Working from Home with a Dog

by Patricia Oelze

Some people may think that working from home means you can get up whenever you want, work when you feel like it, and take off early to do fun things you could not do before the coronavirus pandemic. Wrong! Sure, it’s nice to skip that drive to work in the morning and having to deal with other people all day. But working from home also takes structure, discipline, and scheduling. For both you and your furbaby.

Your dog is probably in heaven thinking he won the lottery because you are home with him all day now. They don’t know what the coronavirus is or that you are actually home to work, not to entertain them. It can be difficult on both of you to set the ground rules and stick to them. Have you ever tried to do a conference call with your dog barking in the background? It’s not as fun as it sounds.

Although it can be difficult to stay focused on work with your pooch giving you the sad puppy eyes, you know you actually have to get some work done. Don’t let your pooch photobomb your Zoom meetings or video conference. We have some good ideas to keep your fuzzy family member busy while you concentrate on work.

Being a home-based worker is beneficial in so many ways such as not having to pay for gas, saving on day care, and working in your pajamas (well…not really). But the best benefit may be the one you get from spending more time with your furbabies. Even if you don’t have any human kids, your dog is your baby and being able to stay home with them is a major bonus that many of us have not really thought about. 

You have probably heard the benefits of having a dog like lowering stress levels and increasing serotonin levels. Those are the chemicals in the brain that help improve your mood. And when you are not worrying about what they may be getting into, you may be thinking about how sad they may be waiting for you to come home. So, working from home with your pooch is a win-win. Studies have shown that when your dog is with you at work, your stress levels are much lower than those days when your dog is not with you. Also, if you are feeling stressed out over a problem with a client, you can just reach out and give your dog a scratch behind the ear and it will make both of you feel better.

When you work in an office all day, you sometimes do not get to take a break, and the same thing can happen when you work from home. Having a dog will definitely get you moving around whether you want to or not. You have to take them for walks, give them food or water, and play with them to keep them healthy, which in turn makes you healthier and happier too. Another win-win situation. And having your pooch with you means you will never be alone so say goodby to loneliness too.

Check out fluentwoof.com for a work from home schedule, tips for stopping alert barking, impulse control, enrichment ideas and more for your pooch.

The Dog Parent Productivity Guide for Working From Home With a Dog