Am I doing enough to keep my dog happy?

[fatherfurlong]

A pathetic, first world question to ask I know. I took on a rescue dog 6 months ago & have found it tough as he was extremely anxious & reactive to most things. After 6 months he has made some progress but still has issues that we are working on. The thing is I just wondered if I am doing enough with him. I walk him twice a day( an hour and a half off lead in the morning in an enclosure where he runs around with other dogs which he loves) and 45 mins in the evening- an onload walk in the park. We hide treats in toilet roll tubes for him to play with daily, a snuffle mat occasionally & talk to him to teach 'sit, down, paw' etc but beyond this he pretty much sleeps or just follows me from room to room. He is too nervous to take to crowded places, or on trains so we stay close to home and do very little. I think it's enough for him but then I read all these articles about dogs getting bored with the same walks so you should challenge them more, do agility classes, go paddle boarding or wild swimming etc. I walk him & he sits with me to watch TV and that's it. Isn't that what most people do?

He sounds like he's got an amazing life with you. The only thing I'd suggest is some natural chews like pigs ears as it's very calming for dogs to chew but he's getting loads of exercise/stimulation for most dog breeds.

He is a very lucky boy and has a wonderful life with you.the TV watching made me smile,because I do the same with my 2 collie girls.it sounds,you provide a calm caring home for him,just what he needs.

My dog gets about the same..an hour (or more) in the mornings and ann hour or just under in the evenings.. follows me round the house or just snoozes. Sometimes she'll bring a toy, and we do a quick 10 min training session with treats before bed every night, but she just seems content to be with us. On my work days she's with my son, and goes off with a dog walker for some wild off lead romps (she's reactive to some dogs but we have a select few she loves) but mostly she just potters around with us!
I think if your dog seems content..he probably is! I think mine is naturally a bit lazy

You sound great, don't worry about it. There's,always someone somewhere trying to sell something by making you feel guilty. If you think if dogs in the wild, what do they do. They have a play with each other, a wander around with their mates, find some food, and sleep. Which is exactly what you do with yours. In fact your dogs life sounds so good, I might just move in with you to be your dogs companion!. 😉

We took on a nine year old anxious and reactive dog. She is our first dog so we called in a behaviourist for help. She came highly recommended as she trains police and assistance dogs.

It seems to me, that you are doing everything right. We would have made mistakes without her. One piece of advice for anxiety was to keep things simple and familiar. A routine that she knows and understands to help calm her.

It took a long time for her to relax, but we got there in the end.