Is having a dog a lot of work? The Ultimate Guide

Can I Leave My Dog Alone?

So, lets go over some facts when it comes to leaving your dog at home when you leave to go to work.

Dogs Can Grow Accustomed to Solitude: It is true that if you adopt a dog which has been used to its owners being around 24/7 it is unlikely to take well to being left alone for long periods, and may become destructive. But on the other hand, if it’s all the dog has ever known they are likely to be quite accustomed to his alone time during the day.

A Dog Left Alone Regularly Will Often Sleep: A dog who is accustomed to being left alone will probably just sleep during the time their owner is working and have their waking and active periods when you are at home. As long as you make sure to give the dog plenty of stimulation and exercise when you are together, the dog will be happy to nap when you are gone.

Dogs left alone will often just sleep during the quiet hours.

Training Can Take Longer Than You Think

While you might luck out and adopt a dog who already knows how to sit, stay, and so on — chances are youll end up with a wild puppy who barks, runs amok, and chews up everything you own. So be prepared to show them the ropes, over and over again.

“Teaching dogs to live nicely in our homes takes a lot of work,” Kayla Fratt, an Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, tells Bustle. “Dogs aren’t born knowing the rules of human society […] and they don’t speak our language. It’s a lot of work to kindly, effectively, and consistently teach dogs how to act in our homes.”

Reward Your Puppy for Its Good Habits

Positive reinforcement goes a long way, even for an adult dog!

From teaching it how to sit to use the bathroom outside, puppies rely a lot on positive reinforcement (What’s in it for me?) to perform good habits.

Give them a treat every time they exhibit good behavior!

With the proper conditioning, your puppy will be well behaved and potty trained, even as a grown-up dog, and eliminate bad habits!

If you have to go out for work and have no one to look after your dog, you can hire a puppy sitter to do the job!

You can hire a pet sitter to be your dog walker, feeder, cleaner, all while you are away!

This is a good tip as it exposes the puppy to new people and eliminates separation anxiety. With a bit of time, your puppy will soon warm up and trust the sitter as much as you!

How To Manage Having A Dog With A Busy Schedule

You’ve got a puppy, and have taken some time off work to help them settle in. You’ve not had a full night’s sleep since and can’t step out of sight of your puppy without them crying. You’re due back at work, and the big question remains. What should I do with my puppy? Here’s what you need to know about having a dog and working 9-5.

If you live in the UK and have a baby, you’re entitled to parental leave from your job. As any parent knows, most babies don’t sleep through the night for some time, there will be endless pees and poos and they will want to be attached to you 24/7.

The reality is that puppies are a lot more like babies than we think. Particularly with how much they need and rely on us. For new dog owners, this clinginess can come as a bit of a surprise. Wherever you go – be it the toilet or the kitchen – your puppy will be there. Leave the room for even a minute and your puppy may whine until you come back. Over time, this dependency on you will lessen. But it takes time, patience and lots of praise and reward before your puppy will be ready to be left alone. Realistically, this can’t be achieved in a week or even two.

This means having a dog and working 9-5 can be challenging. However, with careful planning it is possible.

If you’re finding this advice helpful, you can find out how to help your puppy to learn to spend time alone in our Home Alone Puppy Parenting Toolkit, available to download for just £2.79.

So what’s the solution? The great news is that there’s a growing trend in businesses introducing dog-friendly policies. Some even offer paw-ternity leave to support new dog owners.

Whilst paw-ternity leave is yet to become mainstream (and it tends to be for just a week) it shows that employers now recognise dogs as part of our family. Furthermore, being a new puppy parent can be really exhausting – just like having a human baby.

Another development is the rise in dog-friendly workplaces – meaning that dogs get to go to work with their owners. Not that long ago, only assistance dogs would have been allowed in the workplace. Many employers now welcome pet dogs. Dog-friendly workplaces include big names such as Google and Ticketmaster, as well as plenty of small and local businesses.

Nestle Purina introduced a pet-friendly policy in 2015. It was so successful that the company has gone a step further to help other businesses become pet friendly. Read this guide for employees on how to convince your boss to become pet-friendly. Apparently being able to take your pet to work scores higher than parking as a desirable employee benefit.

That said, whilst taking your puppy to work may seem like the paw-fect arrangement, it may not be suitable for all. Having back-up dog care is a good idea. This will allow you and your colleagues to do some work without being distracted by puppy cuddles (as lovely as they are).