Our furry family members have definitely lived their best lives through the 2020 pandemic as their human families spent a majority of time at home with them. As workplaces begin to open up their offices, our pets are being left wondering what happened. After a year of quality time together, a sudden shift in your presence may be jarring to your pets. Check out our tips for helping your four-legged friends adjust as we return to work in the office (full or part-time).
Set a Routine
Since your pet has become accustomed to your presence at home, suddenly stepping into a routine where you are gone for long periods of time can cause severe separation anxiety. Start by creating a routine! The pandemic and quarantine effectively threw most structured schedules and routines out the window, so now is the time to reset times for walks and meals. While you’re working from home and preparing for a transition to the office, keep your pet separate from you for a few hours at a time so that they can remember the feeling and begin to become comfortable with your absence again.
Practice Makes Perfect
Time to test behavior! Practice leaving for work, taking your laptop, keys and another other work items that will be a signal for your pet. Say goodbye, walk out the door and lock it. Then wait. If you hear your dog barking, howling or scratching these are signs of separation anxiety. To help combat the stress of your leaving, you can help your pet stay entertained with toys, treats or by leaving on some music or television. But work up to longer periods of absence gradually and your pets will become accustomed to you leaving home and returning again.
Cleaning Up After Your Pet
While we love our pets, we don’t love when they have accidents. With separation anxiety can sometimes come a regression in housetraining. While frustrating, it is a common issue for pets experiencing sudden changes. It’s important to remember that punishment isn’t the answer for a pet who has urinated on the carpet, your clothes, or your expensive oriental rug. They won’t connect the punishment with the action that may have happened hours ago. But it’s important to clean it well to prevent that area becoming a scent-trained spot for repeat offenses.
To clean an accident from carpet yourself, here’s what you need to do:
- Get clean, white towels. This will prevent any color transfer from happening. Blot as much of the urine as you can.
- Spray the stain with hydrogen peroxide 3%. This is a milder alternative to chlorine bleach that’s safe for fabric and kills germs.
- Let the solution sit for about five minutes then blot up with a clean, white towel starting from the outer edges of the stain moving inward.
- Rinse the stained area with clean water and blot again with a new clean, white towel.
- Repeat these steps until the stain lifts. Let the area dry completely before walking on it.
Need more help? We have specific pet treatments that counteract, neutralize and remove pet stains and odors. Check out our rug cleaning, carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning options! Already dealing with pet accidents? We have specials and coupons for cleaning and pet specific treatments.