Conference Call Time and Scheduling
This is Part 2 of a special set of articles on working from home with your dog, written in response to the Covid-19 pandemic “shelter in place” orders. Part 1 is here.
Conference Call Time
Let’s take a moment to talk about what to do when you know you have to attend a virtual meeting from home, with your dog around. While your colleagues, clients and customers might be delighted to see your dog, some might find the dog distracting, or even scary. And it can be annoying if the dog is noisy, with whining, barking, or jingling tags, or even a little embarrassing if the dog is interrupting you, or attending to some personal hygiene needs.
One option is to remove the dog from the space you’re in – shoo Buddy out of the room or confine him to a separate room. Consider having some background or “white” noise to reduce the sounds that might trigger barking. Another option is to have the dog in the room with you – your colleagues and clients might enjoy seeing him! – but give him one of those entertainment options discussed in yesterday’s article. Maybe avoid a big old hard bone, as the chewing noise can be quite loud. You can also muffle the sounds of dog tags by taping the tags together (blue painter’s tape is the easiest to remove afterwards), separating them to different parts of the collar, or by letting Buddy go naked and collar-free – at least for the duration of your conference call.
Set a schedule
Once you’ve decided where your dog will be and what he will do, try to set a schedule. One of the joys of having your dog near you while you work is that you can easily take a break to enjoy some petting, a walk or a game of tug or fetch. But for the sake of your work, do not let your dog dictate (or “suggest”) when those times might be. Some dogs will discover that every nudge, paw, whimper or bark will get them attention and will persist in doing it at every opportunity. Build in some time in your schedule for this instead – like coffee breaks, but maybe you get some dog-loving time with your dose of caffeine. Refuse to acknowledge those demands for attention, and intentionally choose to bestow your attention instead when your dog is behaving in the most exemplary way. If you can set a schedule and stick with it, the predictability will be more comforting and less confusing for your dog. It doesn’t have to be a strict schedule, but if Buddy knows that he’s not likely to get your attention for the next hour, he’s more likely to go settle himself elsewhere.
As of publishing time, “social distancing” recommendations do not preclude going on walks outside with your dog, so take advantage of the fresh air and sunshine. Remember that for dogs, an unstructured, meandering, exploratory sniff-walk may be ultimately more satisfying and de-stressing than a brisk walk or run, or an intense game of fetch.
Stacy Braslau-Schneck, MA, is a dog trainer and behaviorist based in Silicon Valley, and the author of the forthcoming book, “Office Buddies – Taking Your Best Friend To Work With You”.