Tis the season for lots of food, family and potential for some mishaps with our canine family members.  Lisa Perrault, certified dog trainer and behaviorist provides us with some great pointers to make our holiday season happy for all 2 legged and 4 legged family and friends!

_Company, Cookies and Canines

Holidays transform many of us into seasonal entertainers. This time of year, we put a lot of demands on ourselves to cook stunning meals, decorate our homes, and shop for perfect gifts. We also expect our dogs to channel their inner Emily Post and transform into gracious hosts and hostesses.
Not all of our canines are naturally well-mannered entertainers. Your dog may feel that Aunt Millie’s newly knitted scarf is a perfect tug toy and the gingerbread cooling on the counter is a delicious mid-morning snack.   Most dogs are not Santa Claus believers, so we need other strategies to convince Rover to be on his best behavior.  Training good manners is possible at any age, but it takes time and a bit of practice to learn new skills.  Considering all you are juggling right now, here are some time-sensitive suggestions to make sure Rover adds a bit of charm to your holiday celebration.

Door

Would you like to welcome guests to your home without a barking chorus?  Noisy dogs and our shouts of “quiet” start any party off with an unwanted dose of stress.  Take the doorbell out of the equation by securing the lock mechanism with duct tape and hanging a “Welcome, Come In” sign on your door.
An open-door policy will minimize barking but you will need to take steps to prevent Rover from charging out of the front door to greet guests and visit neighbors.  Instead of trying to do battle at the door, shut off Rover’s access to the front hallway.  A walk-through baby gate placed in your front hallway is a perfect option to keep an open flow for humans while preventing Rover from charging through the door.  A few brave souls try to jump a gate, so test your setup before the party.
Creating a dog-free zone at your front door has the added advantage of allowing you to control greetings between your dog and guests.  The doorway is the most challenging place for shy or overexcited dogs to meet visitors.  Barking or jumping can be minimized by moving greetings to a lower stress place in your home.  Even a welcoming and well-mannered mutt can not help with guests.  Once your company settles in, they can greet your friendly pooch with the attention that she deserves.

_Food

No one wants to spend the party at the emergency vet with a dog who scarfed the baking chocolate or order a pizza after FiFi samples the Christmas ham.  Dogs are genetically determined to be on the lookout for food and no other time of year presents a better opportunity for finding forbidden goodies.

• Prep time - Save yourself stress by giving Rover something else to do during your cooking marathon.  He can keep the kids company in the family room or play with a new toy on his bed.  I enjoy the help of my resident crumb cleaners during every-day cooking, but I want all non-essential hands and paws out of the kitchen when cooking for a crowd.
• Hors d’oeuvres - Most of us do not routinely leave plates of special snacks sitting unattended at dog nose level.  So it is not surprising when Roxy helps herself to your fancy cheese board in front of company.  The beginning of a party is a busy time for the party host so you will not be able to guard against food thieves. Test out your pup before the party by baiting the coffee table with something delicious and surreptitiously monitoring the table from the other room.  If Roxy goes for the goods, plan to put party trays on high tables that she cannot reach.
• A sit down meal is often the highlight of a holiday celebration and another busy time for the host.   Have a Kong stuffed and ready to give Rover before you sit down to eat to avoid any embarrassment of a begging dog.
• Leftovers - Your company has left and leftover breads and sweets are all over your counter.  Pack leftovers away in air-tight/dog proof containers. If Rover often helps himself to midnight snacks off of your counter, consider asking Santa to bring you a breadbox this year.

More Holiday Tips

• For large gatherings and for dogs that may be extra sensitive or new to crowds, consider designating a primary dog minder.  This is the person to remember to take dog out for potty break and keep an eye to make sure she is not getting overwhelmed or stealing food.
• Dogs are part of our families, but luckily do not have a sentimental attachment to our holidays.  If you have a fearful dog, it may be the kindest to keep her confined in a safe zone away from the party chaos.
• If you are going to confine your dog to a new room, do a few test runs before the party to make sure she will be calm and quiet.  Set aside special rawhide chews or stuffed Kongs to keep her busy during the party.
• A leash can be helpful tool to manage interactions between dog-shy guests or with a rambunctious dog.  A leashed dog is still a part of the party but cannot jump on small kids or steal food.
• Establish a new holiday tradition of a post-meal walk.  This is a great way for willing guests to enjoy time with your dog and also helps with digestion. 
• Make Roxy a central part of the celebration by dressing her up or showing off tricks to your guests.

Next month we will focus on New Year’s resolutions and National Train Your Dog Month.

Contributed by  Lisa Perrault of MyWellManneredMutt.  Lisa is a professional certified dog trainer and behavorist.

Last month, I discussed how physical and mental exercise can help alleviate behavior problems related to boredom when dogs are left alone.  This month, I’ll discuss general confidence boosting training exercises that can also help a mildly stressed dog. 

Please note: If your dog is showing signs of serious separation anxiety, it’s always best to contact a training professional.

Your Dog’s “Go To” Place

Our bedrooms are sanctuaries from the busy world and dogs also deserve a place of their own. This exercise will make your dog’s bed a happy place where they can retreat in times of stress.

Out of Sight Stay

Stay commands can be paired with the “Go to Place” exercise or done on their own. “Stay” means, “stay in one spot until I come back and release you.” Remember, it isn’t reasonable to ask your dog to stay when you are away from home because she will need to get up and move around during the day.

• Begin by teaching your dog to stay when you are in sight.
• If your dog can do a solid stay for 10 seconds with you in front of her, begin to make it harder by walking around the room.
• Always return to your dog to release him from the stay.
• Think about the 3Ds of stay - distance, duration, and distraction. Work on one “D” at a time, gradually increasing the difficulty level of the command.

            Distance—How far you are from your dog?
            Duration —How long you are asking your dog to stay?
            Distraction —What is going on that might be interesting to your pup? (Including your motions- moving                   around, touching a food container or picking up a toy.)

• After your dog can hold a stay for 30 seconds while you move around the room, you can try your first out of sight stay. Walk out of the room, turn around, and walk right back in.
• Gradually build up the distance you are out of sight.
• Remember, the “Stay” command is hard for dogs! Give them an easy one once and awhile to keep the game fun.
• Out of sight training and a safe place can help dogs that are experiencing mild levels of stress at home.  They are also useful training techniques to get our dogs out from underfoot and impress our holiday visitors.