Working from home can present some challenges, especially when working from home with dogs! Today we’re sharing some of our favorite activities to keep your dog distracted while you work. 

Before shopping with Amazon and Chewy, we do recommend first checking with locally owned retailers like ChowHound or Fido and Stitch to see if they have any of the items below available for purchase – both retailers offer curbside pickup! 

Frozen Kongs

Frozen Kongs are a fantastic way to keep your pup entertained when they’ve earned a special treat. Our favorite way to use kongs for daycare pups is by adding a bit of kibble into the kong, and sealing it off with some dog-safe peanut butter, and popping it in the freezer. But you can always add your dog’s favorite treats instead and seal off with any pet friendly ingredient like pumpkin, peanut butter, or banana. 

Food Puzzles

We cannot say enough about how much we love food puzzles and snuffle mats. Let your dog earn their lunch by working to retrieve their kibble from any dog puzzle (we love this one from Chewy). If your dog is on a diet, these toy puzzles from Zippy Paws are another great option! 

Another great option is to use at-home items to create your own puzzle for dogs. If you have an old cardboard box lying around, fill it with miscellaneous items (like clothing, paper products, etc) and scatter some treats in the box as well for your dog to sniff out. Just be sure the items you use are large enough that your dog won’t accidentally eat them! 

Introduce a New Toy

What dog doesn’t love a new toy? Keep your dog distracted with something new and exciting to focus on with a new toy that you know they’ll love (just maybe pick one that doesn’t involve a lot of action on your part ;)). You may even start the process of rotating their toys rather than giving them access to all their toys at once, or playing “Hide and Seek” with your dog by asking them to seek out their favorite toy while you work.

Practice Your “Place” Command

Training is a wonderful way to keep your dog busy, but it often involves a lot of engagement on your part as well. Working on a “Place” command, or “Down/Stay” for duration is a good solution to working your dog without requiring too much on your part. Just be sure to keep treats or toys (whatever you use as a reward) close by.

Crate Them

Crate training isn’t just for puppies, and you can absolutely crate your dog while you’re at home. If your dog is already crate trained, then crating them while you work at home should be a breeze (in fact, it’s probably good to maintain your work routine now, so the transition is easier when it comes time to return to the office). If your dog isn’t crate trained yet, but you want to start now, check out this video.

If all else fails, embrace the chaos. Distraction isn’t always a bad thing, especially because when you work from home you are more likely to work more hours – that’s because your work is always close by. Feel free to take a fifteen minute break and toss the ball around with your pup, or head out for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Who knows, that break may even increase your productivity and allow you to complete your work more efficiently while your dog(s) snoozes nearby.