Lots of people adopt pets over the summer. Myself included! We got our son a puppy while he had the opportunity to be home with the puppy and spend extra time with the puppy. About four summers ago, we got our daughter a kitten. Now, we are one big happy family! But as kids head off back to school, routines change and that can be hard for pets. Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and suddenly losing companionship can be tough on pets. In fact, according to CBS News, even pets can get the back to school blues! To try to help pets and owners with this challenge, I want to share how to help pets adjust to the new back to school routine.
This post is sponsored by the natural pet food, Wellness TruFood®, which provides dogs and cats with the vibrant nutrients of whole prey protein, raw produce and antioxidants. All opinions expressed are my own.
Back To School For Pets
Pets are part of the family and they get used to all that play time and affection from their small owners. When they are suddenly abandoned, it can be difficult for them. There are lots of little things you can do to ease the transition.
5 Ways To Help Pets Adjust To The New Back To School Routine
1. Set A Special Pet Playtime
When you your child trots off to school, your pet will miss the playtime. Each animal has it’s own special playtime needs. A puppy clearly needs a lot of playtime while a cat may not need much at all. Either way, if your child makes a special pet playtime for your pet each day when they come home from school, your pet will feel reassured of their place in the family. Pet playtime for a cat may involve a few minutes of snuggle time while pet playtime for a dog may involve some snuggles and walk or time playing with a ball. Playtime may help prevent pet anxiety.
2. Hidden Treats
If your pet is suddenly experiencing a lot of alone time, they might enjoy a hidden treat game. I used to be a zookeeper intern in college and we always did this for the sun bears. While the sun bears where off exhibit, I would hide Cheerios around the exhibit to give them a game. This was a big help with them being less destructive. Try hiding special pet treats for your pet and see if they like the game and find them while you are gone!
3. New Pet Toys
You may want to get a few new pet toys and give them to your pet before your kids leave for school. The toys will help distract the pet while your child is gone. Then when your kids are home, the toys can be put away until the next time they go to school so that the new toy trick will keep working.
4. Dog TV
Say what? I know, this one is mind blowing but I learned about it a couple of years ago when I was at BarkWorld. Some dogs experience severe separation anxiety and Dog TV was created as a channel to help distract dogs while you are gone! Cats don’t really seem to have their own channel, but then maybe, that is what fish tanks are for!
5. Maintain A Consistent Meal Time
Pets need to eat on a consistent schedule and just because the routine changes, they still need to know when to expect dinner. Maintaing a healthy pet diet on a fixed schedule is important to your pet.
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It is easy to get caught up in your new school routine but be sure to consistently change the litter, play with and feed your pet because they are really creatures of habit. Are your kids starting back to school soon? Have you thought about how you will help your pets adjust to back to school season? Do you have any tips to share for back to school for pets?
I love this post. It is so hard for pets when everyone leaves again for school and work and they are left alone. Another way is to give them a good walk in between the school and work schedule, maybe even a run on the bike.
Great tips! I hide treats for my kitties too!