Working from home instead of a formal office setting can have many advantages. One of them is being able to raise your puppy in a more effective and efficient manner. This is especially true if you have a breed that is very prone to separation anxiety. Being in the house with you will surely make the little dog happy. Here are 10 ways you can raise an even happier puppy while working from home.

Establish a Routine for Your Puppy that You Can Adhere to

There are work-at-home puppy owners who will recommend not establishing a routine for your young dog. However, dogs thrive in an environment where there is order. They find comfort and security in the knowledge that they can follow a routine. As a work-at-home individual, you can establish a routine that you can adhere to without compromising your work. Identifying the different activities that your puppy must accomplish every day can help provide insight on how the daily routine can be planned.

Provide Puppy-Appropriate and Breed-Specific Meals

Puppies require only the best nutrients for their optimum development and growth. They will need certain nutrients that are necessary for ensuring stronger bones, well-developed brain and eyesight, and healthier coat and skin. They also need more proteins to help them grow and build their muscles as well as other organs in the body. What is important here is to choose a dog food that is specially formulated for puppies. If possible, choosing a breed-specific diet can also help ensure that your puppy will grow into a healthy and happy dog.

Keep Training Sessions Short but Interesting

Training establishes the rules in your home that puppies need to follow. After all, you do not want them to bother you while you are already busy with your work. Training puppies is not difficult. It has been proven that puppies as young as 8 weeks can already understand what is being taught. Training sessions for puppies can be kept short yet very interesting. If it is too lengthy, your puppy might get bored. If it is too short, it may not learn what you are trying to teach it.

Provide Healthy Snacks

Just as healthy meals can make your puppy happy; giving it healthy snacks can make it even happier. Choose snack items that are safe to be given to puppies or dogs. There are puppy treats and snacks that you can purchase, of course. However, you can also give your puppy a few slices of cooked unsalted, unoiled chicken or beef as well as slices of fruits and vegetables. 

Let Your Puppy Play with Interactive Toys

While you’re working at home, your puppy will be most likely looking for a playmate since they are quite active at this stage in their lives. Instead of taking a break from your work, you can purchase interactive dog toys or even puzzle toys designed to stimulate puppies and dogs. These are playthings that have hidden compartments where you can place a tasty treat. Your puppy will use its sense of smell to track the scent and use its brain to remove the treat from its storage compartment.

Allow Your Puppy to Have Some Cuddle Time

If you have a puppy that was separated from its litter mates, understand that it still longs for the warmth of a parent figure. Pet parents who are working from their homes often allow their puppy to lie down and sleep at their feet. Some also find time to cuddle with their puppy just to show their love for it. You can spare 5 to 10 minutes of your time just to carry, play, or even cuddle with your puppy. 

Walk Your Puppy Even for 30 Minutes

While puppies are very playful, they will still need their daily walk. This is to make sure that they also get acquainted with the world outside your home. Walking your puppy will never take you away from your work too long. In fact, 15 to 30 minutes of walking every day should be enough. You can also look at this activity as a chance to bond with your young dog.

Find Time to Socialize Your Puppy

One of the defining characteristics of dogs is that they are very social. However, this should begin when they are still puppies. It is for this reason that taking your dog for a daily walk is a good idea since it also introduces your puppy to other people and other dogs in your neighborhood. In many instances, it is not even necessary to leave your house. You can invite your neighbors who have puppies, too, to come over and to bring their puppies with them.

Consider Crate Training Your Puppy

Some people have this idea that putting a puppy in a crate is unnecessary and that it feels like putting them in a cage. However, this is not exactly true. In the wild, dogs are den animals. They seek shelter not only from harsh weather, but also from predators in their area. This is the fundamental principle why puppies need to be taught on how they can use the crate as their own den. This can also help you when you simply have too much work to do. Instead of your puppy lying or resting virtually anywhere, it now has a crate that it can use.

Enlist the Assistance of Other Family Members

Raising a happy puppy is not only your responsibility. If you have a family, then it becomes the responsibility of the whole family. You can teach children how to properly care for the puppy so that when you simply don’t have the time to tend to your puppy’s needs, you will have your children to take good care of it. Your siblings, partner, or even parents can also help.

Raising a happy puppy while working from home is easy and made more meaningful with these tips. Try all or some of them so you’ll find fulfillment, too, in your role as your puppy’s pet parent.

Sources:

19 Easy-Peasy Tips to Raise a Happy Puppy, USA Pet Cover

8 Tips for Raising the Perfect Puppy, Care

How to Raise a Happy Puppy – A Vet’s Advice, Animalism