Owning a Dog and Working: A Telephone Survey of Dog Owners and Employers in Sweden

Abstract

Many dog owners are faced with the problem of what to do with their dog when they go to work. Different solutions to the problem may affect dogs, owners, and employers. In this study, 204 working, Swedish dog owners and 90 employers were interviewed by telephone regarding practical issues and attitudes, in order to identify problems and possible solutions. Results show that leaving the dog at home was the most common solution (73%), followed by bringing the dog to work (16%) and using some form of dog day care (11%). Although dogs were rarely left alone at home for longer than 6 hours, 53% of dog owners preferred or would prefer to bring the dog to work, if possible. However, 81% of all employers had never noticed such a demand. Written dog policies at the workplace were unusual (18%), and there seemed to be great uncertainty among dog owners about the current rules. Studies support the beneficial effects of dogs on many human health aspects, and a majority of dog owners (76%) felt they were healthier because of the dog. There was also a widespread view among employers (59%) that dogs contribute positively to a more social and pleasant workplace, but many argued that allergies (68%) and fear of dogs (66%) could be a problem. Leaving the dog at home will probably remain the practical solution for many dog owners, while bringing the dog to work could be the option with the greatest potential for expansion.

An epidemiological analysis of dog behavior problems presented to an Australian behavior clinic, with associated risk factors

“…Low activity levels during separation and repeated, long term absence of both physical and mental stimulation when owners are away (Norling and Keeling, 2010) may be associated with separation-related behavior problems (Svartberg, 2006;Rehn and Keeling 2011). Our results suggest if time spent at home is an important factor in minimizing the risk of behavior problems.…”

Taking Dogs Into the Office: A Novel Strategy for Promoting Work Engagement, Commitment and Quality of Life

“…Whilst females were represented similarly across the three dog at work groups, and therefore should not bias the results, it should be noted that our conclusions are drawn from a primarily female sample. Previous research exploring the impact of dogs in the workplace are also based on a predominantly female sample (28, 39, 42), or gender bias is not recorded (40). Studies in other fields of research also report a strong female gender bias in response rates (93, 94), suggesting this is not unique to the current topic.…”

Breed differences in everyday behaviour of dogs

“…The majority of dogs today are considered family members, living in our homes and participating in everyday activities. Many companion dogs are on a daily basis exposed to situations that can cause stressful and fearful reactions, for example, being left home alone (Norling and Keeling, 2010;PAW, 2013), heavy traffic, sudden noises and strange objects (Sherman and Mills, 2008). In a survey study by King et al (2009) participants were asked to describe their ideal companion dog, results showed that the dog should be safe with children, friendly towards people, calm and well behaved.…”