Sunday "Living With Your Pet" Tips: Taking Your Dog To Work!

Did you all remember that this Friday, June 22, is the 14th annual Pet Sitters International "Take Your Dog to Work Day"? We're embarrassed to say that we'd forgotten...and Parental Unit is unfortunately (for me) going to be out of town that day, happily attending the 2012 BlogPaws International Pet Blogging Conference (sans me), and thanks to the generous sponsorship of Pedigree.

But for those of you who have the opportunity to let Fido join you for the day at your office, here are some excellent tips from Harrison Forbes, dog trainer, animal behaviorist and radio host extraordinaire. We think he's super cool with canines, and so are these tips, which focus on teaching your dog basic manners before your best pal embarrasses you with a "faux paw" or two.

Practice Makes Perfect: Before bringing your dog into the office, practice polite behavior by taking them out to public places. Letting Fido tag along on your next trip to the park, pet store or café patio, will help them become more acclimated to new people, places and animals. This will help them learn proper behavior when greeting people and help them relax in new settings.

Plan, Prepare and Protect: Plan ahead and check with your co-workers to make sure everyone is allergy-free and comfortable with dogs. Also, prepare your work space by hiding electrical cords, and setting out a dog bed and water bowl. Most importantly, make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines and protected from fleas and ticks that can be passed from other four-legged office mates. Use a monthly topical treatment like PetArmor®, which is the fipronil-based preventative that offers the same protection as Frontline® at about half the cost.

Walk This Way: Learn leash manners before stepping foot into the building. A trick to combat leash pulling is to stop walking or stop and walk in the opposite direction. When the dog stops and the leash becomes loose, start walking again. Repeat this exercise until your dog learns to walk with you instead of pulling ahead. This can be a long and frustrating process, but it will be effective in the long-term.

Sit and Stay: Condition your dog to sit and stay on command. This is the proper way to greet co-workers, and will help ensure your work day is productive. Teach “sit” and “down” by practicing ahead of time out in public, and offering a small treat for every successful command. Keep training sessions short and gradually build up to an hour. Once at work, encourage your dog to sit or lie down in his or her bed while you’re working in your office.  

Getting to Know You: Avoid office disputes by asking permission before you allow your dog to greet another dog, and don’t force your dog to become ‘friends’ with another dog; let them meet in their own time. Try to keep a loose leash when introducing your dog to another. Pulling tightly on the leash may cause your dog to become nervous and to growl or snap.

You've got a few days to practice before your four-legged buddy makes his office debut-good luck and have a fun "Take Your Dog to Work Day"!

And a very Happy Father's Day to all you human and pet dads out there!

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