Time well Spent

 

Daisy and Dru



When I was young and bored, my mother told me, life was going to speed up and you won't know where the time went. Well here I am with my (do I dare say?) 53rd birthday arriving next week and I am thinking "Wow, time did go by fast!" Now knowing how life passes by like the speed of light makes me want to take more time or make more of my time (when I can).

Our dogs are a special part of our lives and in reality, really just share a short portion in terms of years. So we need to make the most of our time together. We all have busy lives and many times we are racing out of our house with just a pat goodbye on our dog's head. Feeding time is usually just setting the food bowl down, maybe having the dog do a quick sit and stay, then walking away to get our own meal going.

As you may know, I am adding to my skill set along with Daisy's, how to do and teach dog tricks. One of the concepts I took away from my Certified Trick Dog Instructor course ( CTDI) with Kyra Sundance was about Enrichment Activities. These activities are daily opportunities to spend quality time with our dogs. No longer will you feel guilty for not doing something with your dog.

Three planned, daily, enrichment activities will keep your dog engaged with you, stimulate their busy minds and satisfy their craving for your attention. Described by Kyra, one enrichment activity should be Side by Side such as a walk or excursion. The second enrichment activity should be Eye to Eye in which you interact with your dog as you both look into the other's eyes. Training a trick or working on focus encourages eye contact. The third enrichment activity should be something Fun. Choose something both you and your dog enjoy such as a good game of tug, fetch or hide n seek.

Making a commitment to your dog is easier with three daily enrichment activities. Each day you can decide how you will spend time with your dog. Whether you have an hour or a few minutes, no matter how you spend your time with your dog, at the end of the day (or end of your dog's life because it will pass in the blink of an eye!) you will be happy because it was time well spent.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070