Whilst we all enjoy our pets company when we are at home if we spend prolonged periods of time at work when our pet will be left home alone – it can be a barrier to getting a pet in the first place. We have set out some practical suggestions to help manage your pets whilst you are at work to ease your worry and their boredom. It is essential that dogs are not left for prolonged periods of time as they can become anxious, bored and destructive. They are pack animals and like to be in our company not alone. Even if you have more than one dog limit the amount of time they are left alone every day.
Before leaving your pet ensure they have had sufficient exercise which will encourage them to relax whilst left, also ensure they have had plenty of opportunity to go to the toilet to prevent accidents and stress. Provide access to fresh water and safe toys whilst you are out. Check doors are closed and secured whilst any items which could endanger the dogs are put away safely out of reach. Limiting animals to downstairs or a kitchen/utility area with comfortable beds can be a sensible solution to damage control!
You may be lucky that there is always someone at home and you never have to leave your dog for more than a few hours at a time, for those couples or families in full time work/education it can be a long day for our pets, think about these ideas:
- Dog Walker/Day Care – The Market for independent police checked and insured dog walkers and dog day care providers there is likely to be one very local to where you live. Find out how much they charge for a day car arrangement so you can drop off and pick up around work or a dog walker that will come in during the day, exercise your dog, and spend some time with them to break up the day. Your dog can be walked on their own or in a group for socialisation. Good dog walkers will send you updates on where your pet has been and any photos they took whilst out to give you peace of mind at work.
- Spend your Lunch Hour at Home – Do you work close to home? Does your Partner work close to home? Could one of you go and spend your lunch hour at home with the dog – take them for a short walk, play in the garden or just spend some time playing in the house. This will break up the time for the dog and give them some much needed attention and interaction during the day. They may still leave the dog alone for a number of hours over the day but if this can be broken up into smaller periods it makes it more bearable. We’d recommend lots of interaction and affection during the morning and evening as dogs do need to feel part of their family.
- Boredom Busters – Even if you work part time and your dog may only be left for a few hours each day some dogs can still easily get bored especially young or active dogs. Using boredom buster toys and treat dispensers can keep your dog mentally stimulated even when you are out to prevent boredom which can result in destructive behaviour caused by stress and
- Take your dog to work – An option which companies are embracing more and more is taking your dog to work – now this doesn’t always work in larger offices where the rule couldn’t apply to everyone as it would be chaos! But if you work in a smaller company and the environment is appropriate to have a well-behaved dog in – there is recent research out that shows the presence of dogs in the office can reduce stress in the workplace. Speak to your boss and this may solve all your problems.
- Work from Home – If you are lucky enough to have a role where maybe some of your time could be spent working from home, this can reduce your commute time and allows you to reduce the time your dog spends at home alone – with a dog walker coming in the days you go into the office. Again Companies are becoming more and more flexible where possible to allow the flexibility for staff to work from home to achieve better work life balances, improve morale and provide better working environments. If this is a policy your work will consider, ask the question!