Your Dog's Holiday Plan

If you’ve been slacking on your dog’s training, it’s okay. This is where management comes into play. If you want to have a stress free holiday with your dog, use these ideas:

1. Have your dog drag a leash in the house. Doing so will allow you to manage their behavior a bit better.

2. Have a few frozen stuffed Kongs ready in the freezer. Here are some ideas.

3. Grab some Bully Sticks and Himalayan chews. (Make sure your dog isn’t approached by people while working on these.)

4. Have your dog work for their meal. This is a good starter toy. You can hold off on feeding your dog until the visitors are over and then have them work for their meal. For many dogs, this means they’re working for their meal for 20 or so minutes.

While it’s not directly management, try to get your dog some solid exercise the day of and the day before. Consider a walk at the park with a long leash, daycare, the dog park (if it’s not too crowded) or long hike.

And if you have been keeping up with your dog’s training, have treat jars strategically placed in your home, wear your treat bag and focus on “leave it” and a solid down/stay for random food rewards to prevent unwanted jumping and “naughtiness.”