by Bailey Coldwell
The holidays can be a time of laughter, fun, and seeing loved ones you haven’t seen for a while. The holidays are also known for sometimes bringing us some degree of stress due to travel, cooking, cleaning, gift giving, and family drama. We want your dog to be a positive addition to this time of year. If you are traveling with your dog or having people over to your house during the holiday season, you might be wondering how to help set your dog up for success. We want you to enjoy the holidays, help the dog behave, and be here for you if we do see behavioral concerns pop up during the holidays.
To help prepare for the holidays with our dogs, try to add some variation into the dog’s day to day life. We know that dogs love routine. When the holidays are here, those routines can change. Dogs don’t generalize well. So teaching them to be content with change can be helpful. Here are some tips:
If the dog is going to be sleeping in a different place than normal, practice moving their crate around your home. This will help to replicate sleeping in a different location than what they are used to.
Give naps throughout the day at random times in case we have plans that will disrupt the dog’s normal down time.
Consider feeding them at different times than normal so they aren’t pestering you or anyone else to eat if the feeding is delayed.
Practice putting the dog to bed at different times than normal.
If your dog is not used to being in a vehicle and you have a long road trip, practice some short sessions in the vehicle beforehand.
When the new situation does arise during the holidays, be mindful of any behavioral issues your dog currently has. Anticipate that the behavioral concern can be exaggerated in more intense situations. Have a game plan to work on these behaviors and make sure that the bad habit doesn’t get rewarded. For example, If your dog tends to jump on people, put the dog behind a barrier or on a leash with you when first saying hi to people. If your dog jumps on counters or tables to get food, prevent unsupervised time near these spaces.
Try to keep the same rules and expectations as you usually do. Don’t allow the dog to get up on the furniture if you normally don’t allow this. If your dog is whining or barking at night for attention, don’t give them attention for this. If your dog is not permitted table scraps, don’t allow this during the holidays.
When I am helping my dog get used to a new situation, here are some techniques I use to set my dog up for success and prevent unwanted behaviors:
I reward my dogs when they are being good in the new environment. This can be with treats, toys, petting, praising, time to sniff around outside, etc.
Keep my dog on a leash at first to help prevent them from getting overstimulated and doing unwanted behaviors.
Bring my dog, even my fully potty-trained dog, to the potty spot more frequently than I usually do. Many dogs will pee in new homes, poop more when there is stress, and overall have more accidents when there is extra excitement taking place. When I am visiting with others, it is more likely that I will forget to bring my dog out as frequently as they need. I might even set alarms to remind myself to bring them outside.
Give my dog breaks and more naps than usual. More excitement and stimulation is going to lead to your dog being more tired. They might need reminders from me to take breaks and rest.
If my dog is struggling, I make sure to put them in a pen, behind barriers, or in the crate if I cannot monitor them as closely as they need.
Don’t panic if you cannot do the same amount of training sessions as you might normally do. If it would be relaxing and fun for you to spend some time training your dog, go for it! But it is okay to take a break if you are stressed to have training sessions with your dog during these busy times. Remember, it is better to take training slower and be successful rather than speedy and stressed. Your dog will not need to restart their entire training if we don’t work on a certain cue for a few days. They might just need some reminders when you get back to normal. Plus, you are still training your dog by exposing them to new environments and simply showing them how to act.
Try not to feel guilty if your dog has to spend time alone. It is better for your dog to have more time in a secure and safe spot, such as a crate, rather than be able to perform unwanted behaviors over and over again. Will your dog be perfect? Probably not. But if they are able to practice the same unwanted routines over and over again, it is going to make it much harder to break the habit once you are back to your normal routine. So, if you are unable to prevent unwanted behaviors or reward the dog for good behaviors, it is better for them, better for you, and better for everyone else to have your dog in a different area. Then, bring them out once you are able to take some time to work with them.
You might need to monitor your dog for the first part of the holiday. But if they are doing well, give them more freedom. With my adult dogs, I find that I have to monitor them closely at first and am then able to be more relaxed with them. By preventing unwanted behaviors from the start and reminding them of the good behaviors, they are less likely to get into the unwanted habits we try to avoid.
My final tip is to enjoy the holidays. It would be best if you weren’t stressed out about dog training. This is another reason why it is okay if they have to spend more time in a different area of the home. We want you to be able to socialize and have fun. Even if your dog does pick up unwanted behaviors, we are here for you. We have a previous blog post regarding training setbacks after vacation. You can utilize this post to help get back on track. You can then reach out to us with any additional questions. Happy Holidays!
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