With the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the Austin area and across the nation, we are aware of the changes and challenges that we all face. Collectively, we are navigating a stay at home order, social distancing, online learning for our kids, and, last but not least, working from home. While the home is busier than ever, we need to be mindful that our pets are adjusting too. They don’t understand work from home they just know you are home, and will react according to whatever that meant to them before.
While we love our pets, but they can certainly be a distraction from getting work and learning done when everyone is home. Often accustomed to a dog walker, daycare, or routine of sleeping in their crate during our workday, pets may be excited about the new attention in the home. At the same time, they may not receive the type of attention that is appropriate for them because of our other priorities.
The challenge of finding balance in the demands of our job, family, school and pets can be daunting. As restrictions continue to tighten on our activity, how do we ensure our pets get the attention and care that is required for them to maintain healthy and content?
Balance
Many are discovering that working from home with a pet around requires some adjustment. Their “puppy eyes” can both melt your heart and make you feel terribly guilty. Having them under your feet and nudging your arm to be petted, can be comforting in the beginning but it can be frustrating and inappropriate when you need to focus or are on a conference call. Removing them from the room can be equally as frustrating for both of you. Your pet may exhibit their frustration whining, scratching or vocalizing at the door. We need them to entertain themselves for a while. Unfortunately, confusion, frustration and boredom don’t make a great combination of emotions. The result is often, out-of-the-blue barking, depression or even destructive behaviors. Add to that the repeat cycle of needing to come in and go out, kids, homeschooling, along with all your other responsibilities and working from home doesn’t always equate to a productive workday.
Dog walking may sound luxurious in a time of crisis, but it is a necessity for many who are learning to balance working from home and caring for loved ones. Dogs are natural adventurers, which means that exercise opportunities need not only be physically enriching but mentally stimulating as well. Ever notice how your dog seems to never run out energy when they are in the backyard? They can run the fence and bark forever but takes a nap after a 30 minute to one hour walk? That’s the power of mental stimulation!
Scheduling a long walk during an important meeting not only frees up your attention span, allows you to focus and eliminates your frustration, it also but gives your pet the mental and physical stimulation he craves and fosters contentment in allowing your dog be noticeably calmer. Calm dogs mean quieter workspaces. Quiet workspaces mean a balance between you and your dog.
Adjusting to the New Norm
With recent adjustments, including working from home, our pets are pivoting as well. Before a shelter in place, stay at home, or self-quarantine, your pet may have had the house to themselves and followed a daily routine around your work or children’s school schedule. With the return of family to the home, your pet’s routine is uprooted.
Children are learning online, young kids are not in daycare, and some of us find ourselves homeschooling. While trying to establish routines for ourselves and other humans in the home, we may overlook our pet and their need for structure. As we rearrange our physical home spaces and routines, it is important to factor in pets. Do they have a dedicated space? Do they have a routine in the morning, afternoon, and night? If you are overwhelmed, can you utilize the assistance of others to make a routine run smoothly? What about caring for sick people in the home?
Pets thrive in structure more than humans. Creating a simple routine for your pet calms the home and checks off one less thing for you to worry about during your day. If you are not sure how to create a routine for your pet, providers like Luv My Sitter can help you to set one up
Keeping Your Pets (and Yourself) Enriched
Pet parents are often surprised to hear that their pets become bored, and some behaviors that we see as normal are actually signs of stress. Running the fence, barking, restlessness, and jumping at the back door are tell-tale signs that your pet is not fulfilled. While this is easy to overlook and brush off, dogs, as we know, can make their problems your problems.
Pet parents have options when it comes to keeping a pet busy. Tricks, play, games, walks, and socialization are all pieces to a puzzle that stimulate your pet’s active mind and calm your home.
During the stay at home order, many pet parents have been fearful to leave home but it can be difficult to entertain and find mental growth opportunities for your pet inside the home.
Fortunately, Luv My Sitter has a medical background and can help. Local, federal and international healthcare entities recognize pet care professionals as essential workers but you need to make sure the provider you chose has protocols in place to protect you, your pet and their staff. Visits from a focused professional can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety pet parents experience during this difficult time.
Keeping your pets enriched pets in a time when we are all worried about our health, our kids, our jobs can be easier than you think. Outsourcing this one task can give you a well-deserved break and allow you to concentrate on work or homeschooling. In addition, it can be the perfect opportunity to create the structure and routine that your pet crave which will help you to emerge from this difficult time a true champion of adversity.
