If you’re like thousands of people you may have adopted a pet when you were working from home. But now you’re going back to the office or you’ve found a new job that isn’t remote. No longer can you provide those daily walks and potty-breaks during the day. Worst of all? Your pet will be alone for a longer period of time.

Are still working remote but can’t have your dog with you in your office? What do you do with your dog when you work all day?

Know the Best Place for your Dog

Not every dog does well when allowed to roam the house freely when you’re gone. When you’re having to leave the house for work, knowing the best place in the house for your dog is important. Keep safety and comfort in mind when picking a place. Each dog is different and may prefer different levels of range. This could be: a crate, a gated off section of your house, a single room, or being allowed to freely roam. The CCSPCA goes more in depth on how to determine which option is best for your dog.

Whatever option you pick, make sure your dog has a cozy area. Bonus points if you can make this area smell like you with blankets or t-shirts you have used.

Buy Interactive Puzzle Toys

Interactive puzzle toys are a great way to keep your pet busy during meetings. Not only are puzzles toys fun they also stimulate your pet mentally. Your dog will be spending time figuring out the puzzle instead of wondering where you are.

Not sure which puzzle toy to get? Try out a few! Puzzle toys come in difficulty levels. Ranging from very easy to highly complex. You don’t want to buy a toy that is too easy. If a toy is too easy it won’t take your dog long to figure it out. If a toy is too hard your dog might give up on it.

As with any new toy, supervise your dog before leaving them alone with a toy.

Leave the TV/Radio On

Some dogs like when the TV/radio is left on. Others can’t stand it. For those that enjoy the noise it can provide comfort. Do some tests before you leave for an extended period of time to see how your dog reacts.

Did you know? Research has shown dogs prefer reggae and soft rock to other music genres. There’s even playlists curated for dogs.

Keep a Window Open

Dogs LOVE to smell things and outside has a bunch of wonderful smells. Keeping a window open that your dog can look out of and sniff the air can keep them occupied for hours. Bird feeders are more common to keep outside windows for cats but dogs can also enjoy them. The sounds, smells, and watching them move is all very exciting.

This might not be ideal if your dog likes to bark at everything or if you are going to be leaving the house. Not a fan of keeping a window open? Keep some curtains open so your dog can still see outside.

Hire a Dog Walker

If you’re considering a dog walker or somebody to pop in for potty-breaks you’ve come to the right place.

Your dog may never have known a life without you around or only leaving to run errands.. Hiring a dog walker can also be a good way to help transition your pet into a lifestyle where you’re not around 24/7. They still get the exercise they need and socialization but without your presence.

At Wet Noses Pet Sitting we individually customize each plan. Your dog will experience minimal disruptions in their routine. Having and keeping a routine has been shown to decrease stress in dogs.