June 24, 2011
To celebrate the human-canine bond and to promote pet adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs.
Preparing Your Dog for the Office
Practice by taking your dog out in the world. Every time someone wants to pet her, she must sit ?rst. If she jumps up at any point, walk away from the person and m ake her sit again. She should only get what she wants when she’s being polite. Make sure you reward her when she sits and greets people politely so she learns to behave appropriately when meeting people.
Your dog should also have practice calming down in a public place. There are plenty of places to practice:
• café patios
• coffee houses
• parks and dog-friendly beaches
• busy sidewalks
• pet supply stores
Some stores, like home improvement and nurseries, may also be dog friendly. However, be sure to ask
before you bring your dog to visit!
Pull up a chair and ignore your dog. Once she settles down on her own, offering a “sit” or “down,” praise and reward her. Keep the sessions short and gradually build up to an hour or more. This will help your dog settle down in your cubicle after greeting time has ended. Take her bed and teach her how to do a “downstay” for a few minutes on the bed. This will keep her well-behaved so you can attend to work.
You don’t want your dog dragging you around the of? ce, so brush up on your loose-leash walking skills before taking her in the building. If your dog pulls, stop walking and wait for her to make the leash loose before you begin walking again. Don’t let her drag you to other people or dogs. Have her sit politely until she is allowed to greet.
Introducing Your Dog to New People and Pets
When you show up with your dog at the o? ce on Take Your Dog to Work Day, make sure he is prepared to meet several new people and possibly other dogs.
He should have lots of practice with polite greetings before the big day so that he knows what your expectations are.
When your dog is greeting new people, have him sit politely until released for greetings. Not everyone in your of? ce will want to meet him, and those who do will be especially pleased with his manners.
A cute trick never hurts. Teach your dog to shake hands with people that he meets by holding your ?st up to his nose. When he lifts his paw, even a little, praise him and give him a treat. Practice this until he can give up his paw on command. Then have him practice with different people so he is an expert.
When greeting new dogs in the o? ce, your dog should also be able to sit politely until asked. Ask permission before you allow your dog to greet another dog, in case that dog isn’t as friendly. You don’t want to cause an of? ce squabble!
Keep dog-dog interactions short or break them up periodically by calling your dog back to your side to calm down. Even friendly dogs can escalate if their playing styles don’t match so allow your dog a break and reward him for listening.
Remember to always keep a loose-leash when allowing your dog to greet. If you are pulling tightly on the leash, your dog may think you’re nervous, which may cause him to growl or snap. Allow the dogs to greet in their own time. Don’t push them into a greeting or prevent normal interactions, such as rear snif? ng. Even though your dog may be in your of? ce, dogs will still be dogs!
This will impress all your co-workers and ensure that your dog gets invited back next year!
©2011 Pet Sitters International, Inc. All Rights Reserved Take Your Dog To Work Day® and Take Your Pet To Work Week TM are trademarks of Pet Sitters International, Inc. 2011 All rights reserved.
Tips provided by the members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers: www.apdt.com