05/03/2026
Do dogs notice when our routines change?
Yes, and often more than we realise.
Dogs are incredibly tuned in to patterns:
time, movement, energy, smells, habits.
Even small changes can feel big to them.
Some dogs are more sensitive than others.
Puppies and adolescent dogs especially tend to notice changes more intensely. Their brains are still developing, particularly the areas involved in emotional regulation and impulse control, which means reactions can feel sudden, messy or hard to explain.
Add hormones, growing bodies, learning how to cope with the world…
and things can tip over quickly.
This blurry photo is intentional.
It shows one of my clients having a difficult session. His mum had been away the day before, and he was struggling to regulate. Nothing dramatic happened, but he felt the change, and it showed.
Moments like this aren’t about “bad behaviour”.
They’re information.
When routines shift, behaviour can shift too.
Our job is to notice, adapt, and support, not to push through.
Save this for the next time things feel “off”
or share it with someone wondering why their dog feels different.
