New Season, New Schedule—Same Sweet Pet

It’s back to school season for many locations and that means the lazy, relaxed days of summer are coming to a close. Even though my kids are adults now, I remember the hustle and bustle of preparing for back to school well. There was an excited anticipation and maybe some trepidation in the air as we planned for the new school year. Right about now, parents are most likely busy planning new schedules, routines, lunches, and after school activities while the kids might be busy planning their first day of school outfits and organizing their school supplies.

The days of going to bed at various hours of the night and sleeping in “just because” will be on hiatus for the next nine months or so. After school will be filled with homework assignments, after-school activities and possibly more structured evening and bedtime routines. In other words, every member of the family will be impacted as they adjust to the new schedule and routines and that includes the family pets as well.

The goal for today’s blog post is to help you develop simple strategies to help prepare your pet for the change from summertime fun to school year structure.

Predictability Matters—Even for the Four-Legged Members of the Family

Are you a creature of habit? I know I am. That which is familiar feels safe and comfortable for many of us. Shifting from familiar territory to unfamiliar territory can rock our world depending on how sensitive we are to change. Most of us thrive on predictability and our four-legged friends are no stranger to the feeling of comfort and familiarity that routines help create.

New school years can be disruptive to routines that have been established over the summer whether we intended to establish them or not. We may have let rigid bedtimes fall by the wayside. We may have shifted dinner time to later in the evening after we returned home from the pool. Staying up later to watch a movie or sleeping in later because we stayed up later, are all common routine changes that we might have made without even intending to do so.

And just like we will need to help any children in the household adjust to the schedule changes from summer time to school year time, we will want to be aware of helping our pets adjust too because just like us, most pets truly do thrive on the predictability of a well established routine.

While children may be able to articulate that they are feeling cranky after a long day of school or are having a hard time getting up in the morning, our pets can not communicate in a way that might be apparent to us.

Some common signs your pet may be struggling with the routine change include:

Decreased appetite
Restlessness or difficulty settling
Increased vocalizations
Increased comfort seeking or clinginess
Increased sensitivity to things they usually tolerate well or enjoy, such as tactile stimulation

While these changes in behavior are pretty typical and mostly temporary, we do want to be as proactive as possible when it comes to helping our pets adjust. Just as children will need time to reacclimate to the schedule changes that a new school will bring, our pets do too!

Practice Makes Predictable

By the time you are reading this, your family might already be in the throes of new school year’s blues, but if you are one of the lucky ones, maybe you still have a week or two of summertime left to savor. Either way, it is not too late to start shifting summer schedules in preparation for the school year calendar. Some easy things that you can start to shift now include:

Adjusting walks and feeding time by 10-15 minutes in either direction in accordance with the changes in morning, afternoon or evening routine shifts.
If your pet is already used to brief periods of being left alone, you may want to increase the duration of time that your pet will be flying solo in short increments.
Do a “trial” run through of what a typical school day might look like for your family once or twice before the school year begins to help your pet start adjusting now.
- This can also help you identify who in the family will be responsible for taking care of your pet during the morning and after school rush and establish it as a routine before you are feeling stressed by the scurrying and chaos that school day mornings often bring.
Writing things down on a calendar, or better yet, having the kids create a Back to School Countdown calendar that includes Fido or Fluffy can help everyone to remember that pets need support too!

Our goal is to establish routines so that the routine itself becomes the cue for your pet to understand what comes next. Whether it is a stuffed Kong in the crate, or a relax on the mat, when repeated often, your pet will know what to expect.

Keep Their Brains Busy While You’re Away

If your pet was kept busy during the summer months by the comings and goings of kids, friends and visiting family, it may be difficult to start spending more time alone. Preparing them for more alone time actually starts before they are left alone. Keeping them mentally and physically active can help them look forward to a little alone or downtime. Here are some suggestions for doing just that:

It’s always important to remember that in order for enrichment to do its job, your pet must actively engage with it. We want to be mindful of the various activities we present to our pets as options and watch the results. Some things to be on the lookout for include:

Does your pet interact with the option you have provided? Do they seem engaged?
We are looking for a good match in terms of your pet’s ability or desire to engage. Too hard and they might not try at all. Too easy, and there will be no challenge. We want that Goldilocks “just right” fit!

What is the result of the option you provided? Is your pet completely amped up or ready to settle into a nap? Depending on your desired outcome, choose wisely!

Alone Doesn’t Have to Mean Lonely

All pets should have a location in the house that is really and truly theirs. Because just like us, sometimes we just need to retreat into a quieter, more peaceful space in which to regroup, rest or relax. At Pet Harmony we call this space a safe space but whatever you call it, make sure you are building a lot of value into the location by giving your pet plenty of good things there.

A safe space for your pet can be a remarkably effective answer for the chaos that typically occurs during the morning rush or right after the kids arrive home from school looking for a snack. Allowing your dog to retreat to a space they can call their own can make a huge difference for times of day when you don’t have the time or energy to supervise interactions between possibly overstimulated kids or overstimulated pets.

Safe space locations don’t have to be overly complicated. Watching where your pets’ preferred resting spots are and just capitalizing on the choice your pet is already making is easy enough. Of course, if your pet has decided that the center of the kitchen floor is the place to be because they have FOMO and want to be in the “room where it happens” we will want to encourage an alternate location that is away from the hub of the home at its busiest times.

A “cool down” corner for your pet can be encouraged by making it a kid free zone meaning they should not bother the pet when the pet is resting there. Kids can, however, get involved by creating a cozy nook for your pet by choosing the bedding, toys, food or anything else your pet might find comforting and placing them in the location. Cuter still, have the kiddos create a sign that declares this is Sparky’s space so that everyone knows that when Sparky is resting there, they are to be left undisturbed. Why? Because tired pets = cranky pets just like tired kids = cranky kids. Here’s to more rest, less crank!

Sometimes the Transition Is Too Big to Handle Alone

Transitions can be hard especially for those of us who thrive on predictability and routine. As you are transitioning from summer to school year there are definitely some indicators to be aware of that your pet is struggling more than is typical. It is especially important to be aware of any indicators that your pet is having a difficult time with being left alone. Pay attention to the following red flags and seek assistance if you are feeling out of your depth:

Destructive behavior such as destroying furniture
Potty accidents especially if your pet has been fully house trained
Increase in howling/barking/other vocalizing or neighbors complaining about the noise
Escape attempts or damage at exit points such as chewing or clawing at windows or doors
Obsessive pacing or lack of ability to rest or sleep
Unexplained heavy panting and/or drooling

If you do see any of these signs, the first thing I want you to do is not panic. While not at all desired (because who wants to watch their pet suffering) these issues are fairly common and treatable. Working with a qualified behavior professional, especially someone who has experience working with pets who are experiencing separation related behaviors is a very much recommended action to take. The sooner, the better for your pet and for you.

You’ve Got This (And So Does Your Pet)

If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite things to say to clients is to try your best to be proactive instead of reactive. That means strategizing before you see a problem arise is often the most effective strategy for preventing problems from occurring. Which means that you can start preparing your pet for the inevitable back to school routine changes without delay.

You’ve already created a trust account with your pet and we want to make sure that we continue to make deposits into the account even when life feels a little topsy turvy as everyone adjusts to a new schedule. You can do this and your pets will thank you with sloppy little (or big) kisses because you have their backs as a new school year begins!

Here’s to harmony,

MaryKaye

Now What?

Think about what changes you anticipate in your upcoming routines and start preparing in advance so that you aren’t scrambling after the fact.

Remember, change doesn’t have to happen all at once. Smaller changes count too so don’t be afraid to try things out to see if they have a lasting impact, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed yourself.

There are lots of blog posts on our website that you can check out for further information and to help get you started including these:

And of course, we are here to help if you are feeling overwhelmed or stuck or would just like an expert’s eyes on things! You’ve got your pet and we’ve got you!

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Back to School, Not Back to Stress: Helping Your Pet Adjust to a New Routine