How to Get Your Dog Back Into a Routine After Summer
Dog routine can change quite a lot over the summer. There might be later nights, different walks, holidays, days out and plenty more time spent together.
Then September arrives, the children go back to school, work routines return and suddenly life looks very different again.
For us, it might feel like we’re simply getting back to normal. For our dogs, it’s another change to get used to.
If your dog seems a little unsettled, clingy, restless or confused by the change, they may simply be adjusting to a new routine.
The good news is that there are plenty of simple things you can do to help your dog settle, without taking all the fun out of their day.
Why is dog routine so important?
Dogs don’t need every minute of their day to happen at exactly the same time, but having some predictability can help them understand what to expect.
They learn patterns around things like meals, walks, bedtime and when their humans leave and return home.
A change in routine isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, learning to cope with changes is an important part of life. But big or sudden changes can be difficult for some dogs, particularly if their summer has looked very different from their usual routine.
Imagine going from having people around most of the day to suddenly being left alone for several hours.
Or going from late evening walks and lots of adventures to a much quieter weekday routine.
For some dogs, that’s quite a lot to process.
What might have changed in your dog’s routine over summer?
There isn’t one particular “summer routine” that applies to every dog. It depends entirely on what your summer has looked like.
Perhaps your dog has:
- Had more time with you while you’ve been off work
- Got used to children being at home
- Been enjoying later walks or bedtime
- Had more days out and adventures
- Spent more time in the garden
- Had visitors coming and going
- Been travelling or staying somewhere different
- Been getting more play, training or enrichment throughout the day
When September arrives, some of those things might stop quite suddenly.
That doesn’t mean you need to keep your summer routine going forever. But thinking about which changes your dog is experiencing can help you make the transition a little easier.
Get your dog’s routine back gradually where you can
If your summer schedule has been completely different, you don’t necessarily have to switch everything back overnight.
When you can, try to:
- Keep some familiar enrichment activities in the day.
- Bring bedtime gradually back towards normal.
- Move walks towards their usual times.
- Return to regular meal times.
- Build up periods of alone time.
Of course, life doesn’t always allow for a perfectly gradual transition. Sometimes school starts on Monday and work starts at 8am, whether your dog is ready for it or not.
In that case, don’t worry about making everything perfect. Focus on keeping the parts of their routine that you can control predictable.
Don’t forget about time alone
One of the biggest changes for some dogs after the summer holidays is suddenly spending more time alone.
If your dog has become used to having someone around most of the day, going straight back to several hours alone can be a big adjustment.
If possible, build up alone time gradually before your normal routine fully returns.
You can also make sure your dog has a comfortable place to settle, something appropriate to chew or lick, and an activity they genuinely enjoy.
Enrichment such as puzzles, snuffle mats and treat-dispensing toys can be useful here, but it shouldn’t be used simply to distract a dog who is distressed about being left. If your dog struggles with separation or being alone, that’s a bigger issue than boredom and may need help from a qualified behaviour professional.
Keep some of the summer fun
Getting back into a routine doesn’t mean your dog’s life has to become boring.
This is something that’s easy to overlook.
You might have less time for long adventures during the week, but there are plenty of ways to keep opportunities for enrichment and natural behaviours in your dog’s day.
There are lots of little ways to keep enrichment in your dog’s day, such as:
- A few minutes of training before dinner
- Scattering some of their usual food for them to find
- Giving them plenty of time to sniff on a walk
- Offering an appropriate chew
- Playing a favourite game in the garden
- Setting up a simple scent game
You could also keep one of your favourite summer activities as a regular weekend treat.
Perhaps it’s a particular walk, a trip somewhere new, a game in the garden or a scent game you’ve discovered your dog loves.
The routine can come back without taking all the fun with it.
Make walks part of your dog routine
When we’re short on time, it’s tempting to think that a quick walk is simply about getting the physical exercise done.
But walks can offer dogs so much more than that.
Sniffing, exploring, investigating and making choices are all valuable parts of a walk. Your dog doesn’t necessarily need to walk as far as possible or spend the entire time moving at a fast pace.
Even on a shorter walk, giving your dog time to stop and sniff can provide mental stimulation and allow them to engage with their environment.
So if your weekday walks need to be shorter than your summer adventures, don’t assume they’ve lost all their value.
Sometimes ten minutes of proper sniffing is far more interesting to a dog than ten minutes spent marching along the same route.
Keep enrichment realistic
September can be a busy month for humans too.
There’s work to catch up on, school runs, shopping, packed lunches, earlier mornings and a seemingly endless list of things that didn’t exist during the summer.
Your dog’s enrichment doesn’t need to become another job on your list.
You don’t need to set up a complicated puzzle every day or spend hours inventing new activities.
Look for small opportunities that fit naturally into your existing routine.
You could:
- Scatter some of your dog’s usual food around the garden
- Use a suitable puzzle toy for part of their meal
- Spend five minutes practising a few tricks
- Give them a safe chew while you have your morning coffee
- Let them sniff and explore rather than rushing a walk
- Hide a few pieces of food around the house for them to find
- Rotate toys so that familiar ones become interesting again
A simple activity that you can actually keep doing is much more useful than an elaborate enrichment plan that lasts three days before real life gets in the way.
Watch how your dog responds to the change
Every dog will respond differently to a change in routine.
Some will happily go back to normal as though nothing happened.
Others might become more vocal, follow you around more, struggle to settle, seem restless or behave differently when left alone.
It’s worth paying attention to these changes rather than simply assuming your dog is being difficult.
A change in behaviour can have lots of possible causes, including stress, frustration, discomfort or anxiety. If you’re concerned about a persistent or significant change in your dog’s behaviour, speak to your vet or an appropriately qualified behaviour professional.
But sometimes, your dog simply needs a little time to adjust.
Keeping their days predictable, making sure their physical and mental needs are still being met, and giving them plenty of opportunities to rest can all help.
A good dog routine includes plenty of rest
When we’re thinking about enrichment, it’s easy to focus on what we can add to our dog’s day.
But getting back into a routine is also about making sure they have enough time to switch off.
Summer can be busy for dogs too. There may have been more walks, visitors, adventures and time spent out and about.
September can be a good opportunity to re-establish those quiet periods.
Make sure your dog has somewhere comfortable where they can rest undisturbed, and don’t feel that every quiet moment needs to be filled with an activity.
A healthy routine needs both stimulation and downtime.
Your dog’s routine doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s
It’s easy to compare your dog’s routine with what you see other people doing.
There isn’t one perfect routine for every dog. For example:
- One dog might thrive on three shorter walks.
- Another might prefer one longer walk.
- One might love working out a puzzle.
- Another might get far more enjoyment from sniffing around the garden.
Think about your individual dog.
What do they enjoy? What helps them settle? What opportunities do they need to move, sniff, explore, play, learn and behave naturally?
Then think about how you can fit those things into your real-life routine.
It might be as simple as adding five minutes of training before dinner or taking a slightly slower route home from the school run so your dog can stop and sniff.
Small things count.
Back to routine doesn’t mean back to boring
September doesn’t have to mean the end of your dog’s adventures.
Your daily routine might change, but you can still give your dog opportunities to explore, learn, sniff, play and make choices. The aim isn’t to recreate the summer holidays every day.
It’s to make sure that, alongside the predictable parts of their routine, there are still things in their day that are interesting and enjoyable.
If you’re looking for an easy way to add a little variety to your dog’s routine, our monthly Woofbox subscription delivers a new box of toys and treats every month, giving your dog something different to explore, play with and enjoy. It’s a simple way to keep a little bit of excitement in their routine, even when life gets busy.
Because a good dog routine isn’t one where every day is exactly the same.It’s one where your dog knows what to expect, has their needs met, gets opportunities to do the things they enjoy, and has plenty of time to rest.
So as you get back into the swing of September, don’t worry about making your dog’s routine perfect. Just look at what has changed, make the transition as manageable as you can, and keep a little bit of that summer fun going.
Your dog probably won’t mind if the alarm goes off a little earlier again, as long as there’s still something interesting waiting for them when they wake up. 🐾
