Many of us use the start of the new year as a time to refocus on ourselves and our goals for the year.  You can do the same for your dog!   When we are busy, we sometimes relax a bit on our training and behavioral expectations for our dogs, and we are coming out of a season where many of our pets have gotten some extra treats.  Why not set some new year’s resolutions for your relationship with your dog?

Healthy Eating
This is a good time of year to make sure that your dog is at an ideal weight.  A landmark study by Purina found that dogs kept at their ideal body weight lived almost 2 years longer than dogs fed more generous portions, and also had delayed onset and lower incidence of chronic health conditions, orthopedic problems, and osteoarthritis.  Feeding instructions on dog food bags are not specific to a particular breed, metabolism, or activity level, so don’t just go by that.  Use the attached Body Condition System infographic and talk with your veterinarian about what an ideal weight would be for your dog.  Does your dog need to lose a few pounds?  Make a plan with your veterinarian to increase exercise, limit treats and people food, and feed appropriate portions based on what your dog needs.  Adding in vegetables like green beans or zucchini can help your pet to feel full if their dog food portions are reduced.

Sit, Spot, Sit!
Is your dog listening to you less than you would like?  Or have they developed some problematic or annoying behaviors you wish you could change?  As the new year starts, rather than trying to fix everything at once (and getting discouraged), make a list of 3-5 behaviors you would like to work on for 2022.  Do you wish your dog would go to “place” rather than rush the door?  Do you wish they would sit calmly while you are preparing their food?  Do they jump up more than you would like or pull on the leash when walking?  Are they anxious in the car?  Do some research or talk to a trainer about some ways you can use praise and rewards, along with environmental changes, to help your dog learn new behaviors or replace problematic ones with more appropriate ones.  Pick one behavior to focus on for 1-2 weeks, and conduct short (5 minute) training sessions each day to work on the behavior.  Make a list of the small steps needed to change their behavior, and take it step by step.  The repetition and daily practice will help them to listen and learn.  Praise your dog for each small gain they make along the way, and stick with it!  For example, if your dog rushes the door, you first want to teach them to sit, then stay on a particular spot (like a doormat, yoga mat, or bath mat).  Once they’ve mastered that, you can work on being able to move further and further away from them while they are staying in place.  You then can enlist a friend or family member to “arrive” by ringing the doorbell, while you are reinforcing and rewarding their behavior to stay in place.  Once they’ve mastered that, you can put them in “place” while you move to answer the door.  Have some extra time?  Add in an extra training session or two each day and your dog will learn even faster!  Once your dog’s brain is in “learning mode”, they’ll learn new behaviors quickly and before you know it, you’ll have a calmer dog who is choosing more appropriate behaviors.

Move, Move, Move
With the weather being cooler, this is a great time to get outside and exercise your dog since they are not at risk of overheating.  Too cold?  Get them a jacket and booties if needed!  It’s easy with the busy pace of our lives to not exercise our dogs outside as much as we would like.  Set a resolution to up your dog’s activity level- whether it’s adding in 2-3 long walks a week or increasing the length of walks.  This is a great time to try a new activity with your dog, whether it’s hiking, running with you while you ride your bike, or trying a new sport.  Many training classes are available in sport areas like agility, freestyle, conformation, rally o, flyball, nose work, lure coursing, and tricks. For more information, check out https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/get-started-in-dog-sports-and-events/