< Go Back Create a Dog Haven this Christmas Posted: Dec 15, 2016 Christmas can be a busy time for your house, with family and friends
visiting regularly and disturbing the peace, it can really affect your dog and
their behaviour. As well as the abundance of food, tasty smells, people to
play with and new senses to overcome, your dogs can often forget their manners
as such and misbehave. To avoid bad behaviour in the Christmas period, train,
guide and give your dog their own special place in the house so they are at
ease, comfortable and enjoying the festivities as well.
Dogs Have Fun Too! Although you may just think a dog is a dog, they can pick up
in the atmosphere in a room within an instant. If everyone is having fun,
laughing and enjoying themselves, the dogs love to get involved which can often
be off-putting to your guests.
You can never expect a dog to interact the same way in which
humans do and they will never know what is acceptable manners at a dinner
party, but including them and teaching them the proper way, will make the whole
period much better for them and yourself. They will never be sat without elbows
on the table, but they can learn to sit properly and behave around your guests
with ease.
Teach Them Where They Belong It is no good letting them have free reign over the house
when you are trying to entertain guests and enjoy Christmas foods. They need to
know where they belong and how to act around guests and large tables full of
food (which they would love to devour any minute).
If they don't have a specific bed/rest area, make one, so
that when you ask them to stay, they have somewhere to stay comfortably. Once
they have grasped the concept of "staying" in that spot, it needs to be fun so that
they want to stay there for a period of time, rather than getting bored and
interrupting your entertainment. Adding their favourite toys, treats and
petting them every now and again is rewarding them for good behaviour, which they
most definitely deserve.
Entertain Your Dog Nobody wants to sit in the corner when a party is going on
and neither does your dog. Keeping them entertained can be a minefield but
finding something they love to do is not hard and needs to be a priority this Christmas
period. Your dog is still part of your family and just because you have guests
round to take care of, you never stop taking care of your dog.
Play games with them to get to their spot and it will make
them want to go there more and more. Using treats (in small amounts) will also
encourage them to stay in their spot while you and your guests eat your dinner,
play games or drink and then when you're finished they can come out and join
in!
Don't Be Disheartened It takes a lot for a dog to understand commands, especially
when there are distractions in their own home. Try training them leading up to
the event by inviting a few people over and testing how they react and then you
know how much or little training they will need.
At the end of the day, your dog will always want to be
involved and nobody gets a dog to hide them away but just take into account
your other guests and bring them back in to integrate once you're ready. To
find out more about obedience training and household rules, call me on 01373 301 175 or 07913 785 238.