The importance of ritual for dogs - and children

Dogs love routine and ritual. They have internal clocks and always know when it is time to eat or time for a morning walk.

Just like children, dogs like to know what is expected of them and gain confidence from understanding the routine of the household. Establishing consistent rituals is an essential tool for successful training and enables your dog to know what his role is and how he fits into the family fabric.

Factor into your day specific time for playtime, training time, potty breaks and your dog will soon learn the schedule

Children also love ritual and we learned this when Coco and I worked as the animal assisted therapy team at Lighthouse International in New York. The children knew that Fridays meant the dog would be at school and they looked forward to the routine of our visit.

They knew Coco would be at the bus stop or sitting in the lobby waiting for them when they arrived. They knew she would go from classroom to classroom and visit with every child. They knew she would end her visit in the playroom and go down the slide or in the tunnel or run up and down the mats.

They knew she would celebrate her birthdays with them.

When we decided to move to Las Vegas, it was especially important that we “graduate” Coco from school and respect the ritual of graduation. As the little children got their cap and gowns and learned to walk into the auditorium in a processional, Coco got a cap and gown and learned to sit quietly for her turn to go up on stage.

Many years of going to Lighthouse started and ended with routine and ritual and allowed both the children and dog to move on to new and exciting experiences.

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Photos provided by Sue Grundfest