A Guide to Working at Home With Your Dog

Whether you’ve been working from home for a while or are just being introduced to the idea – it’s not all the fun and games that it’s sometimes portrayed as. Many people might think that working from home consists of sleeping in as late as you want and spending all day in your pj’s – but that’s not the case. For example, if you have any furry friends, they can definitely become major distractions and sometimes delay you from finishing your work in time.

To help minimize that, here are a few tips to help preserve your sanity and income while working from home with Fido.

Schedule Designated Play Times

Time management can be an exceptionally difficult thing to manage when working from home. Getting distracted from your work while alone can sometimes be an issue. So it’s not hard to imagine that when you add a dog to the mix who wants your constant attention, time management can quickly fly out the window.

To help cut down on the distractions your pup might cause during your workday, try setting designated play sessions. Creating a schedule with your pooch will not only help you, but it’ll help your canine as well. Dogs thrive on structure; it reinforces their obedience training and allows them to look forward to when it’s okay to play, as well as understand when it’s not.

Have a “Fido-Free” Work Space

The easiest way to guarantee that your four-legged friend won’t interrupt your workflow is to keep them separated from your workspace. Petting your furry friend while in a conference call does sound great, but it also sends the message to your pup that they can have your attention whenever they want.

Additionally, creating a separate office space will allow you to separate your work life from your home life mentally.

Don’t Fall for Any Whining

If Fido is used to getting your attention any time they want, these new tips might be a difficult transition from them. You may even start to see signs of anxiety appear in your pooch. Your furry friend could begin crying and scratching at the door after you’ve removed them from your workspace. But no matter how hard it is to know your pup is stressed, you can’t cave – it’ll only teach your dog that if they get upset they can be near you. You can’t let your dog think they’re the boss when you’re working from home.

Try to Keep Your Canine Occupied

There are a few ways you can keep your pup occupied and help decrease any boredom or anxiety in them while you’re working. Especially since these emotions in Fido can lead to destructive behavior like tearing apart your things or marking their territory around the home. To avoid these kinds of issues (as well as waisting your work-time to go and deal with them), you need to keep your pooch occupied.

Mentally stimulating dog puzzles and games are great choices that you can leave with your dog for hours. Similarly, kong toys or large chew toys they can munch on for hours will hold their attention. Also, if you walk them in the morning and/or during lunch, it can help to tire them out, so they’ll be able to nap while you get other things done.

You’re not a perfect pet parent, none of us are – and that’s okay. This means you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you end up taking a short unscheduled break to play with your pup. Or if you get distracted by them every once in a while. As long as your mostly staying consistent in your schedule and getting your work done on time, you’ll be okay.