If you have a young dog in training or a puppy,
you'll know that the holidays can add a,
a new level of challenge to your household.
What we heard from you is that you were worried about people coming into your
home. You were worried about taking your dog into someone else's home.
Maybe you're worried about leaving your dog for a short time while you go and
celebrate.
I know a lot of people are worried about presents and trees and decorations
being out. Maybe there's more food available for your dog to steal.
And these are real challenges for puppy owners and new dog owners.
So today I'm gonna give you a plan for these scenarios and if there are training
and skills involved,
I'm gonna point you to exactly the video you need to get your dog ready for the
holiday season. Now, I know Christmas is a busy time of year,
so let's not waste any more time. One thing that I want you to be intentional
about this holiday season,
and it's the one thing that's gonna be underpinning all of these plans,
is that your puppy has had enough exercise and done a little bit of training.
You can probably think of a situation where you really wanted to bring your
a-game you wanted to bring your best self, whether it's social or professional.
And the best way to do that for your puppy,
for them to bring their a-game is that they've had enough exercise.
So you've tired out their body and you've activated their brain.
You've tired out their brain a little bit. And training can do that.
Some of the most simple ways to do this where you can accomplish both are
activities like playing tug. Maybe it's a restrained recall.
A dog of any age can benefit from both of those activities. The nice part about
them is that it really engages your dog with you. You know,
you are required for your dog to really enjoy, uh, that experience.
And more importantly, it tires out your dog quickly.
If you're worried about your dog going absolutely crazy,
when people come into your home and you're thinking, oh,
it might be a complete disaster, then you might be right.
And it's important that you understand your dog's level of training and their,
their ability in this situation.
The challenge with this is that when people come into your home,
it's new and it's exciting and people are often, you know,
have high pitched voices. Oh my goodness, it's so nice to meet you.
And for some dogs,
this gets them even more excited and the jumping up and they start nipping and
biting.
And some dogs will actually submissively pee when they meet new people. But the
reward of jumping up,
it's gratifying for your dog to be able to jump up on people.
It's gratifying that they get a response from these people.
And in situation like this, if your dog's at this level of training where they,
you know, they'll find that more rewarding than food, than toy,
than pet or praise.
The next important thing you can do is know how to manage your dog.
This is a great opportunity to use something like a crate.
It's a perfect management tool.
Maybe you have a puppy-proofed room or area that you can use as well,
but you need to remove your dog from this situation.
As you're welcoming people in, you've put your puppy in their crate,
you know you can do your socializing,
you can welcome everyone in your home and maybe everyone can sit down and have a
conversation,
have a chat. Once your dog starts to come down into that more trainable state of
mind, you can go get them again. Don't get me wrong,
this is a really good training scenario.
Go and get them and you're gonna put them on a leash or use a house line.
We talk about these items a lot for management,
but if you don't know what the result is gonna be,
if you don't know what your dog is going to do,
it's really important that you manage them appropriately.
Now you can bring them into this common space and you can work on an exercise
like sit at your side. We talk a lot about this with introducing, uh, people to,
to your dog.
You have them sit in that control position at your side on a loose leash and
maybe you've got some food reward for them.
Maybe it's pet and praise. I wouldn't use a toy in this situation.
Food does a nice job of like inervating a different part of their brain and it
gets 'em to relax a little bit.
But you can reward your dog as you introduce people to them. Now keep in mind,
you know, your dog may continue to struggle with this, and if that's the case,
as people approach, they get really excited. You need to think like a trainer.
You're gonna create a greater distance between those distractions and your dog
and try to get a little bit of success. But as you're working through this,
if you continue to struggle, it's okay to put them back in their crate.
It's actually your best choice. Now,
maybe you have a dog who's being a little angel in this scenario and they're
able to experience new sights and smells and sounds and people.
But be sure that this whole time that you're supervising them,
keeping a close eye on them and that they have a house line on. So if they start
making bad choices, you're able to intervene.
Another important challenge you need to think about in this situation is that
sometimes these settings can be really overwhelming for your dog.
Now I know we all want to introduce our puppy, uh, to everyone,
but this can be especially challenging with kids cuz kids just don't know any
better. They can't wait to hug the adorable puppy.
So they'll get right over top of them.
It's your responsibility to keep an eye on your puppy in this scenario,
if they look like they're getting overwhelmed,
you need to get them out of there.
If you're in a position where you're considering leaving your puppy for those
few hours while you're away, I want you to consider two things. Number one,
have they proven to you that they can be rested and not have any issues for the
duration of time that you're going away? This is not the time of year that you
wanna be testing this kind of thing.
And you wanna make sure that they're appropriately exercised,
that they're tired out,
that they've had their pees and their poops before you leave,
and that they're gonna be comfortable for the whole time that you're gone.
And if they're not able to stay in their crate that long,
then maybe you've gotta have a friend or someone, uh, come by and let them out.
Or maybe you need to communicate with your family that you have a responsibility
at home.
You've gotta leave the party a little bit early and come and take care of them.
And if you're looking for some way to keep them a little more calm there Crate,
we just launched our channel,
the Can Dog's Music where you can just create some nice ambient sound.
Check it out. I'll link it in the description below.
But maybe you can bring your puppy with you to family Christmas.
And let me give you a couple of tips on how you can make that work. Now,
dealing with your puppy in your home is one thing,
but bringing them to someone else's house in a totally new environment presents
some new challenges. Now, a couple of these steps are gonna remain the same,
but there are a couple of specific differences with this situation that I really
want you to think about. Management is still really important,
and a couple of easy ways to do this are bringing your crate along with you.
We actually love something like a collapsible crate.
We have a couple of them and we'll bring them to new locations and wherever we
need them. But if they're easy to transport and to give your puppy a safe,
comfortable place to be, to relax,
the other tool that's gonna be really important is your house line. I know some
people will say, well,
I don't want my puppy running around dragging a line if there's elderly people
or kids. Well, if that's the case,
then it's not the right situation for your puppy to be free.
So consider that before allowing your dog to move around the space.
But the house line's going to be really important because this new house
presents new challenges, new distractions, new people.
They're likely to make some bad choices and you might need to take a step back
in your training.
But having a tool on them that allows you to intervene when needed is gonna be
really important.
Just because you're at a party doesn't mean you don't have a plan. Now,
there might come a time when you're supervising them,
but it's gonna be better for them to be in their crate,
safer for them to be in their crate. Maybe it's when everyone's unwrapping
gifts, or maybe it's when everyone's sitting down to eat dinner,
but pop them in their crate for a short time.
But don't forget that you're gonna be,
you're gonna need to let them out occasionally.
This is a great opportunity when you take them out for the pee and the poo to
work on some exercises. Sit in at your side, you're in a brand new environment.
What a great time to work on that response to name.
You've also got some family members around that can help you with these
exercises. These are the real training opportunities, the real, um, you know,
natural training opportunities that I want you to take advantage of in a
situation like this.
Another thing that you need to be aware of is the fact that with all of these
new decorations out, maybe it's the presents under the tree,
maybe it's a little bit more food, things that are, you know,
at a level where your dog can get it. A lot of these things can be hazards for
your dog. And I know a lot of people are worried about, you know,
what is my puppy going to do when the tree's up and when the decorations are
out? Well, this all comes down to you.
I would say the biggest mistake that new puppy owners make is a lack of
supervision.
And your puppy can't make these mistakes if you're supervising them.
We talk about the house line, we talk about the crate,
but if your puppy's free and you're not keeping an eye on them,
then they have all the opportunity in the world to get into a dangerous
situation or just make a huge mess.
So really focus on your supervision this time of year specifically.
Because the hazard to your dog is so much greater with all of these new things
out. There's one thing that I haven't mentioned yet,
and if you've invested any time into training your puppy or your young dog,
then this is going to be important to you. Now,
you have certain rules and expectations for your dog,
but other people might not have those same rules.
And maybe you've been working hard at teaching them not to bite your hands or
bite clothing, you've been working to teach them to not jump up.
You've been teaching them to not beg at the table or, you know, be fed from, uh,
you know, the, the couch. Well,
this is the opportunity for them to be rewarded by some of these things from
your family and people who don't know that those rules are in place.
So communication with your friends and family before the party or while the
puppies out is gonna be really important. Again, this goes back to supervision.
Supervise the situation and you can even have some of these people help you.
Maybe they can feed your puppy if they're not jumping up.
Maybe they can pet and praise your dog when they come up to them and they're not
tugging on their clothes or biting their hands.
This really is about family and everyone, uh,
in the family needs to be on the same page.
So that you make the right decisions and avoid the big mistakes.
Watch this video right here on that note, I'm Ken. Happy holidays,
. I think we keep it.