Prepare for a Dog-friendly Holiday!

Brought to you by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline – the AKC’s 7-day-a-week training support service
By: Hilarie Erb, AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer

There’s no question about it: the holiday season is a busy and exciting time. But the things that make it special to us can make life difficult with dogs. Visiting family and friends, giving and receiving gifts, preparing special foods, and putting up decorations are crazy stuff to our dogs. Most take it in stride, others take advantage of the chaos to snag extra treats and dig into decorations, and others might not like anything about it. The busy atmosphere makes it easy to get distracted and forget about the dog – leaving the door open (sometimes literally) for something bad to happen.

While training is very important, there might not be time to get your dog’s manners where you want them. And it can be difficult to train for things that happen once a year. Even the best trained dogs find it hard to resist plates of cookies, snacks, and alcoholic beverages on the coffee table. The secret is management. This means planning ahead so you make it impossible for your dog to engage in undesirable behaviors.

Safely Contain Your Pet

• A crate is the best management tool ever, year-round. It’s the perfect safe place for dogs when guests are constantly opening doors – one of the most common scenarios in which they slip outside and get lost. A crate can be the answer to most problems that might arise during the holiday season.
• In your own home, you might also have a quiet room with a bed for your dog to rest in, away from the hubbub.
• What’s on them and what’s under them can be dangerous. Use gates to keep the dog out of the room or put one around the tree. It might not be festive looking, but it will keep the gifts, the tree, and the dog safe.

Be Aware of Your Dog with Children and Other People

• Dogs and children must be carefully supervised; they should never be left together unattended. There are no exceptions.
• Do not allow your dog to jump on adults either — especially those who may be frail. Dogs can cause falls, and their nails can scratch skin and ruin clothing. Not everyone is fine with your dog begging for their food or snooping through purses and pockets. When you have guests, provide a place for personal items to be stashed, out of the dog’s reach behind a closed door. Purses and coat pockets can contain dangerous things like medicine and chewing gum.

If You Are Considering Bringing Your Dog to Visit Family or Friends…

• Don’t let your dog roam freely in an unfamiliar house. Take the create when visiting family and friend with your dog, too. If you can’t take a crate, keep your dog on a leash.
• Being housetrained in your home does not mean the dog is housetrained in someone else’s home, and you don’t know what tempting (and dangerous or valuable) items might be lying around for the taking.
• Sometimes it’s easy to take your dog on visits or longer trips, but other times not so much. Never show up with your dog unannounced; a host will likely not be prepared and there may be guests who cannot be around dogs because of allergies or other reasons. The holidays might be safer and more enjoyable for you and your dog if you arrange for boarding or for a pet sitter at home.

Don’t Get Too Busy to Have Fun with Your Dog!

• Walks and time with you are at the top of every dog’s list and it helps them behave for you, too!

For more tips and advice on training your dog, join the AKC GoodDog! Helpline, a seven-day-a-week telephone support service staffed by experienced dog trainers: www.akcgooddoghelpline.org.