Dog Charity Offers Advice For This Friday's 'Bring Your Dog To Work Day'

Ahead of this year’s Bring Your Dog to Work Day (June 23) Dogs Trust has issued some tips to help businesses make their premises dog friendly, long-term.

According to the charity, Britain saw a big rise in dog ownership during the pandemic, and so more people than ever are looking to take their dogs into work with them.

In fact, Dogs Trust’s inaugural National Dog Survey - the biggest ever survey of dog owners, with over 350,000 respondents – revealed deep concerns from owners about what they would do about dog care after they returned to work.

Over a third of respondents were working from home at the time and 55,000 respondents said that, ideally, they would like to take their dogs to work, but that their employers would not allow them to do so.  

A quarter of respondents said that they take their dog with them everywhere they go, showing the need for not only businesses allowing employee’s dogs, but customers and visitors too.  

Here are Dog Trust’s top tips for bringing your dog to work: 

• Before deciding to introduce your dog to your workplace, you should consider your individual dog. We know that all dogs are individuals and whilst some dogs will cope well going into the workspace, it’s important to consider that for others, it can be a stressful experience. 
• All great office dogs start their training at home. Teach your dog basic skills, including sitting or lying quietly while you work. Some useful skills for your dog to know before entering the workplace include sitting or lying down when asked, learning to settle when you can’t give them attention, learning to stay and of course, knowing what it means to leave it. Your dog should also be toilet trained, and you need to recognise the signs that your dog is needing to go to the toilet. 
• Introducing your dog to your workplace is best done gradually, to avoid your dog becoming overwhelmed. This can start with the journey, slowly introducing them to the regular commute, before eventually moving on to short introductions to the workplace, perhaps bringing them in for some half days to start.
•  Think about how you will get to work, is it via the car, or the train for instance? How does your dog respond to those environments? Many dogs would be happier travelling during quieter periods of the day, or if possible, a stroll into work might be a perfect solution for you and your four-legged friend. 
• Consider what equipment you’ll need to bring with you. Items such as a water bowl, food bowl, their lead and harness, a comfortable bed or crate, their favourite treats as well as some safe enrichment to keep your dog happy and occupied. 
• If your dog gets over-excited when greeting people, they will benefit from learning a calmer response so that they don’t overdo it in the workplace, and your colleagues and clients will benefit too! You can start training this either in your home or out and about on familiar walks. Your dog will soon learn that calm greetings, free from jumping up or barking, are rewarded with attention, and it will become their go-to response when meeting new people. 
• Prepare your workspace. Is there space for your dog to settle comfortably somewhere safe and quiet? If your workspace is in a busy area, try moving to a quieter workspace with less footfall to help your dog feel more comfortable. 
• We all need to work in harmony, so ensure your colleagues are also prepared. Make sure to have clear and open communication with your colleagues and agreements in advance of how you will all work together when your pup is present. 

 The UK’s largest dog welfare charity, Dogs Trust, offers a Dog Friendly Workplaces programme, for organisations who want to support their workforces, customers, and visitors, amidst the rise of ownership of canine companions.