MINDFULNESS - relaxing, sleeping, recovering body and mind...
So far all the travels have been focusing on exploring new places and experiencing novelty... But today we will talk about a very important part of my dogs' life: Mindfulness. I called it that way being inspired by my own adventures with meditation.
I always pay a lot of attention to my dogs' actually having time to rest, relax, sleep as much as they need. It is especially important with puppies as they don't usually know they should go to bed. How many of you have seen a kid or a puppy that is exhausted but is still running around in a hectic manner? ;)
Dashee is quite a wired puppy and at the moment a very useful tool in our everyday life is a crate - and I put her in there when I know she NEEDS to rest. With many puppies you might have to decide for them as they simply won't stop... and behave as if they were suffering from 'Fear of missing out' ;)
I always try to have a full range of healthy chews to help my dogs relax both in their crates and outside in the house. And once they are busy chewing they seem to be fully focused on the present, enjoying the moment, meditating... ;)
So after all our travels, I always make sure Dashee has enough time to recover both mentally and physically. Also if she has a particularly busy day, the following one I am trying to make a bit boring: just a regular walk, a bit of training at home, a chew to play with in the meantime. The rule also applies to my adult dogs - after a busy agility show over the weekend, they have a Monday "off'.
We all need some time off - our dogs as well. Doesn't matter if they go to dog shows, travel with us a lot, train Agility or have a ball thrown in the park on everyday basis.
Thanks for reading,
Lila