Soon, the clock will strike midnight and people will make New Year’s resolutions. Cheers will resound from all corners of the world as each takes its turn watching the calendar turn to 2016. A new day, a New Year, and new possibilities will dawn, providing you with the ideal opportunity to consider the goals you want to accomplish in the clean slate that is the New Year.
Get ready to say goodbye to 2015 and to welcome 2016 by making a list of New Year’s resolutions for both you and your dog.
Here are five ideas for New Year’s resolutions for you and your dog:
1. Try something new
Embrace the clean slate that a new year promises and get out there and try something new with your dog. Hit the hiking trails. Sign up for an agility class with your dog. Go to the dog park. Take your dog to an advanced training class. Make it a priority to try something new at least once a month in the New Year.
2. Schedule daily play time
Life is busy and time often slips away like water through our fingers. Plan time each day so you can have daily one-on-one time that will allow you to deepen your bond with your dog. Even if it is just 15 or 20 minutes each day, your dog will look forward to your play sessions and you probably will, too.
3. Help others
Many children face long, uncertain days in hospitals around the world. Countless elderly people wile lonely hours away watching television and hoping for a visit from family. Both you and your dog can make a difference in their lives. Therapy dogs provide comfort and joy to those who need it most. Contact your local humane society or veterinarian to determine where you and your dog can begin training to become a therapy team.
4. Get fit
The holidays often mean eating extra helpings, filling up on goodies you and your dog normally wouldn’t eat, and just enjoying the moment. Coupled with those extra indulgences is often a lack of time to walk and to keep up with your typical exercise routine. Add getting or keeping fit to your list of New Year’s resolutions. After all, getting fit is fun and easy, especially when you have a dog.
Be forewarned, however, that you should consult with both your doctor and your veterinarian before embarking on a new exercise regimen to ensure both you and your beloved pup are healthy and to determine the best type of exercise for both of you.
5. Hire a dog walker
Give yourself the gift of peace of mind by hiring a dog walker to spoil your dog with attention while you’re at work all day. A professional dog walker will provide your dog with the opportunity to socialize with other dogs and people, to eliminate, and to exert some of his excess energy. Your dog will return home happy and ready to relax until you walk through the door at the end of the day.
What is your top New Year’s resolution for you and for your dog?
Our resolution is to get out and walk more, and to work on training.
–Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats
These are both great new year’s resolutions.
Those are great resolutions! So far our winter has been mild (hooray!) so I have been walking. I am afraid to take the dogs on a walk on icy days because I’m afraid I’ll fall.
How great that you’ve been able to take your dogs on regular walks this winter since it hasn’t been too cold. Walking the dogs on icy days sounds like it could be dangerous. We are located in the Los Angeles area so we rarely have inclement weather that stops us from walking dogs. In the summer we cut walks short due to the heat on extreme heat days. On occasion we shorten walks due to rain but it doesn’t rain here that much.