Need a better routine

Hi,

My dog has just turned a year and his behaviour has been a bit off recently. He has been chewing and having accidents round the house.

I want to try and get him a better routine. Does anyone have any ideas on this? He gets fed once a day and walked twice or three times a day. Can anyone tell me when the best times may be for this.

Thankyou

Hi there.

There is a lot you've missed out in your post, so sorry if I suggest things you are already doing.

Firstly whilst dogs can do well on one meal a day, generally it is thought better to feed them twice - morning and evening. I think this is particularly important if you are feeding kibble (dry food) as giving the daily amount in one helping is an awful lot for your dog to process.

secondly - what do you feed? There is a huge difference in quality of food. For some dogs it wouldn't matter what you feed them, they'd be well behaved and fine on it. For others, they type of food can make a huge difference - particularly food with artificial colours and other additives. You've no doubt heard how E-numbers can badly affect children - well its the same for dogs.

Next, what type of walk does you dog get - I know you say you walk 3 times a day, but that doesn't really tell us anything - how long, on lead/off lead, do you play/train when you are out or do you just let him run around and do his own thing.

finally (for now) do you do any training at home? Collies do need exercise but they also need to work their brains. Without being made to think they will often become destructive through boredom.

I'm sure with a bit of help you'll soon be able to sort things