Working from home? Give your four-legged co-workers healthy treats and some alone time

Some of us may be used to a co-worker barking at us.

But if you are working from home because of COVID-19 and have four-legged co-workers, you will also have to feed and maybe walk them.

Dr. Tara Hudye, who owns the Veterinary Mobility Clinic in Regina, has some helpful tips to get along with your brand new co-workers.

Hudye said your new team members may not have the same work ethic as you.

"You don't want to interrupt their sleep time and their regular daytime ritual because really you're going to be interrupting them — they're not interrupting you," she said.

Many pets, depending on their age and what they like to do, will sleep most of the day away.

"If you have an older animal that is used to sleeping — for example an older cat can sleep up to 20 hours a day — please don't expect them to be up for 12 to 14 hours with you trying to help you do your work," Hudye said.

"If you have a new puppy or a new cat they spend a lot of energy when they're awake, but then they also need to sleep a lot.

"We may think that they're being lazy and dropping the ball, but we do have to respect that that your co-worker is probably just doing what they normally have done when the boss wasn't around."

Hudye said a lot of pet owners now have time to go for more walks, but they should use common sense.

"You don't want to be a weekend warrior and go for a very long walk or a jog when you have not done that yourself, or with them," she said. "You likely may make them sore."

She suggests if you're going for more walks make them shorter, at least to begin with.

"Going for a small walk, even 15 minutes once or twice a day, is not going to be too much."

They use the term 'motion is lotion' at the clinic, which just means it is really good to keep moving even if it's just small amounts.

"That extra little movement will help with everything and that includes yourself as well," she said.

You may also find yourself handing out a lot more snacks to your pet throughout the day.

If this is happening she suggest smaller portions and healthy treats like fruits and vegetables.

"A lot of the dogs really, really like raw yams or sweet potatoes. There are some dogs that love celery — where my dog hates it... but then he loves carrots."

Hudye suggests you have a total amount of food to give your pet each day and then divide it up into multiple little meals. 

"That way you're not actually giving an increase of the total daily amount, you're just going to be giving it more frequently.

"It feels like you're still having that bond and giving them the food without actually contributing to their obesity."

Hudye says these furry co-workers can be a distraction, but it's up to you to make sure your work gets done.

"I think it's something that we have to deal with by having these co-workers," she said. Sometimes they bring out the best in us and sometimes they hamper our intent to work."