New Year’s is a time for humans to choose their new commitments. Health, happiness, habits and relationships are all on the table. Dog guardians might also reflect on opportunities to make this year the best year for our canine companions. Check out these fun dog resolutions for ideas.
Dog Resolutions
Strengthen companionship. Our canine companions are all about loyalty, partly because they don’t have many distractions. Humans, however, have family, work, hobbies, and other passions that can take us away from our pups and leave them without a fair return on their relationship investment. This year, let’s show them they are the heart of our family and our home. We can create schedules and to-do lists that will ensure we follow through on our resolutions. And we might even think about matching them with a new companion. It can be a lonely life for dogs if they are only children. Consider a new rescue adoption or becoming foster. A brother or sister for our fur-baby can make all the difference in the life of a dog who’s been living with limited companionship.More Exercise. Almost everyone adds this one to the resolutions list. Why not include Fido? While the breed will be an important factor when it comes to choosing the right amount of exercise, keep in mind that committing to more outings also engages our dog’s mind. Olfactory stimulation and spending just 20 minutes outdoors with us, can lead to better mental acuity, better digestion, and a longer life.
New Tricks. Turns out we can teach a dog new tricks! In fact, they love to learn as long as we are teaching our furry buddies age appropriate lessons. Not only will learning a new trick help stimulate Fido’s mind, it will strengthen our bond with them because teaching and learning are also a form of communication and bonding. So, break out some favorite treats and get ready for bark, play dead, and rollover. As a warm up, it can be a great idea to refresh some of the old tricks, like sit, stay, and shake. We can begin by brushing up on familiar tricks. Then we can lead into more advanced playtime favorites.
Better Food. Another resolution that has become a staple on the human New Year’s checklist. As far as dog resolutions go, this should be on everyone’s list too. Commercial pet food has fillers and often cause digestive problems for dogs. Instead, we can try EcoEats, which is a trusted, natural, vet-approved dog food. And it can be customized with meat and other add-ins that will best suit our pup. We don’t just have to serve our pup food this year. We can serve nutritious food that is delicious for our pup and affordable.
Prepare the emergency kit. Everyone lives with the risk of a natural disaster, house fire, or some other threat. Unlikely as it may be, preparation take minimal effort and can make all the difference should the worst occur. We can take a full body picture of our pup in case we are separated and need to make flyers. Getting our canine companions microchipped is essential. And we can create a list of medications, emergency phone numbers, and other critical info to share with emergency responders and pet sitters.
Safety first - pet-proof home, car, and yard. Our pups always seem to find a way to get into everything. Sock drawers, leftovers, and gated gardens are all at risk. But it doesn’t hurt to do a quick audit. It’ll give us a few action items like fences that need mending and dog houses that need sprucing. And by pet-proofing our home, we’ll be making sure prescriptions are still kept out of paw’s reach and things like pesticides and coolant are out of the way.
Choose preventative care. While we should definitely invest in that yearly check-up all pups are supposed to have with their doctor, we should also think about preventative care. Vet Organics has a family of powerful products that are hard on pests and other stressors, but gentle on dogs. Consider EcoDigestive. This is a supplement that helps soothe and boost digestive function without causing other side-effects and reactions. Preventatives are our pet’s best line of defense against developing diseases, disorders, and parasites. We shouldn’t skimp on such an inexpensive and easy way to ensure a long, happy life with our canine companions. New Year’s resolutions may be something we commonly associate with human fitness and financial health goals, but this year, let’s entertain the idea that dog resolutions are a way to make sure our fur-babies stay safe, happy, and healthy throughout the year.