Working from home with pets: the ultimate guide to your ‘co-tail’

Remote and hybrid work is here to stay, and since so many of us are pet parents, it makes sense that we now spend most of our working hours with our tailmates at our side.

Similarly, those of us who used to love going to the office every day may now begin working with a hybrid or remote pattern to support our new pets, especially when they’re young.

Working from home with pets, whether you’re used to it or it’s a new thing for you, brings unique benefits and challenges. But as long as you prepare - and we’re here to help you do just that - you’ll love working from home with your co-tail in tow.

Benefits of working from home with pets

We’ll state the obvious first: they’ll be your favourite co-worker(s) you’ve ever had. Tail wags, laughs, never-ending support, and someone who just gets you isn’t something you’ll get from just anyone - it’s something you only get when you’re tailmates.

Some other benefits include:

Emotional support

Work can get stressful, and naturally, we may need some emotional support at times. Ranting to a friend or a partner, or to our tailmates, is familiar to many pet parents. But our tailmates can be there to help us through that difficult call, those tight deadlines or those moments where it all gets a bit too much.

A 2025 study showed that pets could act as a “buffer” against the negative side of working from home, supporting what researchers called the “furr-recovery method”. It illustrates how our tailmates can act as a “shield” against the challenging parts of work, as any good co-tail does.

Encourages healthy breaks and physical activity

Having a pet at home can mean you’ll get plenty of restorative, healthy breaks as you take them outside. In fact, one study that looked into teleworkers with cats and dogs during COVID-19 found that pet parents were more likely to report getting a healthy amount of exercise and taking at least one 15-minute walk during the workday.

The lunch hour walk strategy is perfect, and gives you a chance to get some sunshine during the day (which is one of our healthy habits for pet parents in 2026!) That means more quality time with your tailmates, a healthier relationship with work and some extra exercise.

Less stress

Multiple studies have supported this. One study found that stress levels decline over the course of a working day for employees who brought their dog to work, while those without a dog had increased stress levels. This applies to working from home, too.

We find that having our tailmates close by can help ease stressful moments, and they’re the best listeners we can rant about work stresses to.

Another, more recent study noted that the integration of pets in the workplace - and that means your home office too - lowered stress levels and eased social interactions.

Whether it’s at home or in the office, one fact remains: pets make work less stressful and more enjoyable.

Productivity

Some co-workers make us productive, while others can, thanks to their humour or excellent conversation skills, make us less productive. Thankfully, despite our tailmates being a source of humour and joy, researchers have proven that they make people who work from home more productive.

One study found that pet parents reported higher levels of self-perceived job performance and a positive mood compared to people who weren’t pet parents, and this benefit was strengthened by their dog’s physical closeness and emotional support.

That means, even if you do feel like they’re taking some of your attention away from work, their overall impact is very positive on productivity and performance.

Social connection

This won’t come as a shock, but working with our tailmates, our best of friends, makes working a lot more social!

Again, there’s solid research behind this, with one study showing a correlation between working from home with pets and having a social resource you can rely on.

So, if you’re feeling a little lonely working from home - and don’t worry, that’s normal - a tailmate or two of your own can definitely help.

Common WFH pet problems (and how to solve them)

While our co-tails do make work easier, like all co-workers, they can bring some problems.

Boredom and a need for stimulation

Pets get bored and, as clever co-tails, they need stimulation throughout the day. To remedy your cat or dog getting in your way at work due to boredom, we recommend scheduling in some playtime, exercising them early in the day and making sure they have what they need to stimulate themselves throughout the day.

Disrupted routines

If you’ve recently started working from home, your cat or dog may become unsettled due to your new, disrupted routine. While we’re sure your tailmate will enjoy seeing more of you, if they’re used to spending the day on their own, they may become a little anxious that you’re now around

Exercise needs

Pets need regular exercise, especially high-energy breeds. But working from home means your pets will have more opportunities for exercise, which may lead to them disturbing you when you’re working.

The way to remedy this is to have a consistent schedule, so try to exercise them at the same time(s) every day. For example, for dogs, you can walk them in the morning or walk them during your lunch hour (especially if you can take it at a consistent time). For cats, you can do the same, but with playtime and enrichment sessions.

Interruptions

For this, you can set up a working station away from your pets for important calls, like your office. Alternatively, positive reinforcement training can help disincentivise pets from bothering you when you’re in a specific place, but this does take time.

How to stop your dog from barking (especially during calls)

Dogs love to bark during video calls. In fact, sometimes it feels like our canine co-tail waits until the pivotal moment to make themselves heard!

First thing: it’s normal, especially if you’re playing sound out of your computer’s speakers. For some dogs, you can prevent this by just using a headset or earphones.

But for others, chronic barking when you work from home can get distracting for all involved. We have a detailed guide on how to stop a dog barking, but in essence, you should try to:

• Give them toys and puzzles to entertain themselves

• Make sure they’re exercised and stimulated at key points in the day

• Manage the environment to prevent triggers if you can

• Positively reinforce quiet, calm behaviour

• Use consistent routines

Dealing with a cat walking across your keyboard

Cats love keyboards, and they also love walking across them at key points. If you like to play video games on your computer, you’ll be familiar with the feeling of your cat sprinting across your keyboard at key moments...

They’re attracted to the interesting sounds and scents keyboards have, as well as the blinking lights, the moving cursor on your screen and the attention you’re giving it. Some cats find it very stimulating!

Now, when you work from home, and you’re editing an email, doing something that requires precision or presenting on a call, your feline co-tail can throw you off your game, even if they don’t mean it.

Thankfully, the solution is fairly simple: provide an alternative. Ones that tend to work best include:

• Cat TV

• Decoy laptop (these usually come with a scratching pad, too)

• Entertaining cat furniture, like trees

• Positive reinforcement training when your cat is calm

• Scratching posts

• Toys, especially those focused on enrichment and stimulation

You can also try:

• Making your desk less attractive, adding things like citrus smells. Make sure it's not anything too stressful, and don't spray your kitten with water or anything like that to deter them - it's better to use positive reinforcement to reward when they're not jumping on your desk or keyboard.

• Providing plenty of exercise and mental stimulation while providing opportunities for independent play.

• Redirecting your kitten when they jump up - calmly and gently remove them from your desk or keyboard and try not to make a big deal about it.

• Using positive reinforcement training to reward your kitten when they're calm and not jumping up on your desk.

Sometimes, you may have accidentally positively reinforced your cat’s keyboard behaviour by giving them attention whenever they jump on it. Thankfully, you can use positive reinforcement training to prevent this in future.

Managing separation anxiety

Now, this is more of an issue when your pet is younger, which we’ve detailed in our puppy and kitten sessions below, but separation anxiety can happen as your pet grows more used to you being around all the time.

We have a dedicated separation anxiety guide, and we discuss how to reduce it in puppies and kittens below, but in short, you need to get your pet used to being alone without you with controlled, short sessions that slowly increase in duration.

Staying professional when co-tailing: what does HR and company policy usually say?

All companies are different, but the vast majority won’t have any issue with you working from home with a pet. Most won’t mention pets in any policy, but some common sense applies, with things like:

• Maintaining professionalism during calls

• Minimising consistent disruption, especially on calls

But much of this is industry and company-specific - someone who regularly talks with customers on the phone, for example, may have different expectations compared to someone who works as a data engineer.

The majority of company policies will only mention bringing pets to the office - and the expectations around that - as opposed to working from home with one.

What to do if your pet causes damage to company property?

Cat decided to swipe at your laptop when you’re not looking? Your Great Dane has jumped on your lap mid-call, and now your laptop’s in two pieces? It happens, even if you’ve trained your pets well.

In most cases, you’ll usually be responsible as the pet parent for company damage caused by your pet, but again, every company is different here, too.

It’s why we recommended what we have above - having a distinct workspace and boundaries, as you would with any co-worker, to prevent accidents from happening.

Budgeting for your co-tail: your WFH cost guide

There are a few unexpected costs when you start working from home with a pet. It's nothing major, but it's worth preparing for. Here's a rough guide:

Working from home with a new puppy: setting expectations

Bringing home a new puppy is a fun time, but it can mean lots of disruption when it comes to work.

The key is in preparation: set your puppy's routine early, plan for training and find time in your day for puppy playtime and loo breaks.

Training a puppy when working from home is similar to training one when you don't anyway. Even if you worked away, you'd spend these crucial few weeks together anyway.

Our guides on puppy housetraining, preparing for vet visits and basic training all apply. But things can get slightly trickier when it comes to preventing separation anxiety since you're home a lot of the time.

Preventing puppy and kitten separation anxiety when you work from home

If you're around your puppy all the time, they'll get attached and feel anxious when you're not around. Separation anxiety happens when your puppy, for whatever reason, doesn't gain enough confidence to operate alone and feels afraid and stressed without you.

Naturally, if you work from home, your puppy gets used to you being home all the time. Then, if you're not around, they get more than just a bit sad; they become very stressed.

Some tips when working from home with a new puppy to stop separation anxiety include:

• Individual play - Things like puppy-safe puzzle toys can help naturally encourage independent play so your dog becomes less reliant on you.

• Teach basic commands - Things like "place" or "sit" can help point your puppy to designated relaxation spots and make them feel more confident and independent.

• Working from somewhere else - Work from a cafe or library and have someone else look after your puppy for a while.

• Use your puppy's crate - It's essential your puppy gets used to their crate. It becomes a zone for their alone time, and crate training can help your puppy build confidence.

It's even more essential when you work from home that your puppy sleeps in a crate away from you; it's one of the most important aspects of sleep training and helps prevent separation anxiety.

Leaving a puppy alone for eight hours - is it ever okay?

We don't recommend leaving your puppy alone for eight hours. Here's loose guidance on how long puppies can stay alone:

• Under 10 weeks: one hour

• 10-12 weeks: two hours

• Three months: three hours

• Four months: four hours

• Five months: five hours

• Six months: six hours

• Over six months: six to eight hours max

A lot of the time, a puppy's alone time is dictated by their bladder. For reference, a puppy will need to urinate this often:

But remember: all puppies are different, so take things on a case-by-case basis.

It's not ideal for younger puppies to have alone time as they're at risk, but crate training, gradual alone time and general training should make your puppy more confident. Plus, they'll spend some time alone at night in their crate too.

How to gradually increase alone time in puppies

We recommend that you leave your pet alone for short periods to start with. You should leave them in their crate or designated safe space, and use positive reinforcement training when getting them used to things to create a good association with being alone.

Generally, you should:

• Start small

• Increase time gradually

• Use positive reinforcement training

• Practice alone time in a safe space

• Ensure there are plenty of enrichment opportunities

• Practice "pretend" departures, slowly increasing the time

• Only react to noise if it's severe or lasts more than a few seconds

• Make sure your puppy gets the right amount of exercise and stimulation

Finally, you could consider some tools, like automatic feeders, pet cameras and water dispensers to help.

How to keep a puppy entertained while working from home

Some ideas to keep a puppy entertained include:

• Chew toys

• Puzzle feeders

• Safe interactive games

• Training

But timing is key. A puppy's energy tends to peak during the day, so it's a good time to encourage independent play and introduce enrichment ideas, like training and games, that can tire puppies out at this time.

Unfortunately, this peak in energy usually happens in the middle of the workday, so it may be a good idea to take your lunch break around then. Set realistic expectations: change will be slow, but with enough training, puppy-safe puzzle feeders and games, your puppy should be able to entertain themselves eventually.

Troubleshooting common work-from-home puppy issues

Chewing cables

It's essential to puppy-proof your home and organise cables and wires. You should hide any risky cables or wires away. Use cord protectors, cable wraps and tuck wires out of reach.

Use positive reinforcement training to reward your puppy when they don't chew.

Excessive barking during calls

Our guide on excessive barking gives step-by-step details on how to stop puppy barking the right way.

Potty training accidents

This is a normal part of a puppy growing up, so never express frustration when this happens. Our housetraining guide covers more.

Working from home with a new kitten

Kittens are naturally curious, and you might find your work-from-home days interrupted by preventing your kitty from wandering into hazards.

But it isn't impossible to manage. Broadly, when figuring out how to make a new kitten feel at home, you should:

Address issues early

Address issues, like excessive meowing and destructive behaviour, early. Don't leave it - use positive reinforcement training principles and speak to your vet if things get excessive.

Create a safe, secure space

Make sure your room is free of hazards like electrical wires, broken glass and toxic plants. You should also secure any doors or windows, and provide a litter box, food or water.

Gradually introduce alone time

Increase a kitten's alone time slowly, but initially keep them in a smaller, safe room when they're younger.

Keep your kitty entertained

Entertainment ideas for kittens when working from home include adding things like kitten-safe cat trees, interactive toys and rotating toys to maintain variety. Typically, it's about fostering independent play.

Maintain socialisation and playtime

Make some time in your work day to play and socialise with your kitten. This keeps them exercised, enriched and will prevent them from engaging in obstructive behaviour due to boredom.

Common work-from-home kitten issues

Kittens have a few common issues, especially when you're working from home.

Attention-seeking

Kittens love attention, and they dote on their owners quite a bit. This can look like a lot of meowing and pawing.

This will naturally mellow out as kittens age, but you should still get into good habits. Establish a routine with dedicated playtime, try out things like kitten-safe puzzle feeders and engage in regular positive reinforcement training to keep your kitten engaged.

Climbing on desks/keyboards

If you're a cat owner and work from home, you'll be well aware of cats jumping on your desk or keyboard at the worst time possible. Work call? They're jumping up. Biggest presentation of your life? They're practically attacking your webcam.

There are a few ways to prevent this, like:

• Making your desk less attractive, adding things like citrus smells. Make sure it's not anything too stressful, and don't spray your kitten with water or anything like that to deter them - it's better to use positive reinforcement to reward when they're not jumping on your desk or keyboard.

• Redirect your kitten when they jump up - calmly and gently remove them from your desk or keyboard and try not to make a big deal about it.

• Provide plenty of exercise and mental stimulation while providing opportunities for independent play.

• Use positive reinforcement training to reward your kitten when they're calm and not jumping up on your desk.

Excessive biting and scratching

Our guide on how to stop excessive scratching and biting in cats can help here.

Separation anxiety

Our separation anxiety in cats guide can help with this - it's essential to get it sorted as early as possible.

Zoomies

Zoomies are a normal, healthy part of a kitten's development. But it can get difficult to manage when you're trying to work.

You should focus on exercising and playing with your kitten enough to burn off excess energy and make sure the environment is calm for them.

Can I leave my kitten alone for eight hours?

Not when it's young. You should only consider it if they're six months or over. A rough timeline for how long to leave a kitten alone is:

• Newborn to four-weeks-old - shouldn't be left alone; they need constant care.

• Four to eight weeks old - we don't advise leaving kittens of this age alone.

• Eight to 12 weeks old - two to four hours maximum, but remember they need frequent meals and supervised playtime.

• Three to six months old - four to six hours max.

• Six months and older - eight hours or more, provided they have a safe environment, food and water.

Our guide on how long you can leave a kitten alone can help.

Mastering the work-pet balance

Working from home with pets can be deeply rewarding. But it's challenging as well, isn't it? Preparation, patience, and protection are key to making the arrangement work for you and your pet.

As ever, planning for the unexpected, like accidents, illnesses, separation anxiety, is difficult, but puppy insurance and kitten insurance is there for just that.

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