Low-Cost Ways to Keep Your Pet at Bay While You Work From Home

If your furry friend is making it difficult to work from home or get things done around the house, there are ways to start teaching healthy behaviors.

Besides adhering to a consistent daily routine to help your pet acclimate, finding new and better ways to entertain your pet could be essential to relieving stress on both sides. 

There are thousands of products out there that claim to keep pets entertained, but let’s look at some low or no-cost ways you can keep your pet entertained first, and then talk about a few products that might help.

Turn Dinner into Training Treats

If you have a dog, cat, or another pet that you that you usually feed at specific mealtimes, taking a portion of dry kibble or other food and using it for small training opportunities throughout the day can be a good way to keep your pet engaged. Promote positive behaviors with small encouragements for good focus or cooperation.

If your pet is prone to licking you, climbing on you, or otherwise distracting you, try offering treats in exchange for going to lie down in their pet bed on command. Even if you don’t have time to train new behaviors, keeping some treats around for positive reinforcement of good behavior can help.

The Freezer is Your Friend

Freezing treats is a great way to make them last longer and turn a quick snack into 20 minutes of playtime. Freezing things like peanut butter, yogurt, tuna, cheese, or other beloved treats works great. Dog owners who have a Kong or other treat-holding toys should try freezing a mixture of peanut butter and kibbles inside the Kong, making for an excellent backyard activity.

Instant Box Puzzles

There are plenty of wonderful dog and cat puzzles you can order online, but at a time when everything is delivered, you probably have some cardboard boxes lying around. Try hiding a few treats in boxes and stacking or scattering them in a room for your pet to explore. They’ll enjoy sniffing around for treats while you do your own thing. Cats may even enjoy empty boxes as new places to explore or sleep.

Sleep

If you’re not used to being home with your pet all day, you may be surprised how much they sleep even when you are there. Dogs often sleep 14 hours per day, and cats anywhere from 15 to 20 hours per day. Just because your pet is sleeping doesn’t mean they are bored or lethargic, they may be perfectly happy getting in their usual Z’s while you work.

New Toys & Treats

If you’re at your wits end, and your sanity is more important than saving a few dollars right now, a new treat or toy can be a great way to distract even the most persistent pets.

For rowdy dogs, a kong or wobbler (be sure you’re getting the right size for your dog) can be a great way to dispense favorite treats slowly and allow for longer playtimes. 

Mylar crinkle balls make some cats go crazy with their satisfying sounds and light, easy-to-swat weight. Try scattering a few of these to get your cat playing.

Himalayan Yak Cheese may sound like the latest diet food, but it’s actually a compressed cheese that dogs love to chew. The beauty of yak cheese is that it’s 100% edible but dense enough that even the strongest chewers can only grind it down bit by bit. That means even dogs that chew through a stuffed animal in under ten seconds will have to work on this cheese for a while.

For anxious lickers of almost any species, a lickimat could be the perfect way to transfer those licks from your ankles to this washable mat.

Personal Space is Important

Finally, if personal space is at a premium, using a pet or baby gate can be a nice way to keep your dog or cat in a separate room without having to close any doors in their face. Claiming your own space is important to help keep stress levels low, especially for those working from home.

No matter what your pet loves, if you can find a few favorites, you’ll be prepared to divert your pet the next time they try to sit on your laptop or get in a fight with your vacuum.

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This article is for educational purposes only. Tulsa FCU makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or specific suitability of any information presented. Information provided should not be relied on or interpreted as legal, tax or financial advice. Nor does the information directly relate to our products and/or services terms and conditions.