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Preparing your Dog for the Holidays

Submitted by Sarah Wilson on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 20:28

The holiday season is fast approaching, and many of us will soon be enjoying (or not) family, friends, and multiple activities. Along with this will come vacation time, new toys for young and old, as well as both visiting and visitors.

We often have a sense of anticipation as we look forward to our favorite parts of the holidays, but our dogs have no idea why everything is suddenly so different and whether it will ever return to normal. Now is a good time to start preparing your dog, so she can also enjoy the festive atmosphere of the coming weeks and add to your own enjoyment of the season.

One way to help your dog be at her best during your holiday activities is to refresh some of her skills ahead of time. Near the top of the list is crating. Your dog’s crate can be a calm haven for her when there are visitors or if you are away from home with her. If crating hasn’t been a regular part of her day recently, this is a good time to start feeding her in there, dropping yummy treats in for her to find,and storing her toys in the crate. All of this will help remind her that her crate really is a wonderful place. If she has never been crate-trained, it’s not too late to let her know how pleasant a crate can be. We have several articles in our library that will help you show your dog how pleasant a crate can be-- Crate Training articles

“Place” tells your dog to go to her bed, lie down, and remain there until you release her. This is particularly helpful if there are children running around and your dog starts to get excited. With one quiet word you can turn a potentially problematic situation into a safe situation, with the children happily playing and your dog contentedly lying on her bed watching calmly.

It’s a good idea to review greeting behavior with your dog, since there are likely to be more people around than usual. The Simple Sit and Off are ideal for this and are easy to teach if your dog doesn’t already know them.

Other tips for holiday sanity include feeding your dog from food-dispensing toys rather than her bowl, buying her a couple new chew toys to occupy her time and use up some energy, and giving her some good exercise before you visit someone or have visitors over. Also, during long visits, take her out for frequent short walks; the walk will help her settle more when in the house, and it can be a nice, fresh-air break for you.

Some additional Do’s and Don’ts:

  • Do try to keep your dog to her regular schedule as much as possible
  • Do feed your dog her regular food; she doesn’t need Christmas dinner
  • Do leash your dog when visiting and traveling
  • Don’t let people overwhelm or play with your dog in ways she doesn’t enjoy
  • Don’t change everything and expect your dog to act the same as ever

We hope these tips will help both you and your dog enjoy a safe, happy holiday!

by Melissa Fischer, Puppy Homeschool

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