How do I occupy her at work?

[laramegan]

I have a wonderful boss who lets me bring Cricket to work with me. I also bring along loads of toys to try to keep her entertained, but her favorite games are trashcan diving, pocketbook exploring, paperwork chewing, and door scratching. If I play with her, she is more than happy to play with her toys (mostly squeek toys, a rawhide, and a chew hoof), and a Kong will keep her busy for a little while, but I have to do work, and I can't just keep feeding her treats in her Kong all day....or let her play her favorite co-worker-bothering games!

I bring her to the office in a little carrier, and occasionally she'll go in there herself to sleep for a few minutes. If I zip her up in there, she seems happy enough to sleep for a few hours at a time, which is great, but it doesn't seem nice to keep her zipped up in there all day, and I don't know what to do with her for the rest of the time!

Does anyone know of any toys (or other suggestions) to keep her occupied and playing by herself?

[Irminsul]

I think you just have to add two things:

A nice long walk before work, and one at lunch. That way she will sleep a few hours, walk, play, sleep.

Congratulations on such a nice place to work!

[duchiesmom]

shhhhh... people are going to be applying for your job so they can take puppers to work!!!

I bring Duchie with me from time to time and she is quite content to lay in the floor by mom. (she is ten and tired..with a side order of lazy) However, when Mom has to go office to office she is glued to my heels!

I have no good advice, it sounds like you are doing all the right things.
As a manager myself I understand and appreciate that you do not want the pup taking over the office and being responsible for a complete work stoppage!

Katja's favorite saying is right on the mark here- maybe a long walk before work and on your breaks, because... "A tired pupper is a good pupper"...

[Pokey's Mom]

"A tired pupper is a good pupper"...That is my favorite saying.

How much room do you have? I'm guessing there isn't enough room for an exercise pen. Do you have room for a larger crate or carrier? Not one that you would use for serious crating, but a containment device where she could stretch out and play in? (Maybe even put some files on top -JK!) :D

One thing I haven't done and need to, is to freeze thier kong the night before. There was a great thread just a day or two ago about stuffing and freezing... (If I can stretch 5 minutes into 15, I'm a happy camper!)

Do you know about the plush toys where one can replace the squeaker through velcro? (Dr. Noys?) Brave Sir Pokey does not like the squeaker, so we take it out and place a biscut inside. It really keeps him busy. If he's frustrated, I open it and say "treat inside!" then close it slightly and give it back. The squirel is his favorite since he can shred the tail. :)

I'll keep thinking if you let me know which department is hiring... :rofl:

[Cocoa and Me]

Do you have an office or a cubical? If you have an office you could get one of those playpen cage things from PetCo/PetsMart that you can have to (almost) any size. I use that for my girl while I'm at work and then let her out when I get home. She is perfectly happy in there by herself. I don't know about things to occupy your pupper with...as my girl has the attention span of a goldfish...but I do know that the playpen is one way to keep her safe, out of trouble, and give her privacy as well.
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=1892&sku=672726&redirectURL=%2fShop%2fProductList.aspx%3fPC%3dproductlist%26Nav%3d291%26N%3d22%2b136%2b30%2b5060&PC=productlist&Nav=291&N=22+136+30+5060
I'm sure someone else will have more ideas too!! :heart:

[Meemoo]

How about a buster cube?

[duchiesmom]

these are the guys who I got my stroller from and I saw their playpens- they are well made- I have no clue on pricing but here is a link.

http://www.petgearinc.com/

I am thinking this is collapsible and might be a good thing? Take a look at the playpen and the crate.

Dunno if I am even addressing the right part of the issue, though. Maybe pupper is fine "free range" and just needs more toys?

[laramegan]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I've started walking her from Grand Central to my office (about 12 blocks) instead of carrying her, and that seems to help a little bit. There's just nothing that seems to compete with the Kleenex she finds in the trashcan! :disgust: I'll also try freezing the Kong. Thanks again, everyone!