The holiday season is coming up fast, and new dog owners have a lot to prepare for. No, we don’t just mean buying fun treats and gifts to stuff your pup’s stockings! During the holidays, you may be traveling with your dog or receiving visitors in your home. What are the training goals you should work towards before all the excitement begins? All Dogs Unleashed has you covered in this guide to DFW dog training tips for the holiday season.
Practice the Art of “Place”
If you have people coming in and out of your home for the holidays, few tricks will serve you and your dog better than place. Start by picking a designated spot, like a dog bed, that you can keep somewhere in the vicinity of the front door. Teach your dog to go to that designated spot when you say place. Once she has this down, add in a release command, like up, that she has to wait for before she can get up from that spot.
Use this command when people arrive or when your dog is starting to get over-excited. This will give her a chance to self-soothe and calm down before engaging with your company.
Get Behavioral Help for Resource Guarding
Resource guarding is a type of behavior that often results from anxiety, fear, or a history of scarcity. For example, dogs may get defensive about food or treats. Others may feel defensive about their entire yard or house. Resource guarding dogs exhibit behaviors like growling or even biting when they feel like their resources are being threatened.
If your dog struggles with resource guarding and you have holiday plans on the horizon, it may be a good idea to work with a trainer or behavioralist. The goal is to desensitize your dog and help her find more ease to not only keep your guests safe but also cut down on your dog’s general anxiety.
Master “Drop It” and “Leave It”
Food is abundant throughout the holiday season, and food-motivated dogs are going to be on high alert for any scraps that come their way. While you might not mind sharing an undressed carrot or a bite of unseasoned meat with your pup, you certainly don’t want her swallowing toxic ingredients like chocolate or onion.
Leave it is a proactive command. Use it when your dog starts to investigate something you don’t want her to pick up. Drop it is a reactive command. Use it to get your dog to spit out something she already has in her mouth. You may want to keep treats on hand during shared meals to make sure you can incentivize these commands, since you’re probably asking her to leave or drop something tasty!
Prioritize Recall
Finally, recall is one of the best things you can instill in any dog at any age. Recall is the ability to come when called no matter the distractions. This is a great one to prioritize before the holidays so that when people are coming in and out of your house, you can always call your dog away for the door or, if she gets out, back to your house.
How can you master these commands and more? Discover our All Dogs Unleashed training programs and sign up today!