Balancing Work and Life as an Active Dog Parent: Tips for Finding Harmony

Balancing Work and Life as an Active Dog Parent: Tips for Finding Harmony

Understanding Your Dog’s Needs

Before bringing home your new best friend it’s important to consider not only your current routine, but also your new dog’s needs. If you are not used to having a dog in the house, bringing home a busy puppy or a high-energy dog can be a huge adjustment; especially for busy professionals! For many first-time dog owners, adopting a breed with minimal activity needs or rescuing a low-energy adult dog might be a perfect solution to adapting to having a dog in the house. 

However, even the most career-oriented people can learn to balance work and responsible dog ownership if they want a puppy or a high-drive dog. Let’s take a look!

Make Time For Your Dog

Being a responsible dog owner takes time and dedication. Even couch potato dogs need to be socialized, learn basic manners, and enjoy a daily walk. Still,  low-maintenance dogs such as Basset Hounds, English Bulldogs, or Pugs are ideal for owners who want a pet that needs only a brief walk around the neighborhood after a long workday. Better yet, head to your local shelter and talk to the employees about rescuing a lazy adult dog and skip the destructive puppy phase! 

I mention low-energy dogs because it’s important to have a dog that can be incorporated into your current routine. If you like to play video games to relax after work, then you do not want a high-energy dog like a Border Collie, Australian Cattle Dog, or German Shorthaired Pointer. These dogs need lots of exercise and training, and can become bored and destructive.

Nevertheless, that does not mean a busy professional cannot be a responsible dog owner of an active pup. If you love to go for a run before work or go for a long sunset hike after clocking out, then you can certainly make time in your routine for the busy dog of your dreams. 

Understanding that dogs enjoy a routine of exercise, training, and socialization will help you structure a schedule that accommodates your dog while helping you strengthen your relationship and bond.

Enrichment

Lucky owners of high-energy dogs know how much they love exercise. If you are already an active person, it is usually pretty easy to include your dog on runs, long walks, or hikes.

Some dogs still get bored, especially when you are gone for long days at work. Boredom can lead to anxiety. Signs of dog anxiety include:

• Chewing and destruction
• Howling or barking
• Accidents in the house
• Pacing
• Drooling
• Compulsive behaviors

Beat doggy boredom before it turns into anxiety by adding more training and enrichment to your dog’s life!

Dog training doesn’t have to be a structured one or two hours devoted to teaching new commands.  That might be overwhelming for a busy working dog parent! Don’t worry, dogs learn better in micro-sessions. Work on their stays while your coffee is brewing in the morning. Practice leave-it while the kids are eating breakfast. Or teach them new tricks during TV commercials! Personally, my favorite fun and easy training exercise to help build confidence is 101 Things To Do With A Box. 

Doggy enrichment also doesn’t have to be a daunting chore. Sure, you can buy snuffle mats, Kongs, or Licky Mats to put food in to make your dog work for their dinner. Or you can wrap their kibble in an old towel, scatter it in the yard on a nice day, or hide it in the cardboard box from your training games! Enrichment and training are the perfect tools for curbing boredom because they tire out a dog mentally. Most dog owners find if their dog’s brain is tired then they do not require as much exercise to wear them out! 

Utilize a Dog Daycare or Dog Walker

Some work days are longer than others, and there is nothing wrong with utilizing dog care services! Doggy Daycares are great for well-socialized dogs, especially younger ones who love to play with other dogs. Drop them off in the morning and grab your tired dog on your way home. 

It’s essential to understand your dog and their personality. Daycares might be overwhelming and stressful for certain dogs. It might be your dog’s background, their breed traits, or their age. These dogs might enjoy a dog walker instead of going to a doggy daycare! You can focus on work knowing that a trusted dog walker is taking your best friend on a long walk in the afternoon. Depending on the breed, they might be ready to go for a second walk when you get home! 

Weekend Warriors

If you have committed to a high-energy dog, it is time to become a Weekend Warrior. Get out on the trails, sign up for training classes, or simply spend the day with them socializing at your favorite dog-friendly cafe or brewery. 

One of my favorite enrichment activities for active dogs is something dog training professionals call a “sniffari.” Perfect for a weekend trek or a long summer evening, get your dog harnessed up and let them take you for a walk (with good leash manners obviously!). Allow your dog to choose the route, sniffing things as long as they want. Dogs receive tons of information through smelling, so a sniffari is not only physically demanding but also mentally enriching. Bonus points, sniffing is also a stress reliever (much like spending time with their dogs is a stress reliever for pet owners.)! After a long sniffari, you both will be ready to snuggle on the couch! 

Final Thoughts

Before I changed career paths and became a dog trainer, I was a preschool teacher who worked full days Monday through Friday. I learned a lot of tips on balancing my work schedule while keeping up with my busy border collies and maintaining a harmonious household. I got up early to take my dog for walks, went for long hikes after work, trained them, and went to agility trials on the weekends!

That being said, I am a bit of an overachiever. High-energy dogs don’t necessarily need hours of daily exercise, especially if you can commit to a few minutes of training and prepping enrichment activities. Take them out for big treks when you can, know the signs if they start acting bored, and live life loving your dog while still being successful at your job!