New Zealand, the search is on.

For its 7th consecutive year, Frog Recruitment, along with our headline sponsor PETstock, and new sponsor Royal Canin, is proud to celebrate 2022 #NZTOPDOG. 

Enter your four legged best friend into our 3 prestigious awards categories: NZ Top Dog with a Job, NZ Top Office Dog, and NZ Top Home Office Dog (people's choice). Entries are open 29th August 2022 - 18th September 2022.

Get your dog in, enter now.

Dogs at work? For many, it's the dream. Luckily, having a pet in the workplace has become a lot more common in recent years. Gone are the days that we consider dogs to be a disruption to our work routines. In fact, dogs can make work better.

PETstock is one of many workplaces in New Zealand that is dog friendly all year round, and it makes a huge difference.

Dogs help boost employee morale and wellbeing

It’s no surprise, and widely accepted, that dogs, and pets in general, help boost your mood and reduce stress. Dogs do so much for our mental and physical health, that it makes sense they can do this for more than just their owner. In a sometimes, fast-paced, high stress environment, the comforting power of dogs is heightened. Just patting a dog can calm an anxious worker, and therefore employers/and businesses now have trained therapy dogs entering workplaces on a regular basis. In especially high-stress workplaces, such as emergency call centres and emergency service offices, therapy dogs visit many times a week to lend a paw to those struggling, or those who just need a little extra support to get through the week. There are also therapy dogs who are not formally trained, but still assist humans in need, in a similar manner. Each one of these dogs, deserve many medals.

Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust

If you ever needed more wholesome proof of just how good dogs can be for your mood and mental health, look no further than Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust, who pair therapy dogs with people living with a disability. These dogs really do help calm and change the mood of their humans. The power of their presence is immense. James, who has been paired with therapy dog Mahe, knows this best. Due to his autism, it has been increasingly difficult for his mother Michelle to take him out and about for daily tasks.

"Mahe seems to have this calming influence over James. When they’re tethered together as a team, James is very happy to be with Mahe. Whereas if I were gripping his hand, he would be agitated and trying to get away. James has also learned that Mahe is the access to going places – he uses his communication device to ask for ‘Walk with Mahe’ when he wants to go out.”– Michelle, mother of James.

Dogs and other pets can be a highlight for your customers or clients

When you have a dog or pet friendly workplace, it not only makes the workplace more joyful and relaxed for team members, but also a whole lot more interesting for guests. Without a doubt, animal lovers can’t deny how a chance meeting with a cute animal can really change their day. Plus, it also makes for a great start way to engage with customers or clients.

It offers enrichment for your dog

While we all love the idea of dogs bringing us joy and emotional therapy, bringing dogs or pets into workplace can also offer them a unique and great opportunity for enrichment. When you bring a dog into a new environment, especially from a young age, they can become highly adaptable and engage in many new and rewarding experiences. If you have a dog friendly workplace that allows more than just one dog at a time, then you will also reap the benefits of wider socialisation for your dog or puppy.

Tips on bringing your dog to work

While we would all love to pack our dog up and let them run free in the workplace, the reality is, every dog is unique, and every dog-friendly workplace will have different rules or restrictions. To ensure a successful integration to workplace life for your pooch, it's important to take some tips from those who have done it before, and trainers who have seen it all before. Dog trainer, behaviourist and Pooches at Play host, Lara Shannon, has some handy tips of her own:

• Ensure you make the introduction to this new environment a positive one. Use treats, praise, and pats to reinforce calm behaviour and create a positive association with the workplace and new people.
• If your dog is reactive (in excitement) then keep them on a leash and ask people to stay at a distance that does not cause your dog to be anxious. The signs of an anxious dog can include: licking of lips, flicking of tongue and yawning.
• Doing place or mat training, such as commanding ‘on your bed’ will be very helpful for your dog within a controlled environment like a workplace. You want your dog to be happy and comfortable staying in one place for periods of time.
• Long lasting chews and interactive toys are great for keeping your dog busy while they remain in their ‘place’.
• Make sure you know if other dogs will be in the office and if they may be reactive. The more information you know about possible four-legged colleagues the better. If you know another dog is reactive, you can then work out if you and your dog may need to sit somewhere else in the office for the day, or similar arrangement.
• Know your dog’s ‘critical distance’ – if they have one. Critical distance is the minimal distance in which your dog feels safe before reacting/ or becoming reactive. Ensure your colleagues understand your dog’s critical distance too.

2022 NZTOPDOG - The search is on

This year, Frog Recruitment is supporting Pet Refuge NZ. Victims wanting to leave abusive situations often have to delay leaving out of fear for their pet's safety as they can't take them with them when seeking refuge.

Pet Refuge provides temporary shelter and cares for pets affected by domestic violence, keeping them safe while their owners escape abuse.

To learn more about how you can help, visit here.