The start of school is an exciting time for everyone—students, teachers, and parents—but for pets it can often be a stressful or sad time:   since they’re used to their human playmates being home, the change to the school schedule upsets their routine and can cause separation anxiety or just plain depression.  The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do both before and after school to ease the transition for everyone involved:
1)    If the one family member your pet is most bonded to is the one heading back to school, have other family members make an extra effort to give the pet love and affection to compensate, both before and after the school year begins.
2)    Another thing to do before school starts is to introduce slight and gradual changes to your pet’s routine so that the first day of school isn’t such a drastic change.  Let your cat or dog sniff your child’s backpack and other school supplies, have your child “leave” for school but come back within a few minutes or a couple of hours; do this several times over the course of a couple of weeks.  Help your pet associate school-related supplies with happy things like treats so that when he sees everyone packing up to go off to school and work in a few weeks, he won’t be taken by surprise or feel abandoned.
3)    If the pet’s beloved family member is going off to boarding school or college, the adjustment may be tougher, just as it may be on human family members; extra exercise and attention from parents and siblings remaining at home will help your pet.  In fact, both humans and animals alike experience a rush of feel-good endorphins from exercise, which helps alleviate depression and anxiety.
4)    For the pet whose beloved is heading out of town, having their human leave an old t-shirt with their scent on it to sleep with may help.
5)    Consider getting a companion for your cat or dog, should resources and time permit.  Even an older cat who’s normally independent and aloof may take to a kitten once the house feels empty!
6)    Explain to younger children that their pets are going to miss them while they are at school, and show them how to make their departures and arrivals each day less stressful for their pets—keep goodbyes short and upbeat, find ways to give pets attention or at least companionship in the mornings or evenings (walks, extra playtime, or even just petting or sitting near the pet while doing homework).
7)    Provide plenty of exercise in the mornings—tired pets are less likely to act up when left alone all day!
8)    Invest in some new toys to entertain and distract your pet for the long hours she is home alone.
9)    Try to stick to a routine as much as possible, arriving home around the same time each day—your pet will come to depend on it, and look forward to it!
10)    Use the same phrase when you leave every day (such as “See you later!” or “Be good!”), one that you only use when you’ll be gone several hours—the consistency of this reassures your pet that you will be returning, in much the same way as other motions you make (most likely without even realizing it) are signals to your dog as to how long you’ll be gone:  for example, your pet probably knows now that when you start emptying the trash and heading outside, you’ll only be gone a minute or so; when you pack a suitcase, on the other hand, he probably knows you may be gone awhile)!  Establishing a familiar phrase that tells your pet you will be gone for several hours but will return later that day will help their anxiety.
11)    Encourage your pet’s independence even while you or your children are at home; for example, for a little while each day you might put your dog in a sit/stay position while you do things around the house; this gets them adjusted to not being able to follow your child wherever he or she goes—especially to school!
As with most things in life, just give it time!  Your pet will eventually adjust to the new routine and the longer periods of solo time, and begin to look forward to other activities and times of the day, such as that sweet moment when the family walks through the door.  Just give your pets lots of extra attention, care, and exercise and know that the next vacation is just around the corner!
Doggywalker.com is a professional pet-sitting company providing daily walks and customized in-home pet care. Celebrating 10 years in business, visit Doggywalker.com or email ashley@doggywalker.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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