blood sugar levels and hunger could lead to irritability or anxiety (how do you feel when you’re hangry?). Of course, we don’t want dogs to get bloat (which can be fatal), and this needs to be taken into consideration when deciding feeding and walking times.
Many dogs are given one meal a day, which is not sustainable when it comes to regulating blood sugar levels. I would be really moody if I ate once a day, and I don’t believe dogs are immune from experiencing negative emotional states when hungry. Why are we allowed multiple meals and dogs so few?
Effects of exercise on digestion
The effects exercise has on the body impairs digestion for a period of time after. How long depends on the individual and the intensity of the exercise. For instance, I did a 14k mountain trail run recently. I was able to eat 15 minutes after, but my friend was physically sick after eating the same amount of food. The duration and intensity of exercise had affected our digestion. How would our dogs communicate they felt queasy? Over time, would they go off their food or become picky eaters? Some may develop licking behaviours to alleviate gastro discomfort. To ensure dogs utilise their food’s nutrients and digest efficiently, I would not recommend feeding a dog a full meal on return from their walk, especially if that dog is highly active on their walks.
Chewing
Chewing is totally underrated and too frequently underpractised. Not all dogs like to chew (check their teeth before you take this as a given). But it is a species-specific behaviour and takes up a considerable amount of time in the free-ranging dog’s daily activity budget. Chewing also has psychological benefits by increasing the inhibitory (calming) neurotransmitter GABA and the hormone (and neurotransmitter) dopamine. Dogs should chew every day, and not all dogs want to invest time in chewing something they can’t swallow (like a stag bar). In the wild, ingestion generally follows chewing, so the two often go hand in hand.
Mental stimulation
The domestic dog didn’t choose us to keep them captive, and we owe it to our dogs to make sure we provide them with adequate mental stimulation. This can be in the form of play, foraging games, food puzzles, chewing, grooming, or training, and I generally recommend trying to do at least one of these activities at least 3-5 days a week. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and time-consuming. Doing something is better than doing nothing, and you’ll form a great relationship with your dog as a result.
My dogs’ routine
Obviously, our individual working schedules will vary, and I’m not suggesting everyone should mirror this exactly. But for those interested, this is what I do with my dogs and why. Times are approximate.
7AM: Wake, wee, feed, and wee again. My dogs are hungry when they wake, and I see no reason why they should wait.
9-11AM: After 1.5 hours of digestion, my dogs go for a walk. This walk is generally 45 minutes long, occasionally 1 hour long if Denzel isn’t with us. This walk always involves the car, which the dogs love! So it gets them out of the house for a minimum of 1.5 hours, including travel time.
11AM: After 30 minutes or so following their walk (including car travel time), they are usually given a small snack to help regulate their blood sugar levels.
11AM – 3PM: Rest and alone time (1-2 days a week, I work from home during the daytime). Alone time is usually 2.5-4 hours long so they can rest adequately. I (or my dog walker) return before they get too restless. It is very unusual for me to leave my dogs longer than 4.5 hours, but I do about twice a month. It is never more than 5.5 hours in duration.
3-4PM: Walk, approximately 20-40 minutes (depending on if Denzel is with us).
4PM: Feed and wee. After a 30-minute rest, I then feed my dogs. If I walk them earlier, they can be fed as early as 3PM! This is because they are hungry, and I have no reason to make them wait to the point of them becoming agitated. Dogs don’t need to subscribe to our concept of ‘teatime’. Plus, I do think there is little reason to feed late. Dogs don’t need to be digesting a full meal at night, and sleep doesn’t require THAT much energy. I do feel that creating a fasting period is beneficial to health, so the body can divert blood and energy elsewhere for cellular repair. So the longer my dogs can go without digesting (between dinner and breakfast) the better, in my opinion.
4-7PM: Rest or alone time.
7PM: Wee, chew, play, or training. About 5-6 evenings a week, they will get an activity (or sometimes two) as they are often more active after a rest and are looking for something to do. If I’m tired, I usually bail out with a chew or some play time, and about 2-3 nights a week, I do training that includes grooming/husbandry as part of social bonding. I am out 1-2 nights a week climbing, and on these evenings, they do not get an activity, but they will usually get a chew under supervision before I go. As chewing increases GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, I give my dogs chews at times in the day I want them to wind down. I do some training on their walks about 1 walk in 2 or 3.
8-10PM: Rest/hang out (1-2 times a week, it might be alone time).
10PM: Wee and bed. All three of my dogs sleep in my bedroom with me because that’s where we all sleep best!
Totals
- Meals x 2
- Snacks x 2
- Activity 0-2
- Walks x 2
- Rest and sleep: 16-18 hours
- Walk duration total: 1.15-1.40 hours
- Wee opportunities (inc walks) x 6
- Alone time: ranges from 3-8 hours a day and at various times
Flexibility, variation, and regulation
A too rigid routine is not a good idea. We need to build some flexibility into our dogs’ schedules; otherwise, they may become anxious when life doesn’t go just so! In fact, too rigid routines have been correlated with an increase in anticipatory or stress-related behaviours in captive animals (and let’s face it, most dogs are captive!). The times I’ve given are very approximate. Sometimes their walk and feed time can vary by as much as two hours. Tonight, they had dinner at 5:30PM, and they were okay with that.
I also carefully regulate how many evenings in a week I am out working or climbing (my partying days are long, long gone). So, my dogs have my constant company at least two evenings a week, where I am home from 4/5PM onwards and all evening. I try not to leave them alone in the evening if I’ve been out more than 4 hours in the day (the beauty of being self-employed).
If I’ve been away on holiday (even just for a couple of days), I often schedule in 1-2 days where I’m mostly at home so I can re-establish that sense of familiarity, security, and social bonding with my dogs. In other words, I plan my activities and workload based around my dogs to ensure they are not left alone too much.
If I go running with Kanita and Roo, then they have a 20-30 minute slow walk later that day and shorter walks the day after. Roo does a maximum of two runs a week (Kanita does maybe one a week, sometimes none!) with 2-3 days rest in between each run to allow his stress levels to come down and for any muscle soreness to recover. I don’t want my dogs to get fixed on a certain walk duration or walk pattern from day to day.
Routines and individuality
Remember, we are all individuals! You have your own lives with your own schedules, and sometimes changes are just not possible despite our best intentions. But this is where we should be looking at whether external help can be involved if we feel we may be short-changing our dogs. Dogs are also individual. If they are elderly or in pain (like my Denzel), then they need fewer walks, and sometimes a day off from exercise entirely! Some dogs may be too scared to enjoy their walks or be a breed that mentally and physically requires less physical exercise. Some individuals or breeds may cope with more or less alone time than others, and whether they’re one of a multi-dog household may also influence that.
Their individual behaviour and needs can also vary day to day. If my dogs have had an eventful day (like travelling to see my Grandma with me for the day), they’ll have a quiet rest day after. I personally struggle to give my other dogs a total day off walks (they REALLY love their walks), but we do a ‘short walk day’ where the total exercise for the day is about 30-45 minutes across one or two walks.
Routines have to accommodate our needs as well as our dogs’ species-specific and individual needs. I hope this post gives some of you food for thought without coming across like it’s telling you to rearrange your lives based entirely on my suggestions.
Conclusion
Creating a balanced routine for your dog involves understanding their need for quality sleep, appropriate alone time, regular activity, proper feeding, and mental stimulation. By carefully considering these aspects and adjusting your dog’s routine accordingly, you can significantly improve their well-being and overall behaviour. If you have any questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out.
