Do you have a fabulous Christmas Day planned with your nearest and dearest? Presents, games, Christmas dinner, drinks and lots of fun planned. I think we all deserve it after the past few years we’ve had but have you thought about how your dog might cope? Or are you worried about how your dog may react to people coming over?
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When preparing your dogs for the holiday period, it’s important not to wait until just a few days before. This is something you should be starting to think about now, especially if you don’t normally have visitors over or you have a particularly worried, nervous, or reactive dog who might not be able to cope well in busy situations.
Being as prepared as possible will save you, and your dog, a lot of stress.
Getting them out on a 3 hour hike the morning your guests are coming is just not feasible. Sure, they may be tired after it, but they will likely still be very overwhelmed and stressed about visitors being there. Being consistent with their exercise and mental stimulation all week will set up for a much easier day when your guests are there.
Prevention is better than cure and if you can catch your dog doing something you like, those behaviours will happen more and more in the future.
If you’ve answered yes to using a gate or similar, it’s very important that you start introducing that now. Think about how your dog and guests will cope and prepare for that scenario.
Ask them! Would they like to interact with your dog?
If yes, then let them go ahead with getting involved with the training when they come over! Another thing to think about would be, is your dog be comfortable to interact with the guests?
It’s important for your dog to be comfortable too. If either your dog or the guests aren’t comfortable, put your dog in another area, behind a baby gate with a fun activity for them to do like a snuffle mat, Kong or puzzle toy.
Don’t just put them somewhere with nothing to do while the visitors come in, this will only make them feel frustrated. If you have a visitor who would like to deal and help with your dog’s training but they’re only going to make things worse by maybe, hyping your dog up too much or not following your training instructions, it’s absolutely okay for you to give your dog another option and put them in another area that you’ve set up for them. This will avoid any training failures and also keep your dog under threshold.
It's a great idea to make up or buy a sign to put on your front door for when guests arrive to let them know that your dog is in training and what they should do as they enter the house – should they ignore your dog while you deal with them? Should they throw treats on the floor for your dog? Should they play with the dog or throw a toy for them to retrieve and redirect on?
Make sure your guests know what’s expected of them to ensure your dog is successful when they enter the house.
Go to you mat/bed or place training – this gives your dog a dedicated area to go to relax and lay down. If you practice this enough, your dog will realise that there’s a history of good things happening there, and they’ll be comfortable there. This will take a lot of work to be solid so extra importance on practicing this weeks, even months in advance.
How?
Alone time is also a very useful skill to practice and prepare when you’re having visitors over. Some dogs may not be comfortable or used to being put in another room or behind a baby gate/in a pen while you have company so it’s best to get started on this as soon as possible.
Another great idea would be to set up a Relaxation Station for your dog. This will allow them a safe and relaxing space to go to when things may be a bit much or their normal routine is altered when you have visitors over.
In the weeks leading up to the big day, take them to their relaxation station, follow their normal daily routine, give them a frozen kong in a space where they normally go to bed, if that space is normally the living room/kitchen where your guests are, set up this area and spend lots of time there beforehand. Turn the lights down, have mood-lighting, play some relaxing music and just hang out there with them for a few hours every night so that when it's time to use it, they’re happy, comfortable and safe there.
Never shove them in a room they’ve never been before or an unfamiliar area, this will cause stress and anxiety unnecessarily. Make sure you’ve always prepared them beforehand and ensure they’re comfortable.
Something to be mindful of is – it’s okay if you don’t want to think about training your dog on Christmas Day or any other day you’re spending quality time with friends and family. Don’t shame yourself for using management or opting out of training – if it’s best for you and your dog to opt out, do it!
If people are coming over and will be there for a long time, enjoy your time together but, after a few hours, you might need a break, if your dog is involved, your dog might need a break.
When you have people over for a long period of time, your dog should have some alone time anyway for some sleep and rest. Join your dog at this moment so you can also decompress and go back to your guests without feeling drained or worried about your dog.
A few bonus tips for you this holiday season:
Wishing you, your dogs and your family the best Christmas yet!
Be safe, take care and be merry!
