Going Away for a Week? Here's What to Do with Your Dog

Going Away for a Week?

Here’s What to Do with Your Dog

Need a break? If your job feels more boring and tiring than it usually does, it might be a sign that you should go somewhere for a couple of days and forget about everything. But what if going away is not such a simple business? Many of us have pets we are afraid to leave at home alone for a prolonged period of time.

The truth is – with just a little bit of planning, leaving your pet alone does not have to be stressful at all. Here are a few tips on how to make sure that, when you return, you find a happy, tail wagging creature waiting for you on the doorstep.

1) Your dog needs company

Dogs are social beings and the most important thing is to never leave them alone. If alone for a long time, the dog will get anxious and this, apart from the obvious suffering that we want to avoid, can lead to some serious damage to your property. To solve this problem, ask someone to take care of your dog and visit it often while you are away. Two or three times per day will be enough.

The best idea is to “hire” a person who is a frequent visitor to your home, someone who the dog knows well. A family member. A good friend. The ideal solution is to find a neighbour willing to do you a service – they can visit multiple times a day and make your dog’s life much happier while its owner is absent.

2) Do not take away their freedom

It’s important to make your pet feel as normal as possible, which is why you should avoid blocking access to some areas of the apartment or the backyard which your pet was otherwise allowed to visit. Limiting movement can backfire, because your pet might feel the need to go to the forbidden part of house just because it is forbidden. You know them, they can be so childish sometimes.

The better idea is to go through the house, remove the valuable objects from your dog’s reach and store them away somewhere.

3) Plan ahead and buy enough food.

Make a trip to the place where you usually buy food for your pet or make an order in an online pet shop of your choice. To cover any eventuality, you will need to buy a bit more than how much you would expect your dog to eat in the number of days you plan to be absent. If you are leaving for a week, make sure you have 8-9 days worth of food prepared (and hidden out of your dog’s reach!)

4) Buy basic medicine

Your dog might be the healthiest pooch in the world, but you do not want to test that assumption while you are on the road. Moreover, you do not want to put whoever agreed to help you take care of your pet in an uncomfortable situation and this is why it is extremely important to stock up with medicine which can cover possible unwanted scenarios.

by Mark Osbourne

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