Are you ready for school? How about your dog?
The time is now to prepare your dog for school to start especially if you have been home all summer. Dogs get used to the summer routine and can have a hard time adjusting to being alone all the time. Here are a few things you can do to start helping your dog prepare for school.
1. Start what will be your normal morning routine now. So if you will have to get up 1-3 hours earlier than you are now start setting your alarm and work on getting the dog used to the earlier mornings.
2. If your dogs is going to be kenneled while you are gone start kenneling the dog for a few hours during the day whether you are home or not. This will slowly break the dog into the idea that they can be kenneled during daylight hours.
3. This goes along with step 2 but consider leaving the house for a few hours every day to let the dog slowly adjust to you not being home. This doesn’t have to be what your full school day will be but slowly work up to that.
4. With more kennel and alone time make sure when you are home to make the most of the hours with your dog. This means making an effort to go on that walk or play ball or whatever your dog enjoys.
5. If you are going to be going to bed earlier than you are now start working towards that new bedtime. If there will be a new bedtime routine start that as well.
Dogs like people have a hard time adjusting to sudden changes. Older dogs tend to have a harder time with change than younger dogs but any dog can struggle. Hopefully if you start now with some little changes by the time school starts your dog will not even notice.
