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.

Please welcome Lisa Perrault to our blog team!  Lisa is a professional certified dog trainer and behavorist.  She will be providing us regular posts with training best practices!  Lisa's website is MyWellManneredMutt.

As our fall schedules become packed with soccer games, back-to-school nights and work deadlines, our dogs often find themselves spending more time home alone. Combined with less exercise from shorter days and rainy weather, dogs begin to get restless this time of year. Some signs that your dog could use some at-home stress relief include: whining or barking when you leave, more frantic greetings then normal, or getting into mischief during the day. 

If you suspect a change in routine and less exercise is to blame for the new stress-at-home behavior, try these tips to liven up your doggie’s day:

• Increase exercise intensity.  Pick up your walking pace to a brisk walk or add a few short sprint zones to your normal routine.  Your dog will think it is great fun and get a bit more of a workout. 
• Use your weekends.  Bring your pooch on a weekend family hike and you will have a calmer dog for the first part of the week.  For most dogs, exercise has an immediate and cumulative effect so you can use your weekends to make up for shorter mid-week walks.
• Daylight savings resolution.  Use the extra hour of sleep you will gain when the clocks go back to switch your long dog walk to the morning. 
• Play indoor games.  Hide and Seek, Tug of War or Go-Find are all fun ways to burn off energy without getting wet or cold outside.  Kids will appreciate the homework break.
• Go somewhere new.  Change up your routine by walking in a different neighborhood or park.  Fido will be more stimulated be the new smells and sights, even if the length of the walk is the same. 
• Replace food bowls with toys.  Extend the fun of mealtime and give your dog a mental workout with stuffed Kongs and food puzzle toys.
• Hire a pro. Professional dog walkers will come to your house on designated days and take your dog out for a walk, hike or play. It is a great feeling to come home to a happy and well-exercised pet.

If adding brain-games and exercise do not help to calm your pet when left alone, consider what changed in your dog’s world that would cause her to feel anxious.  Going to the vet to rule out a medical issue is always a good first step.  One dog began to urinate indoors at the same time new roadwork construction project was causing noise just outside of the window.  Another became frantic when a family of squirrels took up residence in the walls.  When you are at work, your dog may be dealing with new neighbors, changes in flight patterns from a nearby airport or a free-roaming neighborhood dog or cat.  Ask a neighbor or set up a webcam during the day to get to the bottom of a puzzling situation.

In the next entry, I will describe training exercises to help a mildly stressed dog.  What are your tips for keeping your dog busy during the day?  Do you have any food toy recommendations to share?

The holiday season is a wonderful time to add a new member to your family.  If you are considering adopting a shelter or rescue dog, Lisa Perrault, a certified dog trainer has some important tips for you to keep in mind. 

Whether this is your first family dog or one of many, there are a few things you can do to make this big transition easier for you and your pet.

Patience is the first step in the transition
It takes time to develop the close bonds we feel with our animals and it is common to have a “what have I done?” moment or two.  Many of us underestimate how much time it takes for a new dog to understand the household rules and we forget that even our best-behaved pups didn’t start off as perfect angels.

Shelter life to new life
Just as you will need time to adjust, your dog will too.  Shelter life is very different than living in a home, and many dogs find it exhausting.  Do not be surprised if your new dog sleeps a lot, or is not very interested in food.  Other dogs have difficulty relaxing and may be velcroed to your leg at first.   Expect that your dog will need time to decompress, just like a kid returning from a summer at sleepover camp.  The first weeks are the perfect time to agree on the house rules and establish a daily routine.  Map out a schedule including meal times, potty breaks, exercise walks, play times, quiet time and training times.  Not only will the consistency help your dog feel at home, it is the fastest way to house train a new dog. 

Housetraining
A few lucky owners will find their newly adopted dog is already house trained.  More often however, adopted dogs were not fully house trained in a previous home or have forgotten due to shelter living.  It is best to expect that your new adult dog will need a refresher course.  To do this, you will need to provide a safe and comfortable confinement space for your dog. Think of the confinement space like your dog’s bedroom, it is where she can safely and comfortably hang out when unsupervised or when the world gets to be too much. A family room, a kitchen blocked off with a baby gate, a bathroom or a crate are good options.  The best confinement spaces are close to where your family spends a lot of time, but not somewhere your dog can get into mischief when you are not around.  Choose a space with tile or linoleum floors.  Puppy-proof the room by installing child-proof locks on cabinets that contain medications or cleaning products.  Survey the room from a dog’s perspective and remove anything that might be seen as a game or food including: toilet paper rolls, waste paper baskets, food on the counter and hanging hand towels. 

The necessities
Provide your dog with a soft bed, a bowl of water and a few durable chew toys.  A rubber Kong toy stuffed with tasty treats makes a wonderful distraction and will help your dog learn to love her new bedroom.  At some point all dogs will need to be left home alone and this can be a challenge for a newly adopted dog.  Many of us are so excited with our new pet that we spend Saturday and Sunday by their side and then leave them for hours at a time on Monday morning.  Start on day one to teach your dog that her bedroom is a safe and special place to be.  Stuff a Kong toy with something delicious and give it to your dog in her confinement area.  When she is busy chewing, nonchalantly head to another room without saying anything to your dog.  As long as your dog is quiet, return a few minutes later and ignore her as if you’ve never left.  If you do this a few times a day, your dog will learn that this is her safe zone and that people come back soon.

Confinement and routine
A confinement space and establishing a regular routine will help prevent the mistakes that newly adopted dogs regularly make when entering new homes.  Once you know your dog will not pee on carpets or chew furniture, you can leave him in a larger space in the house or with doggie door access to outside.  Starting off small is also the key to introducing him to his extended network of friends and family.  Instead of the dog park, meet up with a doggie friend for a neighborhood walk and save the huge “welcome home” bash for a one year adoption anniversary party. Once you get to know your dog and what he loves, you can tailor his social life to match his personality.    

Basic manners
The first few weeks are also the time to get started on basic manners training. Some adult rescue dogs know a few commands while others are a clean slate and ready to learn. Teaching your dog to look at you when you say his name is always a good first step.  Grab a handful of your dog’s dinner and move all around the house and yard saying his name and tossing him a treat.  You may want to consider attending a family-friendly reward based training class.  Even if you’ve done training before, it is a fun way to bond with your dog and stay current with modern training techniques.  Remember to take pictures to share with your dog’s friends at the rescue.  Everyone loves to celebrate a happy ending! 

Lisa Perreault is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer.  She teaches classes and offers private behavior consultations through her company My Well Mannered Mutt.  Lisa lives in Mountain View with her husband and two mutts.