Does your dog have ritual behaviors? Does it have activities that it repeats at specific times, or in specific situations? If you’re not sure, you might want to pay attention. Learning about your dog’s rituals can increase your enjoyment of your pet — and help you nurture its behavior.
Since all dogs are different, I’ll share some of Callie Golden Retriever’s rituals with you, so you’ll get the idea.
“Good Morning.” Callie starts most mornings by walking over to my bed, sitting down perfectly within reach of my right hand, and “presenting” her neck for a “good morning” scratch. I scratch the under part of her neck around her throat and adam’s apple. Sometimes she tips her head so I can scratch the top of her head, but for most dogs “under” is better than “over.”
Sometimes Callie’s “good morning” scratch turns into a full-body massage. She’ll move her body around so that the only part I can reach is her back, for example. This can go on for a long time!
