In honor of “ Take Your Dog to Work Day,” a day dedicated to celebrate our furry friends we call our best friends, a day also dedicated to encouraging the adoption of a puppy or adult dog, PetPremium brings you an article regarding the Do’s and Don’ts of taking your dog to work! When taking your dog to work, there are some do’s and don’ts! An employer providing the opportunity to take your dog to work expects certain “rules” to be followed. What are these guidelines? Let’s take a look at the do’s and don’ts!
Bring Your Dog to Work Day: Do’s
- Be certain you have all of your dog’s needs for the day: when you leave for work in the morning, you must not only prepare yourself but also prepare your dog for the work day. Items such as food, water, treats, poop bags and a bed are expected to be provided by the employee.
- When you arrive at work, do be sure to find your dog a comfortable area close to you to reduce the chances of separation anxiety and make him or her as comfortable as possible!
- Groom him ! Your dog should be well-groomed so there is not a significant amount of fur floating around the workplace from not being brushed. Make sure to brush his teeth as well to ensure better breath while in the workplace. Some type of dog odor control spray may also assist you in ensuring your dog is not the “yucky dog” at work.
- Exercise your dog ! In order to reduce the chances of your dog displaying some type of problem behavior, the pet parent should first exercise the dog to ensure he or she has had some time to release some energy prior to the long work day.
Behaviors Your dog should not display destructive or distracting behavior if you are going to bring him to work. If he is causing trouble, he is no longer providing a more productive workplace and is rather being a distraction from your work which may cause problems in the workplace.
Bring your Dog to Work Day: Don’ts!
- Illness: If your dog is sick, please do not bring him to the workplace. If your dog has a contagious illness especially; he should not be brought to work to spread it to the other dogs.
- Do not bring your dog to work if he or she is not up-to-date on vaccinations! This will likely be checked by the employer; but if not, please be certain not to bring him until the vaccinations are up-to-date.
- Do not let him wander: it is important to remember that not all employees will take advantage of the opportunity to bring their dog to work. Not all employees are dog-friendly or they may not have a dog; or may not even believe taking a dog to work is a productive activity. Your dog is your responsibility. No one else should be responsible for him.
- Do not feed him throughout the work day unless his feeding time occurs within the hours you will be working. Feeding your dog with other dogs in an unusual area may cause territorial behavior. Plus, the dog will need to use the bathroom shortly after eating which may distract you from your normal work.
Many of these do’s and don’ts are common sense which the pet parent will know and understand; however, it is crucial these are followed to ensure the productivity of the employee and the company. Only when the guidelines are followed are the benefits present to the employee and employer. If the guidelines are not followed when the opportunity to bring the dog to work is present, the opportunity could easily be taken back due to lack of productivity and/or increased stress in the workplace.
Happy bring your dog to work day 2015 !
Amber Johnson, Animal Behaviorist
Miss Amber Johnson has many years of experience with pets and is a licensed cat and dog nutrition and behavior specialist. She currently collaborates with PetPremium where she counsels clients in pet behavior and nutrition. The statements made in this article are the personal opinions of Miss Amber Johnson and based on independent experiences and could be different from the opinions of PetPremium Pet health Insurance or any other pet health insurance provider.
