If you’re one of the millions of Americans that adopted a dog during the pandemic thanks to the ability to work from home – congratulations! As somebody that saw remote work as the perfect opportunity to finally get a dog of my own years ago, I’ll be the first to tell you that dogs make great (and sometimes better than traditional) coworkers. Having a rough day? Give your pup a quick pet and watch the stress evaporate for a minute.
Whether you’ve been sharing your office with a furry companion for years, or you’re planning to start and want to be prepared, here are some tips to make the best of your new home office arrangement.
Table of Contents
- #1. Have some office-specific toys
- #2. Make sure your pup has a comfy place to nap
- #3. Take breaks!
- #4. Have a backup location ready
- Sharing an office with your dog can be a rewarding experience
#1. Have some office-specific toys
You’re going to be busy working; that is indeed the point of working from home after all! While you’ve got plenty of things to be occupying your workday and keeping you busy, your furry friend doesn’t quite have that same luxury. Dogs, like people, will get bored without proper stimulation.
A simple way to help with this is to get some office-specific toys. With the exception of one or two toys that our pups absolutely love and want with them at all times, office toys stay in the office.
Why? Because the exclusivity makes those toys more appealing, and the fact that they stay in the office means that being in there is a good thing. If being stuck “at work” means getting to play with a favorite toy that isn’t available outside of the office, then it’s easier to be excited about being there.
#2. Make sure your pup has a comfy place to nap
You’ll also want to make sure you have a comfy bed somewhere in the office for your pup. Considering most dogs spend about 50% of their day sleeping (and even more for puppies), there’s a good chance that a decent portion of your workday may look a little something like this:
A dedicated bed in the corner of the room ensures that the dogs have a comfy place to take a nap during the day when they’re not otherwise being entertained by myself or their toys. Frankly, the presence of the bed is also tempting enough to encourage them to sleep, which comes in handy on those days when you’ve got piles of work to do.
In my own case, the dogs tend to go through phases of playing around with each other or their toys, and then napping for a little while. This was a godsend with Echo, who at the time of writing is still very much a puppy. Puppies can be rambunctious and require a lot of time and attention, but as long as he’s napping, I know I’m clear to get some good work done without interruption.
You don’t necessarily need a fancy cot or expensive dog bed, but make sure that you have a dedicated space available for comfortable naps. Trust me, your dog will use it!
#3. Take breaks!
It’s not healthy to sit all day, and chances are your dog isn’t going to be too thrilled about that idea either. While it may not be practically possible to get the Mayo Clinic’s recommended moving around break every 30 minutes, sharing an office with a dog presents you with the perfect opportunity and excuse to make sure you’re moving around more often than you otherwise would.
If you’ve got a puppy on your hands, you’ll probably be getting up every hour or so to let him or her outside during the potty training process – this is actually a hidden blessing! As your dog gets older and retains more control of its bladder though, you may find yourself taking fewer potty breaks.
I’m not saying to go back to the puppyhood up-every-hour schedule, but try to exist somewhere in a happy middle between every hour and three times per workday.
Quick breaks are good for you and your dog.
A 15-minute break is plenty of time to work on teaching your dog a new trick each day (especially over the course of a whole week), to throw a ball a few times, or to take a quick walk around the block. Each of these things is stimulating for your dog, and also gets you up and moving for a few minutes, which helps to counteract the effects of sitting at a desk all day.
Not only will these breaks keep you and your dog regularly moving, but they’re a great bonding opportunity that you wouldn’t have otherwise gotten working in a traditional office. They also give you a chance to put your work down for a second and come back to it with a fresher mind. Aim to take a handful of these throughout the day.
#4. Have a backup location ready
Love them or hate them, Zoom meetings, Slack huddles, and work calls aren’t going anywhere for most people that work from home. I personally don’t mind them so much (in moderation) since they give me a chance to talk to another human that doesn’t live in my household, but the fact remains that they’re a reality of working from home.
While most people are understanding of the realities facing people working from home, business is business, and an element of professionalism is still expected.
Speaking from experience, your dog will wait until you’re on a serious call to find and suddenly love their loudest toy. It doesn’t matter if they haven’t played with it in months, or if they otherwise don’t even enjoy looking at it; the moment you start your video chat or answer your phone, that loud and obnoxious toy will become their favorite thing in the world.
Even if, generously, the person (or people) you’re talking to understand the situation you’re in, it’s hard not to be mortified about that happening if you’re on a more serious call or meeting. If you’re, for instance, pitching a new client, that can unintentionally ding your credibility a bit in a situation where first impressions matter a lot.
For our puppy, we’ve got a crate in another room that he can stay in for calls until he’s trusted to have free reign of the house. For our older dog, she just gets shuffled into another room for the duration of the call.
Making sure that you’ve got a safe place for your dog to be relocated to for a meeting or work call can save you stress, embarrassment, and judgment. Even if you’re pretty sure your dog will do just fine, for higher-stakes calls and meetings, the peace of mind is hard to deny.
Sharing an office with your dog can be a rewarding experience
There you have it! Working from home absolutely has its perks, and getting to have your dog by your side throughout the day definitely ranks high on the list. You’ll ultimately save loads of money by not having to pay dog walkers or doggy daycares, and you’ll end up with a better relationship with your dog as a result.
Have a tip that helps you share your home offic
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