There is nothing pet parents would love more than spending all day everyday with their furry babies. Although not all of us are lucky enough to live the dream, the pandemic has met us halfway letting some of us work from home and be able to spend a little more time with our dogs. But for the most part, dogs of working professionals end up being bored when left alone for long hours and find their own ways to have fun. So how to keep a dog busy while at work? Let’s find out…
Can you have a dog working 9-5?
I cannot answer this question with a simple Yes or a No. So I’m going to break this question down into a few possibilities – If you’re working 9-5 and are planning to get a low energy, older dog that is comfortable staying alone for long hours and can effectively self-stimulate, then Yes, you can get a dog.
But, if you’re not going to be around for 8 hours and are planning to get a puppy or a high-energy, working breed, then No, it’s not a good idea to get one.
Puppies require hard work and constant supervision. They have tiny bladders and are very likely to get into trouble and ingest unwanted and dangerous things. Working dogs, just like you, need a job!
ON THAT NOTE: TIPS TO GET YOUR PUP GEARED UP FOR LIFE AFTER PANDEMIC
Can a dog be left alone for 8 hours?
Leaving a high-energy puppy/dog alone for 8+ hours with nothing to do can result in extreme boredom, destructive chewing and may adversely affect your pup’s mental health.
However, if you can make sure that your dog will be properly fed and exercised time to time by someone in your absence and will have ample physical and mental stimulation outlets, by all means, get a dog.
ON THAT NOTE: 10 BOREDOM BUSTERS TO KEEP YOUR DOG ENTERTAINED AT HOME
In today’s day and age, where working from home is a norm, skillfully raising a puppy and even a high-energy dog while working a 9-5 has become a lot easier.
The secret to this is adhering to a strict routine that will fulfill all of your dog’s needs while giving you enough time to have a life of your own. Dogs can stick to a schedule better than anyone else!
While working a 9-5, make your pup’s day as predictable and monotonous as possible. Although, feel free to add variety in his treats, games, toys and walks.
How do you mentally tire a dog? Mental stimulation = Solution to boredom
Most of us bank on 2 walks a day to tire out our puppies. While they make the cut for some dogs, a lot of dogs aren’t truly content with just 2 walks a day. They need more… much more.
In an ideal scenario, your energetic dog’s routine must include ample activities to physically and mentally stimulate him. While physically stimulating exercises like walks and runs are crucial, short and multiple bursts of mental stimulation sessions are important to prevent behavioral issues stemming from boredom.
Examples of these exercises include puzzle toys, interactive toys, interactive feeders, brain training, brain games, Sniffari (letting a dog sniff to their heart’s content in a certain area), treasure hunt/ scavenging, obstacle course, nose work, etc. These games enrich your dog’s mind and give them something meaningful to do which requires them to think and possibly use their 5 senses – smell, hearing, touch, sight and taste.
The best part about mental stimulation games is that there is very little for the pet parents to do. For eg – feeding a puppy through a Kong toy is one the best ways to keep them engaged for a longer time and make them work a little for their food. All we have to do is stuff the kong with the dog’s meals, which takes barely a few minutes.
A well-stuffed Kong toy has the ability to keep a dog engaged for atleast 20-25 minutes. This means the dog’s mouth is continuously at work for 20-25 minutes. That is good enough to tire a dog out for the next couple of hours.
How do I help my dog with boredom at work?
Keeping a dog from being bored starts with teaching him to keep himself engaged, and not through undesirable activities like chewing up the walls or barking at random strangers from the backyard.
Boredom happens when a dog has no idea what to do next. Our dogs’ schedule has to be a repetition of meals, play (including walks), rest (including crate time) and potty.
As pet parents, we must pan out our dog’s day to include all of this from time to time and make it as predictable for our dogs as possible. This routine should be suited to a dog’s energy needs and age. Eg – a puppy’s routine will have several potty breaks. The routine of a Belgian Malinois dog must have several physical and mental stimulation activities throughout the day.
However, when there is lack of structure and ample activities to stimulate a dog, they will end up inventing activities of their own. They usually include actions that provide sensory reinforcement like chewing, barking, excessive licking etc.
Eg – If your dog has an innate desire to chew, and doesn’t have enough textures and surfaces, he might start chewing on the drywall.
To help your dog with boredom while you’re at work, you might want to do 2 things –
- Structure your dog’s day in the most predictable way possible. Make a timetable if it helps.
- Leave your dog with ample physical and mental stimulation outlets. This includes feeding his meals through puzzles and interactive toys, leaving him with ample chew toys – edible and non-edible, set out a treasure hunt of sorts where your dog finds interesting things to interact with in the limited space that he has access to.
How to keep a dog busy while at work? 6 tips that might help
1. Ditch the bowl. Feed through feeders
Food is one of the biggest high points of our dogs’ lives and an amazing training/ enrichment opportunity. Why waste it by feeding them through food bowls when there are soooo many other options. Food bowls not only make it way too easy for our dogs to eat but also, in the long term, may result in lowering a dog’s overall food drive.
Feeders and interactive toys have the ability to keep a dog mentally stimulated while rewarding him with meals at the same time.
2. Schedule mid-day walks with the help of a dog walker
Walks are unarguably one of the best ways to provide an enriching physical workout for any dog. So if you plan on leaving your dog alone for more than 6-7 hours, hire a dog walker to take your dog out once or twice a day depending on your dog’s energy level. It will save your house from boredom-induced destruction and will help keep your dog busy while you’re at work.
3. Music therapy, recordings, TV
Dogs hear and respond to music differently than their human counterparts. The right kind of music is known to stimulate a dog’s mind, soothe separation anxiety and mild forms of behavioral issues.
At times, even hearing your voice can reassure your dog when he’s home alone. Consider recording your voice and playing it in your absence for your pooch. TV channels like Animal Planet have sounds of birds, animals and humans playing the whole day. If your dog is a couch potato just like me or loves listening to animal voices like my cat, leave the TV on to keep your dog busy and entertained while at work.
4. Furbo dog camera
Is there anything better than being able to check in on your baby while you’re away and Seeing he’s okay and communicate with him while tossing a treat at him? Furbo Dog camera allows you to do just that, with a click on your phone.
Furbo notifies you with a dog barking alert, dog activity alert, dog selfie alert, home emergency alert and person alert so you know what exactly your dog is upto every minute.
5. Toy rotation
You can never have enough toys for your pup, especially when you’re not around for company. Toys can be a source of stimulation and comfort and an awesome way to keep a dog busy while at work.
Your dog’s toys’ stash should be an assortment of different surfaces, sizes, shapes and utilities. Interactive toys, chew toys, fuzzy toys, plush toys, balls etc being a few of them. Make sure you don’t give your dog access to all the toys at once. This may result in a low attention span towards each toy and quick boredom.
Leave your dog with a few toys to play with. This may include a Kong toy filled with his food, an interactive toy filled with treats, a plush toy to comfort him, a couple of chew toys to keep his mouth busy and a puzzle toy to keep him mentally stimulated.
Here are some brain puzzles I highly recommend.
6. Daycares
Some dogs enjoy other dogs’ company more than others. For such dogs, occasional daycare visits may not be the worst idea. The dog gets to play and interact with other dogs the whole day under supervision and you, my dear pet parent, won’t have to feel guilty about leaving your dog for a longer period of time.
However, don’t get your dog used to spending all day, every day at daycares. This may result in overstimulation and willl get your dog used to a routine that you may not be able to keep up with. I have seen multiple cases of leash reactivity and hyper dogs with crazy energy that the pet parents aren’t able to curb just because the dogs are over-exposed to other dogs the whole day.
So there you are. I know, nothing will ever take the guilt of leaving your dog alone for several hours, especially if your dog is suffering from isolation distress or worse, separation anxiety. But feel free to use these ideas to make a good tequila out of your life lemons.