The kids have returned to school, and your schedules are suddenly very busy, but what about the dog? Here is how to prep for a back-As the fall season brings a busier schedule for families, it’s important to consider your dog’s emotional and physical needs. With some preparation, you’ll be able to make sure you continue to provide your family dog with everything they need while people go back to school.
Back to School Schedule Changes:
Just like people can struggle to adapt to changes in schedule, the same is true for our dogs. Shifts in routine can be disorienting and stressful for dogs. Dogs already struggling with general anxiety or a history of separation anxiety can find the back-to-school routine change especially troubling and difficult to adapt to. If possible, make schedule changes for your dog’s welfare for the family happen subtly instead of shocking your dog’s system by going from people’s homes all day to everyone’s gone for 8, 9, or even 10 hours. Try to go out regularly during the day for short periods, and slowly increase those periods of alone time. This will help your dog remember how to spend time alone instead of shocking them by constantly being home all the time and then suddenly leaving for the day. You can use a home security camera or WIFI-connected puppy cam to watch how your dog responds to being alone. If your dog is struggling or distressed, it’s important to work with a local dog trainer who specializes in separation anxiety and will help you support your dog with adapting to the new schedule.
Reduce Alone Time:
Dogs are social creatures and thrive with opportunities to be around their families. Most dogs do not do well with prolonged periods at home alone. This is both an emotional wellness issue, as well as a physical one. At a minimum, dogs need regular opportunities to go to the bathroom and relieve themselves for their physical health and some amount of physical and social play, attention, and engagement. Having to “hold it” all day, every day of the week, is not a fair expectation to put on dogs. Dogs should have opportunities to go potty every few hours. If you have a long day with kids at school and parents at work all day, planning for someone to spend quality time with your dog while you’re away is important. For social dogs, this might look like booking them in to spend time at a well-designed and appropriately supervised doggy daycare. For less social dogs, you can also hire a midday dog walker. Dog walkers can not only allow your dog to relieve themselves mid-day but also provide an opportunity to play and receive attention. If you spend long days away from the house, your dog should not be kept in a crate. Instead, if it’s unsafe for your dog to be loose in the whole house, dog-proof a room where your dog can access water and durable enrichment toys. If a dog walker is not always an option- consider litter box or pee-pad training your dog so they can relieve themselves on long days.
Create Positive Associations
Help your dog create positive associations with the new routine of people being away at school by making the increased alone time rewarding for your dog. Prep dog-safe chew toys for your dog to access while you’re away during the day. Hard rubber toys stuffed with spreadable treats like (dog-safe) peanut butter or even some of your dog’s food are great options for dogs to have while alone. These toys are slow-releasing, which allows your dog to use their mind while they work the treats out of the toy. Be sure to select a toy that is an appropriate size and durability for your dog. Because chewing and licking are naturally stress-relieving activities for dogs, these toys have the added benefit of helping your dog relax and decrease stress in spending time alone. For an added challenge, you can freeze the toys before giving them to your dog, making it more difficult to get the food/treats out and increasing the time the puzzle toy occupies your dog.
Learning Refresh:
Dogs love opportunities to learn. While everyone returns to school and learns new things, it’s a perfect opportunity to refresh your dog’s skills. Work with your dog on basic obedience skills that might have gotten rusty over the summer, practice tricks you haven’t tried, or teach your dog some new skills. Short training sessions a couple of times a day are a fantastic way to get quality bonding time with your dog. These training sessions help your dog burn off excess physical and mental energy and increase the bonding and connection you share with your dog even as your family schedule shifts.
Enrichment Matters:
Even though you’re probably tired after a long day, it’s essential to build quality enrichment time with your dog at a minimum in the morning and the evening. We want to ensure that our dogs receive plenty of attention and physical and mental exercise daily. To ensure your dog is getting enough enrichment, consider setting your alarm a little earlier each morning to build in time in the routine to get your dog out for a walk or to have time for quality playtime. When walking with your dog, allow your dog to sniff and explore instead of rushing your dog through the walk. The chance to stop and sniff makes walks more rewarding and enriching for your dog. In addition to walking your dog, which can provide great physical exercise, play either inside the house, in a park, or in your yard if you have one is equally important. When you’re short on time, you can introduce snuffle mats or other treat-filled puzzles for your dog. Snuffle mats and other puzzles allow your dog to use their amazing sense of smell to forage for hidden food or treats in the mat. Opportunities to use their nose to sniff are very rewarding for dogs and provide great mental exercise and enrichment.
Canine Extracurriculars:
Don’t forget about your dog, as your fall schedule fills up with school commitments. Consider signing you and your dog up for some extracurricular activities as well. Dog training facilities in your local area will have various classes, from basic obedience refreshers to introductions to different dog sports, including Rally Obedience, Agility, Barn Hunt, and Scent Work. Taking your dog to a training class is a great opportunity for you and your dog to bond, spend quality time together, and learn a new skill. Whether you’re looking for a sport to participate in recreationally or have dreams of competition, there is a sport for almost every dog. You can even get the whole family involved in the new sport. Kids can participate in training their family dogs and even compete in dog sports as junior handlers. As a junior handler competitor, kids and their dogs compete in dog sports with other kids and their dogs. Not only is this a great way for kids and dogs to bond, but it’s also a fantastic way to build friendships and connections with other dog-loving kids in your local area.
