Dear Critter Corner: We are planning to host a few gatherings over the upcoming holiday season. Our pup is generally well-mannered, but I want to get a head start to ensure he is well-behaved when guests are here. What are some tips you can give us?
There are many approaches you can take with your pup and your guests. Here are some scenarios to consider.
If your pup is very outgoing and loves everyone, teaching a solid sit for door greetings is a helpful exercise. You can also teach your pup to go to a specific ‘place’ when guests are coming in order to prevent any jumping. You could also section off an area of the house with a baby gate to prevent your pup from interacting with guests as they arrive. Once everyone is in and settled, you can let your pup out to go and visit with everyone.
If you have a rather shy or nervous pup around crowds, you may want to have them in a room or some other safe space until all guests have arrived, and then you can allow them to come out and visit for a short time. If you see your pup becoming overwhelmed, bring them back to their safe space. Your pup will thank you for the short interactions and breaks from the guests.
If your pup likes to beg or be part of the meal, you can teach them to go to a space for mealtime and give them a stuffed Kong or longer-lasting chew to help occupy their time. If your dog doesn’t like to share, I would suggest that you place them in another area of the house that your guests will not have access to and allow them to enjoy their item uninterrupted.
For entertainment, you can teach a few cute tricks and show them off to your guests so they can see how special your pup is! I like crawl, spin, shake, center (sitting between your legs), or roll over. If your pup has a fabulous nose, you can have a guest hide something in the room and send your pup to find it. You will need to make sure that your pup knows the ‘find it’ cue first.
Have a safe and fun holiday season! If you need help with a specific behavior, you can schedule a 1:1 training session.
Tasha Suda is the Lead Dog Trainer for the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA Behavior Department. For more information, please visit www.phs-spca.org, call 650-340-7022 x314 or email tsuda@phs-spca.org.