26/03/2025
Let's talk about ✨️choice✨️...baby (sorry)
As much as we love our dogs and do all we can to provide the best lives possible for them, if we're really honest with ourselves, our dogs don't normally have a huge amount of choice or agency day-to-day. As their caregivers, we decide and structure a large amount of their lives, including: what and when they eat, when and where they go for walks, how long and how many times a day they walk, and where they sleep.
Why is this a problem? Shouldn't our dogs be grateful for the shelter, food, and love we provide them with? Yes and no. Through domestication, dogs have learned and adapted very well to fit in with our human lives, and most live very happily. However, it's important to remember that what our dogs would choose to do if living in the wild would likely not resemble their lives with us. There are so-called "village dogs" in countries all around the world that interact with humans and may well sleep in homes at night, but for the most part, hang out and come and go as they please.
I'm not saying we should all release our dogs into the street (please don't!), but what I am saying is that giving our dogs even just small choices in their day-to-day lives can have a massively positive impact on their wellbeing.
Still with me? So how can you actually do this? Here are some of my favourite simple ways to provide more choice and agency in a dog's life:
🐾 Let them choose the direction you walk in (if safe to do so!).
🐾 Give them a choice of treats/chews/bones. Present 2 options and let them pick.
🐾 Provide multiple comfortable resting places throughout the home.
🐾 Have a variety of toys available to your dog at all times - soft, squeaky, hard, textured, tuggy, ball etc.
What choices do you provide your dog? Let us know in the comments ⬇️
