Thinking of buying or adopting a dog? In this new remote work reality, having a four-legged friend at home can be a great option to keep you company. According to a Small Business Prices study, the best dog breeds to buy or adopt when WFH are Shih Tzu, Doberman Pinscher, Havanese, French Bulldog, and Bulldog.
The adoption and purchase of dogs skyrocketed last year because of quarantine. As most people started working from home and couldn’t do anything else than being home, the best option to have company was to adopt a pet. However, now that things are slowly turning back to ‘’normal’’ and some companies want their employees back to the office, people started abandoning their pets as they could no longer take care of them.
This is why, before making the lifetime decision of welcoming a dog to your home, it is crucial to know more about which breeds are perfectly suitable for your remote work lifestyle —taking into account specific traits.
What are the Best and Worst Dog Breeds for Remote Workers?
The Small Business Prices study analyzed 30 different breeds of dogs and studied key traits that are important for remote workers. They focused mainly in these 6 traits:
- Adaptability to living in small spaces
- Tolerance for being alone
- Trainability
- Tendency to bark through your calls
- Energy levels
- Exercise needs
These are the top 5 dogs that are the best options for remote workers to adopt/buy based on the study (Scale 1-5):Dog breed Adaptability to small spaces Tolerance for being along Trainability Tendency to bark through calls Energy levels Exercise needs Shih Tzu 5 3 3 2 2 2 Doberman Pinscher 3 2 5 1 3 3 Havanese 5 1 5 2 3 3 French Bulldog 5 1 4 3 3 2 Bulldog 5 3 3 4 2 3
And these are the worst 5 breeds, according to the study, to adopt/buy as a remote workers: Dog breed Adaptability to small spaces Tolerance for being along Trainability Tendency to bark through calls Energy levels Exercise needs Siberian Husky 2 1 2 5 5 5 Brittany 1 1 3 3 5 5 Vizsla 1 1 5 5 5 5 Great Dane 1 1 5 4 5 5 Beagle 4 1 1 5 4 4
Preparing Your Pets for the End of Remote Work
Now the vaccination rates have increased significantly, it’s safe for most employees to return to the office. Some companies want their employees full-time back at the office; others have implemented a hybrid work model. In either case, this means your pets won’t be around you 24/7 as they were during last year.
If you adopted a pet or bought one in quarantine, leaving them alone all of a sudden can cause them separation distress. But here are some strategies you can implement to make this experience smoother:
- Keep them busy: Buy them toys that could help them entertain for hours. For example, a chewing ball or an interactive puzzle toy (be careful that these toys don’t break into pieces because it can cause your dog to choke).
- Start leaving your pet alone now: Before having the major change of leaving the house for more than 8 hours, start gradually leaving your pet alone. That way, they can get used to the feeling.
- More exercise: Increase the amount of exercise your pet does; that way, they are more tired.
- Pet daycare: If your pet is struggling a lot with staying alone while you are at the office, you could revisit the idea of pet daycares. That way, they won’t be alone during those hours and they will even socialize with other pets as well.
