Summer Vacation's the Time to Get Pets Ready for Back to School
Info from Animal Expert Dr. Grey Stafford
 Being left alone all day can be a big adjustment for young pets that have grown used to having the kids home from school.
So while there are many things we should teach our new pet to help it succeed at living with us, here are a few tips designed to make the transition from summer vacation to back-to-school more successful.
Set Animals up for success not failure
Preventing problem behaviors before they occur is the secret to teaching pets how to survive when you are not around the house. For example, puppies have a need to chew. Chewing helps soothe their gums as adult teeth come in, and since they don’t have hands, it is also a convenient way to explore the world! Put shoes, purses, trash cans — anything that might make a tempting chew toy to a naive pet and cause a mess for you — out of reach. Do provide pets with a rotating supply of toys.
Balance the amount of playtime with calm time
One way to avoid shaping a hyper or anxious animal is to balance the amount of time you spend reinforcing high-energy play behaviors with calm, relaxed ones. Avoid letting any feelings of guilt you may have over leaving them alone all day cloud your training judgment — not all of your interactions should be playtimes. Otherwise, your pet may learn to be hyper every time it is with you! As a guide, if you spend a total of 20 minutes a day at play, spend at least twice that amount of time reinforcing them for calm, quiet behaviors, perhaps while you are sitting down to watch 3TV.
Practice leaving them home alone
Use everyday errands around town to approximate leaving them home alone for an entire day. Build on their success by slowly increasing the amount of time you are away. Early on, only give them access to areas of the home or yard that are puppy proof and won’t cause lasting damage if they have an accident.
Consider using a kennel
A portable kennel with plenty of room for them to stand upright, to turn easily around, and that can hold a water bowl can be a great way to hold your pet for a short while. However, make the kennel a fun place to be by giving them toys, treats and praise while they are calm and quiet inside. Don’t use it as a time out corner. To avoid being predictable, it is a good idea to kennel them from time to time even while you are home, too.
Learn when to ignore your pet
Leaving for work or school and then arriving home at the end of the day are two very predictable events in a pet’s life. Avoid making a bigger deal out of these regular events by ignoring your pet several minutes before you leave and after you get home. Why? Pets are obviously going to be excited at these times and will be more likely to display hyper, anxious or otherwise obnoxious behaviors like running through the house, barking, jumping all over your clean clothes and so on. Punishing these behaviors will only confuse your pet and make matters worse. Instead, giving them a few minutes to calm down before a big change happens, like you leaving, arriving or letting them out, allows you to acknowledge and reward calmer behaviors instead of encouraging annoying, energetic ones.
The school year may be weeks away, but the lessons to shape a successful new pet begin today.
~ Dr. Grey
Learn more about Dr. Grey Stafford
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