Want to bring your dog to work with you? You aren’t alone if you’re considering setting up a dog-friendly office! Increasingly dog parents want to bring their dogs to work with them, and many corporations and small businesses are finding ways to be more inclusive of dog owners. Bringing your dog to work can be fun, and with a bit of planning, having dogs in the office doesn’t have to be stressful; it might even make everyone more productive! Here are some things to remember if you want to create a dog-friendly work environment.
Require temperament testing:
Every dog is good, but only some dogs will be a good fit for working with their owner. To create a dog-friendly work environment, you’ll want to put some temperament testing plans in place to ensure that dogs thrive in a work environment. Dogs who are reactive, fearful, or wary about people or other dogs aren’t a good match for being in the workplace unless someone has a private office and doesn’t engage with others during the workday. An easy way to build in temperament testing requires dogs to train for and pass the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen (CGC) exam. The CGC tests if dogs are comfortable moving through public spaces if they can appropriately greet people and other dogs, and respond to basic obedience cues. These are all skills dogs should have before working with their owners.
Create office dog rules
Bringing dogs to work is fun, but a dog-friendly work environment should have rules. Office rules for dogs keep everyone safe and able to focus on work. Generally, it’s best not to turn your office into a dog park where all dogs run off-leash. Instead, dogs should stay with their owners as they work. Require that people keep their dogs leashed to them or closed into their office. You’ll want to ensure that there are policies and procedures in place for what will happen in the event of issues. This might include taking dogs home if they bark excessively and how you’ll handle worst-case situations, such as a dog bite to a person or a fight between dogs.
Before opening the office to dogs, it’s a good idea to talk with your insurance agent to ensure the business insurance covers having dogs in the building. You’ll also want to ensure that all dogs coming to the office are well-groomed to cut down on dog smells and that if an accident happens, the dog owner will clean up after their dog. Before dogs come to work, ask owners to provide documentation that their dog is up to date on all vaccinations.
Office setup:
Before people start bringing their dogs to work, you’ll want to consider the office setup for everyone’s safety, and comfort dogs should stay with their people while they are at work. To create a dog-friendly work environment, use baby gates and leash tethers to keep dogs with their people in their offices, cubicles, or desk area during the workday.
In each work area, ensure dogs have everything they need, like a comfortable bed and individual water and food bowls. You might want to consider crates (for crate-trained dogs) in offices and cubicles if they will fit so that dogs can have quiet solo time if there is news of a large staff meeting or other work-day situation where dogs might be an unhelpful distraction.
Dog supplies
Part of creating a dog-friendly work environment is ensuring that dogs and dog owners have everything they need for the workday. If you have a staff kitchen or other communal area, consider adding dog-oriented supplies like poop bags, water bowls, and treats that dog owners who bring their dogs to work with can utilize. You’ll also want to make sure to have plenty of cleaning supplies available, like paper towels and hard floor and/or carpet cleaners (depending on your flooring), in case accidents happen around the office.
Take breaks
None of us should spend the day sitting at our desks and working without any breaks, but breaks are essential with dogs in the office. Part of having a dog-friendly office is normalizing employees taking regular breaks. This will help dog owners who bring their dogs to the office feel free to get their dogs out to stretch their legs when needed. Taking dogs outside for regular breaks can help reduce the chance of accidents in the office and help dogs be more relaxed while their owners are working, allowing everyone to be more productive.
Do a trial run
It can be helpful to do a “take your dog to work day” or trial day to see what it’s like to have dogs in the office before creating a dog-friendly work environment. The Friday following Father’s Day is National Take Your Dog to Work Day, but you can choose any day as a trial dog on the office day. Try to select a day without major deadlines or other significant work deadlines so it won’t be a major problem if people are slightly less productive as the dogs get used to being in the workplace. Assuming everything goes smoothly on the trial day of dogs in the office, consider making it a regular event and employee benefits for working at your company!
