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As the leaves begin to fall, students everywhere are packing their bags and heading off to school. The sudden change from summer to fall, and the rush of the school year can hit fast, especially for your pets! The days are getting shorter, the family is home less and your pets are home alone more and more. This sudden change can be confusing and even anxiety-inducing for them, especially your pups who have adjusted to their summer routines that include spending more time with you!
It is very important to prepare your pets for the school year for their own well being. This can include setting rules for the house to follow, and especially creating a reliable schedule for your pet. If you recognize signs of stress in your pets or sudden changes in their behavior, it’s definitely time to establish a routine.
Keep an eye open for energy levels
Returning to the school year can be an abrupt change for your pets who have adapted to the summer routine. They’ve grown use to being outside more, being with the family and constantly being stimulated mentally and physically. The abrupt change can cause them to become panicked and frightened, but it can also result in high energy leading to destructive habits. Your pups are going to be shut inside more during the school year.
Watch to see if your pup is digging and chewing at doorways, destroying things inside of the house, biting at their paws, excessively jumping and barking, or even playing more roughly than usual. This is most common in breeds of dogs that are already known to be highly energetic, but can be just as likely to happen in your otherwise calm, family dog.
Likewise, you should also keep an eye out for extremely low energy levels. If your pets are acting lethargic throughout the day or aren’t finding enjoyment in their usual toys or activities, this may be a sign of depression as a result of the abrupt changes. Remember, separation anxiety and excessive energy aren’t the only signs that your sudden absence has been affecting your pets.
It’s important to keep an eye on the energy levels of all of your pets, whether they have furs, feathers, or scales, each can exhibit these varying energy levels due to a lack of stimulation in their environment. However, there’s no reason to stress yourself out! Below, I’ve included some solutions that will help both you and your pup ease into the school year a little more smoothly.
Set up a routine and responsibilities for your pup!
When easing into the school year, it’s important to establish a routine ahead of time that your pup can fit into. Try fitting a walk into your schedule at the beginning of the day – or a trip to the dog park – so that your dog isn’t so riddled with anxiety when you leave. This will also cause him to start associating the mornings with a walk rather than with your absence.
If you’re on a tight schedule, dog walkers ( or guardian angels!), and dog daycare are other potential options for your pup. Just make sure that the walks continue every day so that your pup can establish a routine of their own. Then they will know in the morning, it’s time for fun, not for stress!
When leaving your pets for the day, it’s always best to give them something that they can occupy themselves with. This can be anything from puzzle toys, to a frozen kong with peanut butter in it. These interactive toys will act as a given responsibility to your pup and will give them something interesting to focus on while you’re away. There are many things you can provide your pets with that will allow them to stimulate their minds throughout the day. For your feline fur babies, you can try supplying them with a puzzle feeder they must interact with in order to get their food. Likewise, you can also take handfuls of food ( and some yummy treats ) and spread them throughout the house for your cats to “hunt” during the day. Similarly, there are foraging toys for your feathery pets that can distract them throughout the day. Just make sure that whatever toys you are giving your birds are made out of a fabric that they respond well to for their own enjoyment!
When you come home, it is important to take the time for your pets. While you can get swept up in school work, try to take an hour when coming home to play with your pets and interact with them. Take them out to the park or for a walk at the end of the day to let them stimulate their minds and release whatever pent up energy they have gathered for the remainder of the day.
Desensitize them to “leaving” objects”
Lunch boxes, school bags and briefcases are all objects that your pets can and will associate with you leaving. They see these as warning signs that their beloved family members are about to leave them for the day and while it may not seem like it, these objects can cause them to worry or stress. It’s important that you familiarize your pets with these objects and desensitize them to certain things.
The weeks leading up to school can be spent putting out the backpacks and lunchboxes in the morning so that your pets can see and interact with them. If you place them out constantly without leaving, they will familiarize themselves with the objects and stop seeing them as signs that you are about to depart. This can reduce their stress greatly if the backpack or lunchbox is just an everyday object to them.
You can also bring your bookbag with you when you walk your pup so that they start to see it as something you bring everywhere rather than something you just use when you’re preparing to leave them!
Plan exercise and family time
Having a pet sitter, dog walker, or doggy daycare on hand can save a world of stress for both yourself and your pup, but it’s important that you and the whole family take some time to spend in with your pets. Plan family time – whether it just be a walk or an outing – that you can include your dog in. Try bringing your pets somewhere pet-friendly in your area to introduce them to a new environment and get them to socialize with others.
A pets time spent with its family members can be vital and it will work towards reducing depression and anxiety in your pets. Their happiness is often dependent on you and it’s important to remember that and schedule the time in your day for you to all be together.
Similarly, it’s also important to remember to schedule regular exercise time for pets of all ages and sizes. This can include regularly walking your dog or visiting the dog park, but it can also include playing with your feline fur babies and pets of all other shapes and sizes. Make sure they have time every day to move around, stretch their limbs, play and interact with you especially.
Extra attention will be important in keeping your pets happy this school year. Try something new like taking them to the pet store to pick out a toy, or bringing them to a dog friendly cafe or store in Montreal. You’d be surprised at the pet-friendly places you can discover yourself and it really gives both you and your pets the chance to interact with Montreal’s lovely community of animal-enthusiast!
Consistency
Above all, be consistent with the routine that you’ve established with your pets. This doesn’t mean you have to make a weekly trip to the pet store or the dog cafe, but it does mean that you should be consistent with their walks and family time. Your pets will have a sense of the routine in their head; and while it is easy to get lost in the rush of the school year, that established routine will be a great focus to them and it will also be very important to their happiness and health.
Consistency in your routine will help to avoid stress. Your pup should always have something to look forwards to, whether it be daily walks, a trip to daycare, family time at the park, playtime in the house, or even that REALLY yummy treat they’re expecting when you leave. If they know it’s coming, it will cause them to replace the emotions of stress and depression with ones of hope, happiness and content.
So remember to set a routine, plan family time, discover some pawsitively amazing treats and toys and above all: keep those tails wagging!
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