New Job, New Schedule: Prepare Your Pet Part 1

You’ve found your ideal job in Philadelphia and you’re ready to start back to a full time schedule after some time at home. While you’re itching to get out of the house and back to the grind, don’t forget to prepare those you have to leave at home.

Sure you’ve already scheduled a sitter for your children but what about the family pet that has been used to having you home all this time. Now suddenly with the kids in day care and you out the door to the office all day, separation anxiety sets in for your fur baby who’s left home alone.

This can make things tough on you too. Pets who are upset by being away from their owners can show their stress in destructive ways. Dogs scratch the doors, defecate on the carpet and howl until the family comes home, all of which can land you in how water with the landlord. Not to mention the damage they can do to your personal possessions, like shoes, couches and curtains.

On top of the guilt and added stress of leaving your pup alone you don’t need to endure the extra expense of dogs gone wild while you’re gone. That’s no way to make your transition into the next phase of your career work. You have several options to avoid these issues though and with a little planning you can prepare your pet for your return to the workforce before you even step foot out the door.

Start now taking short trips out of the house during the day and see how your dog does when you’re only gone for an hour or two. If you decide to leave your animal free to roam make sure anything dangerous or valuable is put up and inaccessible. If necessary put down a puddle pad and leave a little water in case they get thirsty. Give your dog a comfy spot to sleep and access to a few acceptable play things while you’re away.

The best way though to make sure your dog is safe and secure when you’re at work is to crate train them. By setting up a plastic or metal cage and making it a safe and secure spot they can call home, your dog will dig waiting in their den for you to come home without making a mess. Make sure it’s got enough room for them to stand up and turn around. Don’t leave dogs, especially puppies in the crate too long though since they need appropriate amounts of exercise and bladder relief. Never use a crate to punish your dog either and they will usually enter on their own accord as you get ready to head out the door. Toss in a t-shirt, pre laundry from a favorite family member to add a familiar aroma and ease anxiety.

Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs.

By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.