Back to School Pet Tips: How to Help Your Dog & Cat Adjust to the New Routine!

Nona Paws Pet Sitter, Becca is keeping Psalm busy with his favorite toy!

Your pets have been enjoying their time with their favorite humans all summer, but things are changing with school back in full swing! It can be difficult for pets to adjust to the sudden change, but there are a few things you can do to make this process a little smoother for your companions. 

Start Slow

If classes haven’t started, take things slow to get your furry friends used to not seeing you all day. Start by keeping them on a strict schedule weeks ahead of classes starting. Leave them alone for short periods of time and gradually increase them throughout the week. Your pet will slowly get used to you leaving for longer periods, rather than having to get used to a sudden change too fast. For dogs, set a potty schedule ahead of time. Start taking them out early in the morning and spacing time between potty breaks till you can get them in a good routine. Most, healthy, adult dogs can go 6 to 8 hours without a potty break, while puppies and older dogs may need to be let out halfway through the day. 

It is never too late to start your pets on a daily routine. As long as you remain consistent and provide positive reinforcement with treats and toys, your pet will adapt. Having someone to let them out halfway through the day can help keep your pet on a good routine, this is where a pet sitter could come in handy.

Keep Things Low Key

When leaving and coming home, do not make it a big deal. I know it’s hard to resist a furry friend jumping up to say hello or whining when you leave, but making it a casual situation lessens your pets reactions to it. It feels natural to give your furry friend goodbye pets and kisses, but this can create frustration and separation anxiety. They get excited and riled up, only to be left alone right after. The same goes for a big reaction when you get back home. The pet will start waiting anxiously so they can receive that big reaction from you the second you return. 

When leaving the home, give them pets goodbye or a treat they only get when you leave. A short, yet positive, interaction leaves a calm pet. When returning home, give your pet a calm reaction. Provide love and pets, but avoid getting them overly excited.

Keep Them Busy: Puzzle Toys, Cognitive Toys & Interactive Toys

Puzzle toys are a great way to keep pets busy while you are away. Make sure these toys are only used when you leave the house, so the pets get excited for these toys rather than focusing on your departure. 

For dogs, there are hollowed out toys you can fill with something yummy, like small amounts of yogurt or peanut butter or even their kibble soaked in some water. These can be frozen for longer periods of entertainment as well. Or use cognitive toys, like puzzles, where pets have to figure out how to get treats out. 

Kaiya loves her puzzle toys filled with treats!

For cats, you can leave treats around the house for them to find when they go exploring or use smaller puzzle toys to hide treats in. There are also toys that activate on their own throughout the day, like lasers, that can entertain cats when you are away. This can make alone time a fun experience and provide mental stimulation. It can also provide a distraction to destructive behavior like furniture destroying.

Provide Background Noise and Exercise

A loud house becoming suddenly quiet can be anxiety inducing for many pets. Try leaving your tv on or the radio when you’re gone to drown out the sounds of quiet and day-to-day noises from outside. Especially if your dog likes to bark at every noise or you have a kitty that hides at every sound. This will help reduce anxiety in pets.

Providing exercise is a good way to get a dog’s energy out for the day.

Get up a little earlier and give your dog a good walk before kids leave for school. Or have a good play session to get your pet tired early in the morning. Cats also can benefit from daily exercise. Consider using wand toys or lasers to get their energy out for the morning. When pets have extra energy, they use it by being destructive, but you can provide the physical stimulation to lessen that behavior. You can also get the help of a pet sitter who can visit half way through the day to walk and exercise your pet.

Helping your pet adjust may take time and effort from the whole family. However, by using these back to back to school pet tips it will greatly help your dog and cat adjust to the new routine! Take things slow and do what works for you and your pet and your pet will adjust in due time. Hiring a pet sitter can make the transition a smoother process and reduces stress in you and your pet. 

At Nona Paws Pet Sitting we offer multiple different length visits to provide interaction, love and care to help ease your pet into the new school routine. If you are in need of frequent visits, ask about our frequency discount program.