Choices

Dogs don't have a lot of choice in their lives. We decide when they eat, what they eat, when they go for a walk and sometimes when they sleep.

Often we decide where they eat, where they sleep, and where they go for a walk.

It makes sense to me that if we can give our dogs some choice, particularly anxious dogs, it will help build confidence and agency.

Many dog owners talk about the value of letting their dog choose the walking route for the day.

That wouldn't work for George at the moment unfortunately as we have to drive to a walk (George is more reactive around the home) but I will definitely bear it in mind in the future.

I've read about the value of a Sniffari where your dog gets to explore at their pace rather than you leading the walk.

We try to do this but Sniffaris can be a little tricky when you're constantly trying to avoid triggers!

I've seen dog owners try to incorporate as much choice as possible into their dogs lives, for example presenting two harnesses and seeing which one they choose.

I wish I had listened more to George's choices in the early days when he was hesitant to go on walks.

Rather than encouraging him or cajoling him along, he would have known I had his back better if I'd listened to what he was telling me and called it a day or gone a different route.

Sometimes he didn't want to walk past something. I cajoled him along rather than giving him the choice to take a different route.

I still decide what George eats, when he eats (although he is not wolfing his food down anymore and often chooses to eat later), and when we go for a walk. But I try to allow him choices where possible.

The concept of cooperative care was new to me. I am working on this for handling and brushing. I give George a choice to move away and he can choose whether to carry on. If he doesn't come back, we'll have a break. This is working really well and we have progressed from George being visibly scared of the brush to allowing me to brush his ears and tail within a few weeks.

I originally wanted George to sleep in his crate. Now he has the choice and sleeps either downstairs, on my bed, or on my bedroom floor.

I think more choice has supported George to become more independent and has helped his overall wellbeing.