Should I start alone time training before I return to the office?

Practicing in advance means any setbacks, such as a session that goes poorly, can be addressed calmly with time to adjust the plan, rather than discovering a problem on the actual first day back when you also need to focus on work.

Short, genuine departures scheduled during the weeks before your return, gradually increasing in length according to the dog's response, mirror exactly what the dog will experience once office days resume, which is more useful than only in home separation practice.

Even a single week of focused practice, hitting a few key durations rather than a full gradual ladder, is better than nothing, though expectations for a completely smooth first week back should be adjusted accordingly if preparation time was short.

When only a few days are available, prioritize testing the longest duration the dog will actually face on a typical office day, even if the steps between sessions are larger than ideal, since knowing roughly how the dog handles the real worst case scenario is more useful than a slow, incomplete ladder that never reaches a realistic length. Arranging a midday visit for the first week back, even temporarily, also takes some pressure off an imperfect preparation period. This kind of temporary extra support can always be scaled back once the dog demonstrates it is coping well on its own with the new schedule. Treating the first couple of weeks as a deliberately supported transition, rather than expecting instant independence, sets a more realistic and achievable bar for everyone involved.