Preparing Your Dog for Future Separation
As we (hopefully) prepare to return to normal life, it’s important to keep our furry friends in mind. After all, they’ve just gotten used to having you around all the time to play, pet, and feed them as needed. We humans know that separation anxiety is real, but it’s important to remember that our dogs can experience separation anxiety, too.
Just because your dog was used to your work schedule before the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders does not mean that they will be able to easily bounce back to your normal work schedule. Read on to learn more about how you can help prepare your dog for more time spent apart in the future.
Practice Being Apart
While this can seem counterintuitive when you’re spending most of your time inside with your dog, you should try to practice being apart during the day time. Start by regularly leaving the room and entering an area where your dog cannot see or hear you. This can be another room in the house, the front yard, or your backyard. This will remind your dog what it’s like to be alone – without you actually leaving them! Start with brief periods of separation and gradually increase them up to periods of about an hour or two if possible.
When You Leave, Leave Through Your Work Door
We all have a door that we usually exit from when we go to work. This is the door our dogs patiently wait for us to return back through when we are gone, and they know that it’s the door that you leave through when you’re gone for long periods of time. We recommend leaving from that “work door” when practicing short periods of separation from your dog or when you leave to go to the grocery store. That way, your dog will be used to seeing you come and go from that door as they would during a normal work week.
Use the Crate
Your dog is probably long past their crating days, but if they are crate trained, you can reintroduce it to them with plenty of treats, positive rewards, and comfort items. Your dog will begin to associate the crate with safety and comfort again, which makes it a great option to keep open for your furry friend on days when you’re not there to be their source of comfort and safety.
Use Mentally-Stimulating Toys and Treats
If your dog seems anxious about you leaving, try to encourage them to play with treats and toys that will keep their mind engaged while you are gone. We recommend using a Kong, an awesome dog toy that you can put peanut butter or treats into. Your dog will have to do some work to get all of the treats out of the toy, which will keep them occupied for a substantial period of time. You should also try out this treat dispenser ball – your dog will entertain themselves rolling it around and figuring out the diabolical mechanism preventing them from getting at their favorite treats.
Being separated from your dog after months of time spent together can be difficult, but these tips should help you minimize some of their distress and maximize your work productivity. Be patient and kind with your dog and use these tips to help!