Bark Busters Offers Safety Tips for 'Take Your Dog to Work Day(R)' on June 20

Bark Busters Home Dog Training
Published: May 28th, 2008

World's Largest Dog Training Company Provides Common-Sense Pointers to Prepare for a Successful Workplace Experience

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.— With the 10th Annual "Take Your Dog to Work Day" approaching (Friday, June 20), Bark Busters, the world's largest and most trusted dog training company, offers helpful tips for the estimated 44.8 million U.S. dog owners on how to prepare and manage their dogs for the workplace experience. According to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), nearly one in five companies allows pets in the workplace, and organizers anticipate tens of thousands of companies will participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day.

"We celebrate this day in support of its creator, Pet Sitters International, and its sponsors, Comfort Zone® with D.A.P.® and Modern Dog magazine. This event educates the working public on the benefits of responsible pet ownership, raises the awareness of the importance of the human-animal bond, and supports the efforts of our local animal shelters, rescues and humane societies," said Liam Crowe, CEO and master dog behavioral therapist, Bark Busters USA. "At Bark Busters, every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day."

The Australian founders of Bark Busters, who are pioneers in dog behavioral therapy, developed natural training techniques that use the same communication methods—body language and voice control—that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality. According to Crowe, the tips Bark Busters dog behavioral therapists provide their clients are not only based on good common sense, but also have been well tested during the company's 19 years of experience in training more than 400,000 dogs worldwide.

"When it comes to taking your dog to the office," added Crowe, "the key to a safe and successful experience is to prepare yourself and your dog in advance and to recognize potential problem situations before they happen." Crowe offers these pointers for dog owners who plan to bring their canine companions to work:

Items to Bring

• Recognize that this can be a stressful experience for your dog. It is an unfamiliar environment, which in itself will cause apprehension. Bring something familiar—a dog pillow or blanket—to give your dog something he is accustomed to.


• Bring a leash to walk your dog from the car to the office. The leash will also help you control him in the office.


• Be sure to bring food and provide your pup with ample water.


• Help your canine companion pass the time by bringing along dog puzzle toys, such as the KONG or Buster Cube.

Situations to Avoid

• Don't leave your dog alone with other dogs. If you must leave for a meeting, isolate your dog in a closed office or have a dog-familiar friend sit in until you return.


• Other dogs might not be as well behaved as your dog. Be observant of other dogs' signs of aggressiveness, such as growling, staring, and stiff body posture.


• Diffuse any potential conflict by removing your dog from the area. Don't try to force unfamiliar dogs to "become friends."

Stopping a Dog Fight

• Obviously, the best solution is to avoid bad situations altogether by closely monitoring dog interaction.


• If a dog scuffle occurs, don't lunge in and try to break it up by hand. Use the dog blanket you brought with you to the office and throw it over the heads of the fighting dogs. This will confuse the combatants long enough for you to diffuse the situation.

Keys to Providing Good Leadership

According to Crowe, preparing for a safe and successful "Take Your Dog to Work Day" includes making sure that your dog accepts you as his leader.

• Dogs crave good leadership. If they don't get it from their owner, they'll take charge. That leads to bad behaviors, such as barking, jumping, aggression and pulling on the leash—each examples of the dog taking charge. Dogs will challenge for leadership in the home (and in the office), just as a wolf in the wild will do. The dog owner needs to win all challenges to demonstrate good leadership.


• Establish a clear leadership role with your dog before the office field trip. There are several ways to do so. For example, begin by ignoring all requests from the dog, such as nudges to be petted or to play. To do so, break eye contact. Then, when the dog has "given up," call him back to you to be petted or to play. When he responds to you, versus you to him, he sees you as the leader.


• If your dog misbehaves, correct his behavior with a forceful, low-toned growl ("BAH!"), which is a form of communication that your dog can understand. As soon as he stops, offer pleasant, high-toned praise. He will understand his mistake and respect you as his leader.


• In the wild the leader physically leads the pack. Establish your leadership by always leading your dog— up and down stairs, through doorways, and especially on walks. Remember, the leader always leads. This establishes you as "top dog" and gains your dog's respect.

"Most dog owners simply accept the bad behavior of their pets because they don't know how to change it," Crowe said. "Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands, through voice control and body language, is the key to providing the leadership needed to have authority over your dog at all times."

Bark Busters dog behavioral therapists are renowned authorities in correcting dog behavior. The Bark Busters natural training system can successfully train any dog, even a puppy, by leveraging the same communications methods—body language and voice control—that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality. All training takes place right in the home where most problems generally occur. And Bark Busters training is the only service of its kind that is guaranteed for the life of the dog. In every market where Bark Busters is established, a majority of veterinarians familiar with the technique recommend the company's services.