Structure & Rules & Giving Your Dog A Job

These things are important out in the real world but even more important in your home

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Why is structure so important?

It gives your dog clarity by setting a consistent and reasonable expectation. Dogs thrive with predictability.

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Examples of Structure in Your Home:

Place duration after your morning walk 

Training sessions for meal time

Kennel time in the afternoon 

Place duration while you eat dinner

Impulse control at thresholds (not rushing through the door just because it’s open)

Kenneling your dog at night

Examples of Structure Outside Your Home:

Holding your dog accountable to heel on the walk

Downstay in the car

Place on a park bench while dogs run around & children play

Lots of direction and guidance around stimuli

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If you don’t give your dog a job they will take it upon themselves to find something to do and you probably won’t like it. 

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Some job options for your dog:

Place Command: helps give your dog a job - instead of aimlessly roaming the house trying to find something to do to keep themselves occupied, teach your dog to learn how to relax by holding place instead of stealing your slippers or chewing your phone charger

Kennel Time: dogs are den animals - crating your dog is NOT a punishment - lets change our perception of crating our dogs, shall we? - make their crate a positive & safe space for your dog to go to retreat and have some down time - start making it a part of your routine - feed their meals in there - start slow, let them spend a few minutes in there and release them - going in the crate doesn’t always have to mean you’re leaving for hours on end

Impulse control: teach your dog to think twice before they act - practice threshold manners at the door, every door, house, car, crate etc. - change their view on what an open door means - it shouldn’t mean anything until you tell your dog it means something (aka they can pass through)

Heel: give your dog a job on the walk when things tend to be the most intense, stressful or overstimulating - hold them accountable - help them take your guidance and direction and look to you in times when they are unsure

Downstay in the car: is your dog whiny, anxious, spastic etc when you put them in the car? - of course they are because you’ve probably amped them up time and time again when putting them in the car (you wanna go for a ride?!) and car rides usually lead to fun exciting adventures - practice a downstay in the car to help your dog learn to settle and ease some anxiety about everything going on around them on the drive to your destination (dog reactive dogs who lunge at the window at the sight of another dog walking by? downstay - they can’t react when they don’t have the option to fixate on triggers)

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