We would love to be with our dogs 24/7, but unfortunately most of us must go to work. And while we’re out climbing the corporate ladder, they’re at home climbing the walls. To keep your pups happy during the workday, try these five boredom busters.

1. Challenge your dog’s brain with puzzles

More challenging than a chew toy stuffed with treats, dog puzzles keep your pooch engaged in a productive activity while you’re away. Puzzles can be filled with kibble or dry treats, and the dog has to work pretty hard to get the morsels out. There are plenty of puzzles on the market in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and textures, so you’re bound to find one your pup likes. Be sure to have supervised puzzle play before leaving — that way, you can help him learn how it works.

2. Check in and chat with a pet-monitoring system

Wish you could chat with your dog during the workday? Thanks to gadgets such as Petcube, Piper, and Motorola’s Scout, you can spend coffee breaks doing exactly that. They use an HD camera and a two-way audio system to let you see, hear, and talk directly to your dog. You can even practice long-distance commands and alleviate any workday boredom either of you are feeling. With such tech, you can finally find out what your pup does all day while simultaneously keeping her from missing you too much.

3. Make time for midday walks with your dog

If you’re one of the lucky few whose commute takes up only a fraction of your lunch break, then you can probably make it home for a quick walk around the block with your pup. It may not seem like much, but even a quick 10-minute stroll over the noon hour can really help with a dog’s boredom (and bladder). Coming home in the middle of the day teaches your dog that you haven’t forgotten about him, and it breaks up the day for both you and your furry friend.

4. Hire some help

If your commute is too long or your workday just doesn’t allow for an off-site lunch break, hiring a dog walker can be a great solution. Plenty of dog walkers list their services online, but if you’d rather hire someone based on a personal recommendation, your dog trainer, groomer, and veterinarian are all likely to know an experienced pro who offers this service.

5. Become a morning person

It can be so tempting to hit snooze on a weekday morning and buy yourself five more minutes in bed, but if that five minutes is coming out of your dog’s walking time, it’s coming at too high of a cost. Exercising your pup in the morning can really help stave off doggie boredom later in the day — your pooch will be tired out and ready for a nice long nap by the time you’re heading out the door for work. As an added bonus, you’ll arrive at the office with a clear head and extra energy (and you’ll probably need one less cup of coffee than usual).

What strategies do you use to keep your dog happy while you work? Tell us in the comments!

Read more by Heather Marcoux:

• 6 Dog-Walking Hacks
• I Cured My Dog’s Itchy Skin by Sending His Saliva to an “Alternative” Lab
• Do You Let Your Dogs Sleep in the Human Bed? All of Them?

About the Author: Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter; she also posts pet GIFs on Google+.