25/09/2025
Routines
Its been on my mind for a while…..I’m not a fan of strict process and protocol. I go with the flow……or do I?
There are still things I do every single day without a second thought. So, whilst I claim to be a bit of a wild one…..am I?
Are they helpful, or can they quietly trip us up?
The more I learn and keep learning, the more I realise routines are stitched into everything we do.
Coming home from work.
Making dinner.
Settling down for TV.
Heading to bed.
We do them without thinking. That’s the beauty of routines. They lighten the cognitive load. They’re familiar, automatic, safe.
And our dogs?
They’re watching.
They’re learning.
They’re living by them.
Dachshunds are masters of routine. They know when the kettle goes on, it’s nearly walk time. They know the sound of your slippers means sofa snuggles. They know when the lights dim, it’s time to burrow under the blanket.
But here’s the tricky bit.
When routines change, even slightly, it can throw them.
The missed walk.
The late dinner.
The visitor who sits in their spot.
Sometimes they get aggy in anticipation of what always happens at 7pm when you sit down to relax. Sometimes they even tell you its bedtime like an overkeen alarm clock.
So yes, routines are powerful. But they’re also fragile.
We need to build routines we actually want, so the behaviours we want become habit.
And here’s the kicker. Building new routines takes effort.
Why? Because it’s not our routine yet. It’s unfamiliar. It’s work. It takes time., consistency, patience and determination!!
But once you consistently do something well with your dog, and they consistently respond with the behaviour you want, it becomes second nature.
They learn the skill.
You reinforce it.
They repeat it.
And it sticks, because it’s just the way you’ve always done it.
Take barking, for instance.
If your dachshund always charges out the front door barking, then that’s the done thing.
If they always pull on lead, done thing.
If they always bark at the flea farting down the road, yep, done thing.
So instead of your daily ritual of chasing them back inside for barking at said flea, take the time to teach them to do something else.
Something calm.
Something quiet.
Something you want to become the done thing.
Because routines aren’t just habits.
They’re blueprints.
Let’s build ones that work for us and our master manipulators!
Why don’t you think of something small and easy that you can build into your routine that has massive impact on your lives.
Something simple just like:
Taking a pause before you open the door, wait or ask for a moment of stillness a sit, a look, a breath - before the door opens, so they go out calmly and quietly instead of a screaming banshee?
Forget new years, make that small change today, and keep on doing it over and over again until you forget you are doing it.
