Challenges and Solutions for YP Dog Owners

Earlier this week we talked about the considerations young professionals should take into account when deciding if they want to become a pet owner. Assuming you’ve decided having a pet – dogs specifically – is the right fit, here’s a bit more to consider…

Becoming a dog owner is no longer reserved only for the mom, dad, and 2.5 children with a white picket fence. More and more YPs are now discovering the joys of dog ownership. But with the adorable faces and cute wagging tails also come many times of consuming responsibilities and funding needs. We talked to YP dog owners who know the highs and lows of integrating a pet into their busy professional lifestyle. They offered us the following great solutions for common YP pet owner peeves. 

During long workdays, your dog is likely to experience some degree of stress due to being left home alone for extended periods of time. This stress can cause dogs to destroy property, disturb neighbours, and act out when you return home. To solve this problem, our YP dog owners could not stress enough the importance of crate training. Training your pup to stay comfortably in a good-sized crate while you are away is the best way to ensure it feels happy and secure. Crate training also helps you to feel more secure, knowing that your house, furniture, and shoes, are not at risk of becoming chew toys. 

That said, it is not fair to expect your dog to spend eight hours locked up without having some way of releasing energy. If pre-dawn walks before work, or long strolls at the end of your day are not your style, consider the increasingly popular services of dog walkers and doggy daycares.  Years ago, dog walkers were reserved for the rich and famous of the Upper East Side. Today, however, hiring a professional to take your dog for a midday stroll, is a very popular, convenient, and fairly affordable option. Not only will your dog be happier and healthier, but consider this: after a long work day, you will no longer have to miss out on those happy hour cocktails due to having to rush home to the dog. For more high-energy dogs, consider doggy daycare. Many doggy daycares cater specifically to the professional crowd, offering morning drop offs as early as 6am, and a guarantee that you will return to a very tired pooch. Additionally, doggy daycares are great for helping your dog to gain important socialization skills.

Finally, YP dog owners stress that some form of obedience training is also a must. Not only will having a well-mannered, well-socialized dog make your life easier, it will also make your dog more welcome in other people’s homes.  As a YP you may need to travel for work, be expected to stay extended hours on the job, or simply deserve a vacation every once in a while, and in these cases you will likely need someone to care for your dog. A badly behaved pooch will run out of willing friends and family quickly, and dog boarding can get quite expensive for you, and potentially stressful for your dog. 

The YP dog owners we spoke with offered these tips not only for current dog owners but also for prospective ones. So often people are unaware of the real challenges associated with dog ownership before adopting, so these points also work great as a guide, showcasing all that is expected of responsible YP dog owners.