Back to School
Advice from Animal Expert Dr. Grey Stafford
 Now that school is starting, our kids aren’t the only ones whose lives are about to change. The daily routine is about to radically shift for our pets, too. Older pets that have experienced the start of the school year before may not notice much, but young pets that have grown accustomed to having the kids at home all day long may have trouble adjusting to their sudden absence.
Get Ready for the First Day of School
If you adopted young animals into your home over the summer vacation, take some time to teach them that all the changes that are happening to their world right now are no big deal. Start by creating training sessions in which they get to practice being “home alone” for increasingly longer periods of time. To do this, before you depart, be sure to close doors to closets and areas of the home that might prove too tempting for them. Also, pick up any household items that might otherwise amuse a pet that is starting to get bored being left alone! Finally, try to approximate a full day of school (i.e., longer alone times) by varying the amount of time you actually leave them alone. Consider taking a lunch break by dropping by the house to check on things. By varying the duration of these alone times, pets won’t learn to predict the start of a long boring day every time you leave the house.
Add Variety
All pets left home alone need some variety in their day. Many will simply shift their sleep patterns so that they are full of energy when the kids come home. Others will need something constructive to do while the whole family is gone. Our job is to set them up for success by preventing disasters from ever happening. If you choose to confine your pets to a crate or kennel, be sure to provide some interesting toys. It's also a good idea to rotate these activities from day to day to prevent boredom And it doesn’t hurt to feed your pet as you leave. That way, all the cues that signal you're leaving (e.g., keys rattling, car starting etc.) will be associated with food rewards.
Don't Fuss
When you and the kids finally do come home, don’t make a big fuss. We really don’t want to confirm our pet’s anxious, energetic, or whiny behaviors as we walk inside the door. It's better to down-play our arrival for a few minutes until they calm down—as if we never left. Once they settle back down and put all those paws on the ground, you both can have all the fun you want!
Dr. Grey
Learn more about Dr. Grey Stafford
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