In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basics on how dog owners who work from home can stop their pups from interrupting during work or other important tasks. Work-from-home arrangements have spiked heavily in the US over the last couple years, with many more meetings taking place via Zoom or Skype — but if your dog is constantly interrupting these and other tasks, you may be looking for solutions.
At Innovative K9 Academy, we’re proud to offer the very best dog training courses for a variety of needs, from our puppy school through one-on-one classes and more. What are some basic tips we can offer to at-home workers who are being interrupted by their dogs too often? Here are some more suggestions.
Consistent Responses
Just like any other area where you’re looking to change your dog’s behavior, your response in situations where they interrupt your work needs to be consistent — and we recommend training with a marker such as a click or snap of the fingers. Dogs learn very quickly when you’re consistent, and they’ll come to understand that this sound means they need to stop what they’re doing.
It’s also important, however, that the dog specifically understands the part of what they’re doing that’s wrong. You don’t want your dog to think that it’s a problem anytime they come to you for attention — just when this happens during work meetings, for instance, or when you’re working on a particularly important task.
Be Careful Inviting Interruptions
In some cases, those on Zoom or Skype meetings may want to see your dog — and while this is fine, you should take caution with how regularly you do this. If you’re allowing your dog to break its training and constantly interrupt you, they may start to understand that it’s fine — and before you know it, this or another dog may be doing the same or worse during these important meetings.
It’s better to take regular breaks if your pup is regularly trying to get your attention rather than allowing them to constantly break your training. This will also help ensure that your dog is on a healthy schedule, as disrupting their own schedule can have impacts that you might not expect.
Utilize Some Help
Finally, if you’ve tried a number of different techniques in this area without success, it may be time to call for some help. If you have a friend or family member who can assist you for periods of time, this is great; if not, we offer quality VIP dog boarding and other related services. There are also many dog-walking or hiking services you might consider to help get your pup out of the house and allow them to exercise while you work.
For more on how to stop your dog from interrupting at-home work meetings or other tasks, or to learn about any of our dog or puppy training programs, speak to the team at Innovative K9 Academy today.