The holidays are approaching quickly and that means guests! You’ve thought of everything – scheduled the carpet cleaners, planned the meal, filled the freezer with everyone’s favorite desserts. You even changed out that painting that your Aunt Millie always says is ugly…even though you love it. Your entire house is ready – but what the dog? Suddenly, you are in a panic! Maybe he’s a new addition that hasn’t learned all his manners, or maybe you are having flashbacks about last year when Fido knocked Aunt Millie to her feet (of course, it was right after her comment about the painting…).
Never fear, the first major holiday is still weeks away, plenty of time to brush-up on your dog’s obedience and get him ready for the big day. Some basic training, along with some management tricks, will make sure your dog is the perfect family member during the holidays (we can’t say the same for Uncle Fred, who unzips his pants at the table).
Manners Tips
There are just a few simple cues that, if your dog knows them, will greatly increase the likelihood that they will behave when the guests arrive. Start working on these now, just a few minutes a day, and your dog will be well-versed by Thanksgiving and a pro before Decembers many holidays. In a perfect world, you would teach your dog a “sit to greet” but for many dogs, you may not have time to perfect that in time for guests, so opt for a few simple cues to get through this holiday, and then work on sit to greet for next year.
Sit
Sit is just a great cue for any dog. It can be useful if your dog is jumping, begging, walking under foot, etc. To teach it, have a handful of treats or his kibble with you. As soon as your dog offers a sit (most do quite quickly), mark it with a word or a click with a clicker, and then reward. Tip: toss the treat so your dog has to get up to get it, thus “resetting” him to sit again.
Once your dog is sitting quickly, almost immediately after getting his treat, simply add the cue by saying “sit” as he sits.
Off
Off is extremely important for the dog that jumps on people or counter-surfs (most holiday food contains ingredients toxic to dogs!).You can teach this by setting up a chair, table, something your dog is likely to jump onto. When he puts his paws up, stare intently at the ground. Eventually your dog will wonder what the “fuss is about” on the ground and will get down to investigate himself. As soon as he does so, say “off,” and when his feet touch the floor, mark with a word or a click and drop the treat on the ground (to reinforce that the ground is the best thing in the world.
Repeat until your dog stops jumping on the surface. Most dogs will learn the game and won’t get up on the surface any more – that’s good! Reward him for his good choice and then move on to something harder like the kitchen counter or a person.
Leave It
If your dog doesn’t already have a leave it, now is the time to teach him! This is great for when he dives for your grandchild’s new Christmas toy or the plate of turkey somebody left on the coffee table.
Start with something easy, like a piece of kibble, in your closed hand. Your dog will probably lick, paw, sniff, maybe even chew (try not to pull your hand away if he puts his teeth on you). As soon as he stops mark it with a word or a click and reward him with a different treat or piece of kibble. Do this until your dog no longer goes to the hand at all.
Then, start delaying your reward until your dog looks at if you for the treat. Then mark and reward. You are teaching your dog to not only leave the item, but to focus on you instead. Once he is doing this, add the cue by saying “leave it” as he moves his head away from the item to look at you.
Progress to an open hand and then kibble on the floor. If he fails three times, make it easier on him. Then progress to harder items such as human food or a child’s toy. Leave it can also work to call your dog away from a person who may not appreciate his advances (like your cat loving Aunt Millie!).
Management Tricks
No matter how smart your dog is, he may not have all of these mastered by the holidays, especially if you don’t have time to work on them consistently.
Managing your dog during the holiday can ensure everyone, including your dog, has a nice time.
#1 – First, have him in a separate room or in his kennel when guests arrive.
Arrival of people is the most exciting time – for everyone, not just the dog. Your dog can sense all the excitement and it just make his manners worse. Give him a nice bone or food toy to play with, and keep him out of the way until everyone is in and settled. This also gives you an opportunity to tell your guests the “house rules” for the dog – such as no scraps from the table, don’t let him jump on you, etc.
#2 – After everyone has settled in, bring your dog in on leash, to avoid a mad dash at people.
Ask him to sit before he gets to greet everyone. He may not stay in the sit, but it helps keep him in check. Reward him for being good (i.e not jumping, lunging, barking and how to play with him). Give your guests treats to give to your dog as well, especially if he shy – food helps them overcome their reservations quickly.
#3- Be sure to have a toy that your family can use to appropriately play with your dog.
This can help avoid situations where your puppy might get mouthy and put someone’s hand in his mouth, and it gives him something to focus on other than licking everyone’s face off.
#4 – During dinner, remove your dog from the room if he is the type that begs, counter-surfs etc.
You want to enjoy your meal and not have to worry about your dog. Give him his nice holiday meal and a chew bone during this time – it’s not punishment after all!
Follow these simply rules and your entire family will have a pleasant holiday!
