Living with a (home) office dog

From the time she was a puppy on, Lotte has been my favourite co-worker. In previous times, she used to accompany me to the office every day. However, in the past two years, Lotte has become a true home office dog. Therefore, I have compiled some tips and ideas so that your collaboration with your (home) office dog works just as well as for me and Lotte.

Work from home jobs are perfect for dog owners. Take a quick walk around the block with your dog during the lunch break and after work, you and your dog can directly go outside and enjoy the fresh air and nature without any lengthy commutes. Another advantage is that your dog does not have to stay home alone during your work hours, when you work from home.

However, you don't need to work from home to combine your workday and your dog. More and more offices welcome dogs, because four-legged co-workers improve both team spirit and health.

The best thing about having a four-legged co-worker is that you can spend short breaks together. That way, you can clear your head and have a short break from your computer, while your dog is kept busy and can then continue to doze, while you work.

For some physical exercise and relief, you can take a short walk together. For some mental exercise, you can play hide and seek games or practice tricks.

Integrate walks into your work day

If a dog accompanies you through your workday, that also means more exercise for you. Your daily walks with your dog are perfect for getting fresh air and replenishing your energy in general.

If you're working from home, an extended morning walk, an active lunch break and a walk after work give structure to your workday. Because I have noticed that my co-workers without dogs often barely leave the house, when they are working from home. After all, desk, couch and bed are only a few metres away from each other. But if you have a dog, you are forced to go outside, get fresh air and exercise.

If your dog accompanies you to the office, this also offers a great opportunity to spend the lunch break with your co-workers and chat about subjects apart from work. Maybe ask your co-workers if they want to accompany you and your dog on a walk during your lunch break. A bit of advice: My co-workers who don't have dogs were always happy, when I let them hold the leash of my dog. Cause what's normal for dog owners, can be a highlight for others.

Hide and seek games

In general, dummies are used outdoors for retrieval training as well as for hide and seek games. Alternatively, a food dummy like the Walkie Dummy by WOLTERS is also perfect for giving your dog some exercise in the office or your own home. Simply fill the dummy with treats or a bit of dry food, hide it in the room next door and let your dog search for it. Though if you're doing this in the office, it's best to warn your human co-workers beforehand. :D

Of course, you can also take the dummy along on your walks with your dog to make them a bit more exciting. That way, your dog gets a bit of distraction during a long day in the officer and can also exercise their head and their nose.

Fillable toys

The Pure Nature toys by WOLTERS are made from natural rubber without any artificial dyes, which makes them 100% organic and poses no risk to your dog's health. These toys offer a lot of playing and chewing fun! What is more, the Pure Nature Bone as well as the goose egg can also be filled with little treats, which turns a game into a challenge for your dog.

Another fillable toy is the Olivi-Snackball by WOLTERS. This natural toy is made from olive wood that is treated with olive oil. Lotte loves the pleasant smell and enjoys chewing on the olive wood. And since the olive wood does not splinter easily, it offers a great alternative to chew snacks.

Doing tricks

In order to get a break from my lengthy to-do list, I like taking a brief break and practice a few tricks with Lotte. You don't need a lot of equipment for this, just a dog, a few treats and maybe a clicker. That way, you can refresh basic commands like sit or down or you can teach new tricks to your dog such as waving, standing on the hind legs, rolling over and resting their heads.

If you're at the office with your dog, your co-workers get to enjoy the dog tricks, too. Maybe you can even organise a small circus performance. However, if you're practicing new tricks, this will work better without observers, cause viewers may distract your dog. Lotte's treat suggestion as a reward for learning new tricks is the BugBiscuit in the flavour banana & chia seed. These treats not only taste great (at least according to Lotte), but they are also very well digestible due to being made from insect protein.