Is an inconsistent routine harmful?
I adopted an 11 month old border collie mix last month. He’s a fantastic dog, and I think I’m able to give him a great life- but I am second guessing one piece of our situation. I live and work on the same 300 acre property, so even on long work days I can pop home to take the pup on walks pretty frequently.
The problem is that my visits have very little consistency in regards to time. I make sure we always do breakfast (7-8am) and dinner (5:30-6:30pm) at roughly the same time everyday, but outside of that, I could do two visits/walks/playtimes in the morning, and then be gone for 5-6 hours. Or spend 4 hours home in the middle of the day, but then be gone a bit longer at night. Or work 10-6 without time for a stop home, but lots of time together in the morning and after work.
I guess what I’m asking... is the lack of consistency bad for the dog? He basically never knows if I’m going to be gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours. He doesn’t seem to be acting out- he will occasionally chew something to shreds, but that just seems typical of adolescence. I’m never gone more than 8 hours, and honestly even that’s super rare. Usually 5-6 hours. Thoughts?
Posted Jan 22, 2020, 3:43 PM UTC
Not inherently, no. If the dog shows signs of worry we can address that. Dogs are way more flexible than people think.
My schedule is super inconsitant, my dogs deal. Honestly I like it because it means if something comes up they're not stressing out. Usually they get fed at 8 am. Sometimes 10. Sometimes they go for a walk at the crack of dawn, sometimes noon. Sometimes they visit their breeder. Sometimes someone else comes and gives them dinner or picks them up for an outing. They roll with the punches really well.