How To Help Your Dog Cope With Construction In Your Home

We've chatted before about how important it is to have a daily routine for your dog. But what happens when that routine and the whole environment is disrupted?

I've recently had major plumbing issues at home. Plumbers, water damage pros, insurance adjusters, and contractors are coming in and out. They've set up huge fans and dehumidifiers that are running nonstop for days. Our home sounds like an airplane hangar. Many rooms and entrances can't be accessed at all. This, as you can imagine, is a major inconvenience to us humans and the opposite of a dog-friendly environment.

So, I've decided to share what I'm doing as a dog pro to help my pups navigate this stress. Here are some tips that you may find helpful when you have construction happening in your home :

• Your dog doesn't have to meet the workers. Or do they? The answer here depends entirely on your dog's personality. I have one outgoing dog and one nervous dog. My outgoing dog, Jupiter, gets anxious when there are people in the house who she hasn't met. She needs to say hello and wag her tail and have them acknowledge her. She is then content to hang out with one of us in a closed bedroom. Our nervous dog would rather not meet anyone. Seeing them only increases her fear. So we introduce one and keep the other behind locked doors.

• Minimize the sound. Dog ears are so much more sensitive than ours so this is doubly challenging. We set up a comfortable room for us all to hangout that is as far away from the noise and foot traffic as possible. We dim the lights (no overheads please!). We have ample bedding choices for them. We provide a bowl of water and show them where it is. We have meals in here too. We provide extra treats just as a bonus to make their time better. And we don't watch loud tv or play loud video games or use speakerphone.

  If our dogs were acclimated to a daycare and enjoyed it there, we would probably take them but since they aren't, it won't help. Adding in a new stressful stimulus such as a new environment where they are separated from us would make things worse.

• Provide extra sniff walks. Long, slow sniff walks on quiet streets during the quiet part of the day are a must. The girls are infrequently reactive but when stress is high they start reacting to everything. Quiet walks are good for them and for me.

• Keep meal times and potty breaks the same. Staying as close to the regular routine as possible gives them something to rely on.

• Be understanding about their behavior and watch for signs of escalation. The stress of this situation gets to everyone. Our nervous girl, Maia shows a little more resource guarding and our happy girl gets more rambunctious in play in situations like these. Both are letting off steam and I'm watching their body language like a hawk to make sure nothing gets out of control.

• Find ways to relax yourself. Dogs can pick up on our negative emotions. The University of Vienna did a fascinating study on on this recently. Making extra time to relax can help you stay grounded for your dogs.

Most of all, take a deep breath and know that you will all get through it together!

Happy Training!

Jennifer