The dream of an office dog: Is it possible to have a dog at work?

Do you also dream of a life with an office dog? In this article you will find out how you can fulfill this wish yourself, what requirements are good in the office and how I prepared Fynn for everyday work through training.

About Fynn and me

Hello, I'm Maggy and I work at PAWSOME. Fynn has been part of our family since April 2020 and I couldn't be prouder of him. Not only did he overcome his difficult start in life, Fynn became a super reliable dog in everyday life and in sports.

We were at home for the first two months and Fynn got used to his new life. That wasn't a bit inconvenient because he came to us as a fearful dog. Every little stimulus was too much, regardless of whether it was movement or noise.

We mastered this together with a lot of peace and time. Very slowly I introduced my little Wuffi to his task. This blog post is about these exercises and my experiences.

When we're not at work, I train with Fynn to become an area search dog in the Korneuburg rescue dog team. Fynn has so much fun doing this and during the week we are at the dog park for rally obedience training. When we go for walks we do a lot of tricks, impulse control and dummy training.

Talk to your boss before getting a dog

For a year I worked in an open-plan office that was divided into smaller offices. There were two people in our small office who were afraid of dogs. That didn't make my life any easier, because there were of course prejudices against office dogs.

Even before we got Fynn, I spoke openly with my boss at the time . He knew before I was hired that I wanted a dog. When the opportunity for Fynn came up, I called him straight away and told him about my plans.

The next day we had a team meeting and everyone was able to express their concerns and wishes. I briefly described my plan for how I imagine life with an office dog .

It quickly became clear that my colleagues' wishes were a matter of course for me . For me it is important to teach my dog ​​everyday skills and to raise him so that we shine by "not attracting attention".

Respect non-dog owners or people who are afraid of dogs

The requirements and wishes of my colleagues were as follows:

• The dog is not allowed to jump up on people.
• When colleagues come into the office, he should not approach them immediately.
• My dog ​​should reliably stay on the blanket when someone else comes into the office.
• He is not allowed to bark or make his presence known all the time.
• In general, it is helpful if he stays quiet and doesn't disturb you at work.
• The other dogs in the office have to tolerate him.

Of course, this respect goes two ways. I also had some ideas about how my colleagues should behave towards my dog.

My wishes to my colleagues for dealing with my dog :

• My four-legged friend is not greeted exuberantly so that he stays calm.
• I can leave my dog ​​alone in the office and don't have to take him with me to every meeting.
• If I need support in training my dog, I can always say it.
• Nobody uses commands without agreement, as incorrect use can hinder learning progress.

By support I mean, for example, the following situation: I don't want my dog ​​to be spoken to on the dog blanket. This means that as soon as the dog lies on his blanket, he is not excited and asked to play. There he has peace and quiet and can relax.

This always worked very well and there were no problems right from the start thanks to the clear communication .

Prejudice caused by untrained dogs and how I dealt with it

After I understood why dogs are sometimes poorly received, I did my best to prepare Fynn for life in the office. In doing so, I actively counteracted prejudices. The most common prejudice was: dogs jump up when greeting someone.

I have to admit that I know several dogs that jump up. With smaller dogs and puppies, everything is often accepted because it is so cute. A full-grown Labrador is no longer as friendly when 30 kilos jumps at you.

Even as a dog owner, I can't stand this behavior. I never could. I think it shows bad parenting and disrespect. For this reason, I wanted to avoid this behavior with my dog ​​from the start, but I didn't know what to expect with my animal welfare dog.

Luckily , high jumping was never an issue for Fynn . When I or someone else greets him, we do it calmly and at his eye level. That means no high-pitched voices and waving around, but rather relaxed words. If someone wants to pet Fynn , this is of course possible if Fynn is standing with all four paws on the ground and is calm.

For some people, Fynn increases his greeting a bit. When this happens I point it out to the greeter and Fynn only gets attention when he relaxes. This can take 2 minutes or 15 minutes. I always have the longest breath. Fynn now knows what I want from him and he behaves in a very exemplary manner.

The training begins outside of the office

Before I had Fynn in the office for the first time, he was allowed to settle in with us. I had two months of home office and we were able to get to know each other. This way I was able to assess Fynn better and knew where to start in training.

Training suitability for everyday use

We brought Fynn in as a fear dog. At the beginning he was anything but calm and calm. At first he was afraid of everything and everyone, then came arrogance and a lot of energy. In order to channel Fynn's energy into socially acceptable channels, we quickly began blanket training.

I built the “ceiling” command in several steps. As with many tricks or commands, there are several ways to teach your dog 'blanket'. This blog post shows what worked for us:'Blanket training for a relaxed everyday life'

As an alternative to a blanket, a box can be used. It is helpful in many situations if you have a reliable method of keeping your dog in one place. Because people come and go in every office who don't want constant contact with dogs.

I also introduced classic commands, such as a reliable sit & down , right from the start. Since Fynn had a lot of fun training, he was quickly able to hold the seat for longer. Even with distractions around him.

So several items from the list were taken care of and I could concentrate on another task: Fynn's insecurity around other dogs.

Several dogs in the office

The multiple dogs in the office were a little more difficult. Fynn doesn't feel comfortable with pushy dogs and doesn't react ideally when other dogs corner him. In such situations he tends to be insecure and doesn't handle it well.

What do I do as a dog owner? I avoid these situations and act with foresight. If another dog comes towards us, I stop him from running towards Fynn and harassing him. I stand in front of my dog ​​and use my arms to keep other dogs at a distance.

After the first few times in the office, Fynn didn't care about the other dogs and we were able to walk past without any problems. This gave him peace of mind and there was never an incident.

Rest during working hours with the right workload

Lastly, it's important that Fynn relaxes during work hours and doesn't vie for attention all the time. This is not easy with Fynn as he is an energetic dog. That's why I do my best to exhaust him before I go to work . Not exclusively physically, but primarily mentally.

In the morning I go for a walk for almost 60 minutes . During a round like this I don't just go for a walk, I also incorporate short exercises. I particularly often try to train recall and attention.

For me, a 60 minute walk is structured like this:

• 10 minutes of simple walking: free running or on a towline, clearing your head, getting rid of the initial energy & rewarding attention to myself
• 5 minutes of nose work: dummy training, searching for lost people or recognizing smells
• Go for a walk for 10 minutes: run freely or on a leash, call back 1-2 times and reward attention
• 5-10 minutes of obedience or mental work: training tricks, classic obedience & dummy work with impulse control
• Go for a walk for 15 minutes: run freely or on a leash, call back 2-3 times & reward any attention
• 5 minutes of spontaneous training: I use the place where I am; He can jump onto a tree trunk, balance on it, have to walk around a tree or walk for a short time
• Go for a walk for 5-10 minutes: run freely or on a leash, call back 1-2 times and reward attention

This generally suits Fynn well. Of course, we vary depending on your daily mood, dog walk or available time.

The amount and intensity of exercise your dog needs can vary greatly. Experiment and listen to your gut feeling. You will quickly notice what the ideal activity for your four-legged friend is.

If my dog ​​gets a little restless or cocky at work, I have several options. I can send him to the blanket or the place so he calms down quickly.

If that doesn't help, I'll do a short, intensive training session with Fynn every now and then. I focus on tricks or nose work . Sometimes I hide toys or have him do lots of exercises in quick succession. This always works and he is happy when I give him a lot of attention for a moment.

Everyday life in the new office with a dog

After about a year in an open-plan office, I changed jobs and am now on Team PAWSOME . This also changed our everyday life in the office. I drive to work by car. As soon as I'm in the office, Fynn lies down on the dog sofa. He sleeps there for a few hours.

When colleagues come, he briefly greets them and retreats back to his place. When he is bored he looks for toys that are lying around in our workshop. This keeps him busy and he can be happy about his prey.

I take him for a short walk at lunchtime. About 20 minutes, but he's just as good when we just go into the yard to pee. Afterwards, Fynn goes back to sleep or checks whether everything is packed correctly. In the afternoon I do a short training session or we photograph new sets with Fynn's help. This is a lot of fun for him. At 5 p.m. we go home again and another day of work is done.

My equipment for the office dog

I have the following things for my dog ​​with or already at work:

1. A cookie from Buddy Pets
2. An enamel water bowl
3. Meat treats to praise positive behavior
4. Maybe a skill toy or a sniffing mat

Retreats are particularly important for every dog . If your dog doesn't handle stress well, give him a place where there isn't much going on. He can go to this place when the hustle and bustle of the office gets too much for him.

As an alternative to the quiet blanket, I have a place in the middle of the action. Fynn often prefers to be in the middle of things and not off to the side. He feels comfortable when he can monitor the room.

In these situations, try out what suits your four-legged friend best.

Advantages & Disadvantages for dog owners when the dog is in the office

I quickly realized that it wasn't the best thing if my dog ​​was always chasing me. He needs to be able to spend a few hours at home alone. I now leave Fynn at home two days a week and my boyfriend comes over for lunch. During this time he plays briefly with Fynn and lets him into the garden.

Especially at the beginning I was a lot busy with my Wuffi because he didn't yet know what his job was. Or what I want from him in different situations. Communication with my boss and colleagues was particularly important during this phase. I never wanted there to be bad blood among my colleagues and for anyone to feel treated unfairly.

I discussed with them how to deal with Fynn so that everyone feels comfortable and my dog ​​quickly learns everything important.

After a few weeks everything was running almost like clockwork. Everyone knew exactly what worked and what didn't go down well with my Wuffi. With preparation, training and quality work in everyday life, Fynn became a super relaxed office dog .

Now he sleeps on the dog couch all day and sometimes comes over for short cuddles.

Have fun in the office and keep us updated on social media.

Have you had experience with office dogs? Please write it to us.

Best regards,
your Fynn and Maggy