Barley Bones Goals // Doing mornings with a Dog

The beginning of a New Year is the perfect time to break an old habit, and rushing to work with wet hair like last year is not how I want my days starting in 2016. If you’re dreaming of becoming a morning person this year and have a furry buddy to help hold you accountable of this goal, then let this blog post inspire you!

   My dog and I are always the last ones to crawl out of our beds during the week. Excuse me; my dog is actually the last one. Once I’m up he makes the strenuous transfer from his bed to my bed and waits until I grab the car keys before he makes his next grand move to the car. It isn’t until we both arrive to the office; he’ll get his long walk. There’s a lot of outside factors that attributed to our recent sluggishness and inside ones, too. The onset of cold weather is probably the largest!

   Don’t let Jack Frost scare you away from a before dawn walk with your pup. Exercising in the cold will greatly improve your physical self and mental state.

PRO TIP: During the cold months, some dogs may not fully relieve themselves, so they can get inside sooner. This is why it is important to go on another walk prior to leaving for long period of time.

   I started researching the best routine for a dog and you know what I found?There is no such thing as a “perfect” routine – dogs just need consistency, so I thought to myself, “that’s really all I need too!”

BEING A CONSISTENT OWNER IS REWARDING:

A consistent walk time helps alleviate the anxiety caused by owner separation.

A consistent feeding time – rather than “free feeding”, will enforce your role as the owner and will help keep your dog inline with their walk/bathroom schedule.

The success of my mornings rely on my before bed preparations…

• At night, I set my alarm clock 30 mins before I actually have to be awake. When that clock finally rings, I sit up in bed and start bringing life into my limbs by performing simple stretches all while reminding myself the importance of sticking to a routine // Keep it consistent. Keep it consistent. Keep it consistent.

• I started enforcing the “ No Technology in the Bedroom” rule in 2015 and kind of slipped up towards the end of the year. So, to make sure I don’t slip up again – I’m charging my phone in the kitchen. No more lollygagging on my phone in bed. Plus, the desire to go check my emails and such will be another ‘get out of bed’ motivator.

  Having a solid AM and PM routine, I think, is the best way to ensure a productive, low stress New Year and a consistently happy pup! And if you’re going to take away anything from this post, make sure you ALWAYS make your bed. Doesn’t have to be tidy… just cozy 🙂 

Comment below and let us know how you and your dogs do mornings!