Our furry friends have gotten used to their parents being home all-day during quarantine, meaning they are likely to experience separation anxiety when it’s time for us to go back to work. Our dogs have been by our sides this past year more than ever before – some have even acted as our “coworkers” during Zoom meetings and on important calls.
Getting back to our busy schedules and getting out of the house means dog parents are going to have to readjust to leaving their dogs at home. To provide an easier transition back to the office, there are several great tools you can use as a pet parent to help ease anxiety around this change in pace. Here are a few things you can use to help make this transition as smooth as possible for both you and your furry friend:
One of the most helpful tools to use to make you feel connected to your dog when going back into the office is Paway, a free app that acts as the “Waze for dogs.” Paway helps pet parents and dog caregivers find dog-friendly routes, get live alerts to keep dogs safe, and socialize with other dogs.
This free app uses real-time crowd-sourced data to map out your neighborhood route while connecting with other dogs and their humans along the way. Even if you aren’t walking your pup yourself, you can follow your dog’s walk live, it’s easy to add dog walkers or caregivers and to check their “report card” immediately following their walk while you’re at the office.
One of the best ways to occupy your pet regularly while you are away is to hire a dog walker or pet sitter. Wag is great for finding dog walkers on demand. They can stop by your house to walk and feed them as needed.
This will also help your pet socialize with others and become more comfortable with people outside your household. If money is tight then you can use the Paway app to enlist your friends, family, or neighbors to help with walking your dog. Just add them as a caregiver in the app and they have all the information they need to take care of your dog.
Endless entertainment for both you and your dog! Install pet cameras where you can dispose treats in the living room and check in with them regularly. Some pet cameras have talk capabilities so you can keep them “in the loop” with work updates as our dogs have gotten used to listening in on Zoom calls over the past year. A great tool for pet parents to consider is a PetCube.
Leave your DOGTV streaming on your devices while away from home to keep your pup entertained and up-to-date on the happenings of other pets.
Stop by a dog bakery on the way home from work to surprise them with a treat. If they have been a good pup, this will brighten their day. Many local dog bakeries have cute cakes, biscuits, and many more fun treats you’ll enjoy picking out.
Every dog's needs when it comes to proper ways to address or mitigate separation anxiety are different. That said, the resources listed here can help a pet to be more occupied and their human to have ways to keep track of their pup while they're away.