Now that we’re into the new year, humans all over the world are making plans and new goals for a successful and happy 2020.
Whether you’re starting a new fitness journey or planning a big career move – you are most likely looking forward to starting a fresh, new decade!
Why not include your pup in these plans?
In the new year, it’s time to set some resolutions for both yourself and your furry best friend! This could mean better behavior, a healthier lifestyle or even checking off a list of new adventures.
Some of these plans will require things like changing up their eating habits, focusing on training and implementing new rules around the home.
Here are some new year’s resolution ideas for you and your pup in 2020!
But, first… 2 quick polls 😁
Your 2020 Pup-Focused New Year’s Resolutions
So as you work on your own resolutions, let’s dive into how you can include your pup as well!
Of course, this article isn’t comprehensive, so get creative and come up with some new habits to help your pup form.
Better Behavior
I know you love your best pal no matter what, but are there a few behaviors you feel they can improve upon?
Maybe they need help with leash walking, jumping on visitors, keeping calm when people walk into the home or when other dogs approach – whatever it may be, 2020 seems like a perfect time to work on better behavior!
And with the help of Pupford’s free and premium training courses, we are here to help!
A great way to get started on this resolution is implementing a training program that both you and your pup can follow on a day to day basis. Our 30 Day Perfect Pup training class is a great way to get started!
In 30 days you’ll learn how to train and implement better habits for your pup (and yourself!). And one of the best ways to track your days is through the Pupford app.
Looking to improve on more than the basics? We’ve got you covered there as well!
For help nailing down recall (or come when called), check out the Recall Mastery Course.
Trying to overcome anxiety or home-alone problems? Check out Happily Home Alone Pup.
Have a goal to improve your pup’s impulse control? Check out 21 Impulse Control Games.
More Exercise
The first thing on many people’s resolution list for the new year is a gym membership or a new exercise routine.
Have you considered including your pup in this goal?
Not only will your pup benefit from some extra exercise, but including them can help you stick to your own goals!
Start with your morning routine!
Instead of a quick potty run outside or opening the door to let your dog out for his morning business, grab the leash and go on a walk around your neighborhood!
Use a tracking device such as a health app on your phone, a FitBit or Apple Watch to set a goal for yourself and your dog’s walk.
Maybe it will start as a 10-minute walk, or a specific distance (such as around the block or .5 mile). Whatever you decide is best, just try to improve each day!
According to LiveStrong.com, there are many exceptional benefits of walking in the morning to improve your mind, body and overall health!
The benefits include attitude improvement, shedding pounds, a clear mind, improved appetite, help with depression and more!
If this list of human improvements excites you, imagine all of the benefits for your dog! They will love spending time with you in the a.m before work and enjoy the extra exercise!
Better Sleeping Habits
Does your pup sleep in your bed?
Experts encourage dog parents to steer clear of this habit! If your dog has been sleeping in your bed, you may not have realized but your sleep could be suffering!
Dog snoring, moving, getting up and down off the bed and taking up a ton of room under the covers could be severely affecting your good night’s rest (Not to mention the dog farts, right??). As much as we want to cuddle with our favorite pal, it’s best for both you and your pup to have your own sleeping quarters.
As a 2020 resolution, change up your sleeping arrangements! (Of course, some people would rather stick with the puppy cuddles at night and we can’t blame you 😉)
Grab a super comfy, fluffy bed for your pup and place it in your bedroom next to or near your own bed.
Begin training your dog to sleep on his own and develop the habit.
Zak George, our favorite training expert, has a great video to help with this!
New Adventures & Activities
No matter what part of the world you live in, there are plenty of new adventures and activities to do with your pup!
Make a list of all the new adventures you’d like to experience with your pup and check them off throughout the year!
Here are some great ideas:
- Local flat hikes
- Waterfall hikes
- Walks on a bike path
- Walks on a beach path
- Run on a dog-friendly beach [find your local dog-friendly beach here]
- Visit new dog parks
- Bike rides (small dogs ride in basket or in a carrier, bigger more energetic dogs can run on the side!)
- Dog-friendly breweries and/or wineries
- Visit new dog-friend restaurants
- Create an indoor agility course [learn how to build one here]
- Snow sledding or skiing
- Indoor dog parks
- Attend sporting events
- Visit friends (with or without animals!)
- Dog yoga & meditation
Getting outdoors, whenever you can, with your pup will help them live a longer, fuller life. But while the weather is chilly, indoor activities can be a great addition to your agenda as well!
Healthy Eating
Looking to make an improvement in your own eating habits?
Have you considered making the same changes for your pup?
The benefits of a healthy diet for your dog are endless, including more energy, thicker, smoother coats, and better joint and muscle health.
Do you know the ingredients in your dog’s food and treats? How often are you feeding them?
See the tips below for improving your pup’s eating habits!
Feeding Times: Although there’s no real rule on how often to feed your dog, the general rule of thumb is twice per day – morning and evening. However, younger dogs who are still growing may need up to 4 or 5 meals a day! Make sure to consult your vet on the best eating times for your dog’s health!
Healthy Treats: Feed them healthy treats, to help keep their energy (and attention!). Try a treat with very few ingredients and calories! Look for treats that have all-natural ingredients and are small enough to keep in your pocket for training and rewards. It also helps if they do not need to be refrigerated!
Vitamins & Supplements: Just like you, your dog needs their daily vitamins! Vitamins are a great way to help your dogs grow strong! For younger pups, try a joint supplement to help them start building strength and cartilage around the joints. This will help in the future to prevent pain and weaknesses while running and playing!
Recap of Dog New Years Resolutions
Feeling motivated? I sure am!
One of the big keys to keeping resolutions is to write them down. So, at the bare minimum, leave a comment below with your dog’s New Year’s resolutions.
We hope you and your pup have an amazing holiday and a happy new year in 2020!
Behavioral training is something I’m excited to work on with my puppy — especially recall — so that we can go to our apartment dog park and she can roam off-leash a bit more when it’s just us two there, and so that she can have play dates with my friend’s dog. I’m also excited for her to learn some fun tricks, because she loves to learn!
Hero used to have fantastic recall and he lost some of that when we got an adventurous puppy to keep him company. My resolution is to work on recall again. Our backyard is unfair and even so are used to be able to do a lot of training with him back there. My goal is to get him back to that point where he can focus on me and maybe even start some agility but I need his recall to be fantastic.
I would like my puppy to start sleeping in his own bed/crate at night. Also to get them to stop wanting to bite us all the time and also to be a little more attentive to commands and a little calmer.
Ruby Rose and I are mainly working on her listening and obeying commands every time. And when the weather warms up in the North East, getting back to agility training just for fun.
My dogs and I plan on working on their Recall in the New Year.. They really need better training on this.. One of my dogs needs some better leash walking skills also..
For my people-reactive dog, I’m setting a resolution to work toward her trusting me to handle strangers for her. For my other dog, I want to work toward Canine Good Citizen certification!
For my young pup I am looking forward to getting her on hikes when the weather is warmer, learn some new tricks, and potentially start training to be a therapy dog!
New Year, New Puppy! We are going to focus on first potty training and building trust along with the basics.
This is a new year and we just got our pup. Our goal this year is to win at the 30 day class together, and focus on building healthy interactions with people and other dogs!
I’ll be working on recall with our pup. It’s hard to get her attention when she gets focused on play or another activity, so that’s been something we’ve been trying to improve upon.
I love this! My goal for this year is to spend more quality time with my pup!
I have resolutions for me and some for kuma however we dont have some together. Which is just as important. I can take him out to trails And hikes, hell love the new environments and I get my steps. I am always looking for new ways to include my dog
Great article, get me motivated to have resolutions for my pets!!
This will be such a fun year! My puppy is growing up and we’re focusing on distraction training!
To get out of the house more
Develop different/fun ways to eat a meal
My New Years Resolution for my dog is for him to be happy and know he has found his forever home and that we love him. We’ve just had him 10 days now. And for my other dog it would be to be patient and learn to love his new brother.
To be less bitey
Love!! What a great read. My goal for my puppy this year is to continue being diligent with training.
Just brought home a new mini goldendoodle puppy today. A year of opportunity lies ahead for us both.
This is great information! I didn’t even think about vitamins and minerals for my puppy. It makes sense to start when they are young though! Thank you for the great article!!
Best program ever, thank you! This year we’ll work on recall with distractions, walking on the lead and later in the year learning to skateboard beside me. We can’t wait!!
I am going to be more consistent with training Penny (5 months old) this year. I think I was overwhelmed with life and on top of that getting a new puppy. She’s so smart and picks up on things fairly quickly. 🙂 so grateful for the tools from Pupford and Zak George. Such a great trainer with so much positive energy.
I’m going to go for morning walks once my boo is all vaccinated.
Me and my dog Buster will give dog agility training a shot since he’s very energetic, very agile and needs an outlet.
Our pup is only 5 months old so we definitely have a lot to learn! Hoping to work more on obedience this year. 🙂
I love this! I hadn’t thought to have resolutions for my dog, but now I do!
-training 6-7 days a week
-learning not to jump on people
-not barking at everything
-eat healthier food.
I purchased your dog treats. I was wondering if you have a dog food recommendation as well?
Thanks for the post!!
give both my puppy and adult dog equal special time with me
We are hoping our 4 month old puppy continues with better behavior this year. From walking better on a leash to learning more commands, our little puppy has a lot to learn.
I am excited to be working on basic training and socializing With my new puppies. I know I have my hands full with two 3 month old sisters.
Definitely need to work on my pup’s recall this year. Scout does come when called (some of the time), but I really want her to come when called every single time. Also, she has difficulty focusing when outside, so we’ll be working on that as well this year.
Love this article! I just got a new puppy and I’m excited to start training him and eventually train him to be a therapy dog!
Our New year’s resolution was to get a dog. It’s January 14th and we fulfilled that a week ago. Now onto training. puppy and I resolve to train her and love her with the help of all these amazing resources!
I been working on Mishka’s basic training with the 30 days training app and mastering her recall. This year we will keep reinforcing the training and look into adding agility training as part of her mental and physical stimulation enrichment training. Lots of bonding and fun time this year.
Looking forward to 2020 and well behaved pup. Hoping to make progress on leash walking, wait/stay for long periods of time and learning some fun things like shake, pray, and roll over.
Stitch’s resolution is to do more training this year and master those basic skills.
Love all the ideas this post gave me on things to try this year. I recently adopted a puppy and my New Years resolution is to do better with her then I’ve done with other dogs. Our main goal is getting better at frisbee something she loves and I’d like to love with her, if only she’d bring it back to me!
I’ve been preparing to be a dog mom for over a decade, and this year we took the plunge! I’m thankful to have found the Pupford community to help me through the journey of puppyhood. Your collaboration with Zak George on the 30 Day Perfect Pup program gives me an appropriate “curriculum” for training and shows me the proper execution. We have a long road ahead, but I see progress every day and look forward to each new video. Puck has already taught us to be better versions of ourselves, patience and understanding are such valuable attributes, and I’m excited about our new year ahead. Thanks for building such a helpful community for pup lovers looking to better their lives and their pup’s!
I would like to work on training my puppy and doing more morning and nature walks with my pups. Winters here are usually too cold top dip much but once the weather starts to flip I can’t wait to spend more time outdoors with them!
I have a new border collie Alaskan husky mix, any thoughts on vitamins to get him? He is my first boy.
Good info as always! My resolution is to get my pup CGC certified!
I’m super excited to begin Esme’s service dog training this year! As she isn’t quite 4 months old yet, we still need to work on house training, biting, jumping more. Her resolution is to gain a little more self control.
Love following Zak George’s training tips! Yay! Good call pairing up with PUPford! My 7.5 month pup is off to a good start, but she hates going to her kennel in our bedroom at night even though she is kennel trained and uses her kennel during the day (required while we are gone) and freely during the evenings when we are home (both of these are located in the kitchen vs the bedtime kennel in our bedroom). Today I plan to move her kennel to a new location in our bedroom (just in case the location by the covered heating vent might be the root of this issue).
Love following Zak George’s training tips! Yay! Good call pairing up with PUPford! My 7.5-month pup is off to a good start. We resolve to get out and about more to train in varied places.
Clive and I adopted 2 rescue dogs, Jessie age 8 and Laura 1 age. We have had them 11 weeks and started work on training now they have settled in. New Years resolutions for them is to have fun and know they are safe.
We’ve only had our puppy for a couple weeks and while she is almost 9 months old she had never been trained. She is super smart and food oriented so training is going well so far.
Love thos. Nice read
We brought our new puppy home on January 10th. He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We named him Dandelion, “Dandy” for short. My New Year’s Resolution for him is to grow a great relationship with him through consistent training throughout the day and in training sessions.