Dogs need predictability so they can have control over the environment which will help them relax.
Creating structure can be a challenge especially if we hadn’t learned how to do this for ourselves.
Routines can seem overwhelming and confining for us.
What may be underneath the surface of the overwhelm and feeling confined may be:
Fear of failure?
Loss of independence?
If you can flip the script and choose to see the benefits for you when you set up a routine you encourage your dog to follow, your world expands.
Feel more confident because you’re now able to celebrate the small wins.
You discover your own freedom because you can see and even feel your dog being more relaxed and now you can let go more of the worry about what your dog is doing and you can do more of the things you want.
You achieve a sense of accomplishment and see the success. Your confidence guides you into reframing when something doesn’t work, you try again.
If you experience misgivings or resistance around creating a routine for your dog, taking a look at what shows up for you will give you insight into areas in your life you may need to tend to so you can fully show up for your dog in a loving and compassionate way.
Katherine Porter is a force free, reward based dog behavior advisor and consultant serving clients and their companion dogs worldwide. Her calm and gentle approach in coaching clients in effectively communicating what they want to their dog blends her MSW background into her dog training and behavior practice.
Katherine was a behavior consultant for Heeling Hounds after graduation. She opened Four Paws and You Dog Training LLC when the military relocated her family to Fort Sill, OK in 2015. During this time, she volunteered with Rainbow Bridge Can Wait where she provided post adoption consultations to new pet parents. She also developed and implemented tailored behavior modification plans for highly reactive dogs residing at the shelter. She also provided educational programs to military children through interactive workshops at the Fort Sill School Age Center.
In 2017, Katherine relocated Four Paws and You Dog Training LLC to Germany. She served the Armed Forces communities in Bavaria. She continued coaching and advising her clients in addressing their companion dog’s fearful and reactive behavioral issues. Katherine takes a Do No Harm approach first and foremost in providing behavioral plans. She is committed in serving clients with gentle and modern science approaches in modifying behavioral concerns such as reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety and fear based responses.
Katherine is a member of the Pet Professional Guild. She is focused on integrating a holistic and modern approach in addressing her client’s pet companion reactive behavior issues.
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