Apparently, last Friday was “Take Your Dog To Work Day!” It’s easy to miss this kind of holiday when you’re a professional dog trainer, simply because EVERY day is “Take Your Dog To Work Day!”
But for those of you who work in an office and would like to take your dog to work on occasion, I’ve put together a list of things you should do before bringing Fido into your board meetings:
1.) Teach your dog an elimination command. I use the command “Get Busy.” This tells the dog when and where it’s okay for him to urinate or defecate. It’s especially handy if you notice that the dog is indicating that he may need to eliminate, and you want to run him outside and designate a specific area.
2.) Teach your dog a strong down-stay command. Perhaps your dog already knows how to stay down. Just remember that when a dog learns, it’s often situational. So, if he’s never been worked around the type of office distractions you’ll be subjecting him to, then it’s a good idea to practice with him first. How? You have basically two options:
a.) On your day off, bring him into the office at the end of the day. This way, you won’t need to worry about answering the phone or being distracted if he gets up.
b.) Go into the office on a Sunday and running him through some exercises. You want your dog to learn that just because he’s in an office setting does not mean that he can get away with bad behavior. He must learn that your rules are the same, regardless of where you go.
3.) Limit your dog’s range of motion by using a 2 foot tie-down that you attach to the leg of your desk. Now, if your dog already has a strong down-stay command, the tie-down is a bit redundant. However, it will give piece of mind to some of the other employees working in the office, and will allow you to walk out of the room and away from your desk without worrying.
4.) STOP THE SHEDDING! Treat Your Dog From The Inside Out with Mrs. Allen’s Shed-Stop: -Stops unwanted shedding -Promotes healthy skin & beautiful coats -Mixes in easily with your pet’s food -For puppies or dogs -Veterinarian recommended -100% Guaranteed when used as directed http://www.lucy-the-dog.com/Merchant/supple.htm There’s nothing like getting clumps of hair on your business suit. While some shedding is unavoidable, you should try to limit shedding to a minimum.
5.) Chew toys While it may seem obvious, stay away from chew toys that:
a.) Squeak. Squeaky toys are the fastest way to get your dog banned from the office, when Fido’s squeaking interrupts your office mate’s raise negotiations.
b.) Smell. If you give your dog one of those basted beef bones, your office will smell like beef jerky for years to come. The aroma such products give off tends to linger… and linger… and …. However, since your dog may be spending a few hours at a time lounging next to your desk, he’ll probably want something to do.
And since chewing is VERY SERIOUS WORK…. you need to give him something to chew on.
I recommend:
a.) The Rubber “Kong” Toys
b.) Rope Toys
c.) Rawhide Chews. (There are some points of contention about rawhide causing problems. One local veterinarian has told me that he’s never seen a case of rawhide getting lodged in the digestive tract in 30 years of practicing medicine. On the other hand, a vet technician across town told me that they get two or three cases a year. )
6.) Two collars
a.) A flat buckle collar you should attach to your tie-down.
b.) A training collar, which has a tab (1 foot leash) on it, so that if your dog breaks a down-stay, you have something to correct him with. The dog should wear both collars.
7.) A 6 foot leash, so you can take your dog outside for walks, during your breaks.
8.) Poop bags.
9.) A water bowl.
10.) Food treats that your dog is familiar with, and that won’t upset his stomach. If fellow employees are apprehensive about your dog, let them feed Fido treats. This is a good way to make friends.
-Adam