Holiday Management Tips
Keep Fido out of your Christmas cookies with these holiday management tips.
Tips to quickly solve dog behavior problems during the holidays.
The holidays are upon us, and if they snuck up on you as they did to me, you may not have had all the time you wanted to train all the things with your dog! Not to worry, you’re not alone and there’s still hope for maintaining your sanity this holiday season! Enter management. A concept that most of you probably already employ to some degree, but I want to take a deep dive and show you how to best use management to solve common holiday dog owner hangups!
But first, what is management?
Simply put, management is proactively arranging your home to set your dog up for success! When done effectively, you will prevent your dog from doing behaviors you do not want them to do. This can be done in conjunction with training as you teach a suitable alternative behavior, but sometimes management alone can be enough to get you through certain situations. Employing management is a “quick fix” that is inexpensive and can be a sanity saver during the holidays.
Baby gates are an excellent management tool that can be used for a wide variety of behavior problems from counter surfing to jumping on guests.
Management techniques for common dog behavior problems during the holidays:
Do any of these dog behavior predicaments sound familiar? Read on to see how I would manage each situation as a certified professional dog trainer.
“Help! My dog counter surfs and steals food from my holiday buffet.”
While you’re serving your holiday meal, keep Fido contained in a room behind a baby gate with a bone or a KONG toy. If Fido is a jumper and can clear a baby gate, put him in his crate with a tasty holiday treat while you eat. Once the buffet is cleaned up, Fido can rejoin your party.
“My dog gets excited and jumps on my guests. I’m afraid he is going to knock down my grandma!”
When your guests arrive, have Fido behind a baby gate. Give each guest a treat and ask them to reward Fido for sitting at the gate. Then they may pet him if he remains seated. If Fido proceeds to get excited and jumps on guests beyond the initial greeting and after he comes out of the gate, keep him on a leash so he can’t reach people to jump on them — especially your elderly grandma!
“My puppy won't leave our tree alone!”
Everything in the house that your puppy can access is fair game in their eyes. Keep your new puppy away from your Christmas tree and gifts by setting it up in a room that you can block with a baby gate, or put an exercise pen around the base of the tree so there is a buffer between your puppy, your tree, and your gifts. Manage the environment before your puppy finds out it’s fun to pull your grandmother’s glass ornaments off of the tree.
“We are taking our dog with us to my in-laws. How can I make sure he gets along with their dog?”
The past is the best predictor of the future — so if they have gotten along in the past there is a good chance that they will get along again. However, there are no guarantees when it comes to behavior so it’s a good idea to have a management plan in place, just in case.
Make sure that each dog has their own safe space — separated by baby gates — and introduce them slowly. Each dog should eat their meal and have other valued resources (such as bones, KONGS, and valuable toys) in their own safe space to avoid resource guarding. And if your dog is crate-trained, don’t forget to pack that in the car! Your dog will thank you for giving him a place to retreat during the Christmas chaos.
“My guests want to meet my new puppy but he is biting everyone!”
Tired and overstimulated puppies tend to bite the most so keep to your puppy’s activity and sleep schedule to normal the best you can during the holidays. If your puppy is getting very bitey, it’s a good time to give them a stuffed KONG and let them have a break in their crate or other confinement area. Oversee their interactions with your guests so you can guide your guest on what to do when your puppy bites. Don’t forget to advocate for your puppy when you notice them becoming overly stimulated or tired. That’s a good time to take a break.
“My dog runs out the front door every time I let in a guest.”
You have two great options for management so your dog doesn’t doordash. If you’re able to manage your dog on a leash, hook them up before opening the door. Don’t forget to treat for polite greetings! If you’re not able to easily open the door and hold a leash, put up a baby gate or exercise pen in your foyer so that the front door is entirely inaccessible to your dog. Only open the gate once the front door is securely closed.
Pro Tip
You can combine most of these management solutions with enrichment activities for additional calming benefits for your dog. Prep your enrichment activities ahead of time so all you have to do is deliver it when your dog is ready.
Putting an exercise pen around your Christmas tree is a great way to make sure your new puppy doesn’t come to love stealing ornaments.
My favorite management tools:
Dog Exercise Pen
Exercise pens are great for larger areas where a baby gate can’t span wall-to-wall or set up as a circular “playpen” confinement area, especially for new puppies.
Baby Gates
Baby gates are great for segmenting your house into safe spaces. I prefer the baby gates that have a built-in gate so you can leave them up year-round.
Dog Crate
Crates are perfect to use as your dog’s safe space in your home and when you travel together.
6 Foot Leash
Using a 6-foot leash is a great way to prevent your dog from door-dashing or jumping on your guests. I prefer leather or biothane so you don’t get rope burn from nylon if your dog pulls.
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