⭐️ Providing Structure for Your Foster Dog: Muddy Paws Rescue

At some point during your foster journey, your Foster Buddy will most likely tell you that your foster dog needs structure. Providing structure is good for any dog, but even more so for our young, energetic, super smart, and/or stressed pups. But what does it mean to provide structure?

Imagine a world with no parents: kids stop going to school, eat ice cream for breakfast, and get into all sorts of trouble without someone to guide them. Dogs are the same, but instead of eating sweets and making a mess, they develop behavioral challenges and, well, make a mess.

Dogs are creatures of habit, and they thrive on routine and strong leadership. Structure is about taking the lead in your relationship and providing rules and boundaries for your foster to live by. And don’t worry—this isn’t mean! Quite the opposite, in fact. A dog with no structure can feel anxious and overwhelmed at the lack of order in their lives, so setting clear expectations is one of the kindest things we can do for them. When considering how to add structure to your foster’s life, it is important to include routine, rules, and boundaries.

Here are some easy ways to provide structure for your foster dog:

Follow a schedule. Walks, meals, rest, and playtime should happen at around the same time each day.
Practice crate training. Crating isn’t just for when you’re sleeping or need to leave your home; in fact, we encourage you to practice crating your foster throughout the day even while you are home. This is a great way to enforce scheduled rest time.
Provide mental stimulation. Physical stimulation will tire out your dog’s body, but mental stimulation is the best way to tire out their mind—and a mentally rested dog is a calm and confident one! Food puzzles and training sessions are great ways to provide mental stimulation.
Put them to work. Don’t let your foster be a freeloader! A great way to provide structure is to make your foster work for everything: food, walks, playtime, and even attention. Practice commands before giving your dog their meal or opening the door to go outside. Make them lie down before you let them leave their crate. For dogs who are food motivated, you can even feed their meals as treats during training sessions or structured walks.
Take your dog on structured walks. On a standard dog walk, your dog is preoccupied with what’s going on around them, rather than focusing on you. Structured walks combine physical and mental exercise by turning each walk into a training session. Dogs are asked to sit before crossing thresholds, walk at a loose leash pace, and check in with their human regularly.
Set boundaries. A great way of setting boundaries when your foster dog first arrives is to have them on a leash, even indoors. This way, they aren’t able to go anywhere without your supervision. Another easy boundary to set is to not allow your foster dog on your furniture, and you can take this even further by teaching your dog that they aren’t allowed in certain rooms like the kitchen or a roommate’s bedroom. You can also crate your foster or teach them to hold a “place” command when new people enter your home, releasing them once they are able to calmly greet your visitor.
Reward good choices; ignore the bad ones. Reward your dog only when they are showing the behaviors you want to see more of. If a dog is begging for your attention, wait until they stop and relax before acknowledging them. If they are barking in the crate, wait until they are quiet and calm before opening the door. The more attention you give to negative behaviors, the more you will see your dog practicing them—after all, you showed them that they work!
Stay calm. A dog can’t trust your leadership if you are nervous, angry, or frustrated with them. Scolding or yelling at your dog often doesn’t work at all, or might work only insofar as it makes your dog obey out of fear. Calm leadership builds a much stronger relationship and teaches your dog to listen to you because they trust that you will help them make the right choices.

For more information on providing structure for your foster dog, McCann Dog Training also gives a great overview of why it is important and what we can do to integrate it into our routines.

Remember, providing structure for your dog isn’t being mean—it’s giving them exactly what they are looking for! Our dogs want to be the best boys and girls they can be, but they can’t do it without our guidance. Adding structure to their lives is easy, enriching, and will help you build a stronger relationship with your foster dog.