Yay! A new year for our dogs and us!

Such fun! A whole new year is ahead of us - us and our dogs.

So … what are we going to do with it?

Maybe this will be the year you try competing - in Agility, Rally, Obedience, Working Trials …

Maybe this will be the year you learn a new skill with your dog - Search and Rescue, Scentwork of any kind, Assistance Dog work …

Maybe you’ll determine that this is the year you teach your dog some new fun activities - Tricks, Parkour, Waterwork …  

Or maybe you’ll carry on just as you always have.

And this could be absolutely fine!

You don’t have to do anything special with your dog if you don’t want to.

But to keep you both fully-functioning for as long as possible, you want to ensure there are lots of stimulating walks for you and your companion, new places to visit, new landscapes to explore.

I make a point of walking my dogs in all the different terrains that are available to me here.

🐾 So one day we’ll be on one of our lovely long-distance footpaths.

🐾  Another day we’ll be at the beach.

🐾  Or open fields and pasture, or commonland.

🐾 Woodland or forest another day.

🐾   We may mooch round the village or a nearby town.

🐾 A canal-side or riverside walk is full of new experiences.

🐾  And we love the solitude of the Marshes.

What do you do to keep your dog’s interest alive? Comment below and tell us!

New thoughts for your dog

We don’t stand still in life, and neither does our dog!

We change all the time. We’re not the same person we were 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago.

And your dog is not the same dog who ventured into your life all those years or months ago!

He’s changed too. You’ve grown together. You understand each other. You’ve developed a cosy routine that works for you.

Does this routine work just as well for your dog?

But just as you learned to read and didn’t stop there - you went on to read thousands of books, millions of words - your dog may have learnt to sit. But it needn’t stop there!

Continually stretching your dog’s mind is what will keep him fit and well right into old age.

While diet, healthcare, and exercise, are important - it’s the mental stimulation that will keep your dog young, engaged, and happy all his life!

So how about having a re-think?

Perhaps it’s time to re-assess where you are with your dog.

🐾 When did you last teach him a new thing?

🐾 When did you introduce a new game into your lives together?

🐾 When did you last become adventurous with what you feed him?

🐾 When did you go on a new walk?

🐾 How about a different outing, a new cafe visit?

You had such fun together when your dog was new!

Be sure to keep the fun alive so he doesn’t become part of the furniture.

Want to learn some new tricks? Start here with our free Workshop! And have FUN with your dog!