WINTERTIME Holiday Pet Etiquette

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and that can mean plenty of visitors to your house. The question is, how do you keep your dog calm and behaving appropriately during the festivities? Creating a preparedness plan for your dog prior to the season can help make holiday get-togethers less stressful for you, your dog and your guests.

There are a few simple steps that can be critical in order to ensure a safe holiday season when visitors are over. However, some of these things take time for your dog to learn, so start early and be prepared for when the door bell rings and when your guests begin to arrive.

Keep it simple, just remember WINTERTIME and you and your dog can safely get through the holiday season.

Walk. Even with company over, your dog needs to go outside. Take them out for frequent potty breaks. An extra long walk before guests arrive can also burn off some of that extra energy. 

Interactive Toys. Have plenty of toys on hand to keep your dog busy. A frozen stuffed Kong or a stuffed Monster Ball could be the perfect way for your dog to stay busy while guests are over. 

No Tolerance. This goes for both humans and dogs alike. If you tell people specific things about issues your dog may have, be sure to enforce your rules. As for your pet, you are your dog’s voice for the night, so it's your job to speak for them and keep them comfortable.

Think Ahead. Just as you want to think ahead as you plan a party, you should have a plan in place for your pooch. Know what to expect from your pet and how to react to their behavior in advance.

Exercise. Your dog needs to get more exercise than usual leading up to a big event. Exercising your dog will keep them calmer with the arrival of your guests. This could be as simple at taking them for longer walks or playing a long game of fetch before the party.

Reward. Reward your dog for anything good they do. This would mean keeping approved treats handy so your guests can reward your pet as well. Put out treats for your dog that visitors are allowed to give them, that way they will not be tempted to feed them table food or scraps. 

Time Away. Remember that your dog doesn’t need to be out the entire time when guest are over. Create a nice spot for them in a quiet room, with their crate or bed. This gives them a place to go when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Soft music in the background can also help drown out the noise of visitors.

Identification Tags. The holidays tend to see a spike in dogs that run away from home. With guests arriving and the door constantly opening and closing, it is easy for a dog to sneak out unnoticed, no matter their size. Make sure your dog is wearing up-to-date ID tags in the event they get out.

Management. This is important, be sure to manage the behaviors you haven’t had time to train. For example, if a party guest is coming over who has a bad hip, and your dog likes to jump, have your dog in a crate or enclosed space when that guest arrives in order to prevent problems. 

Etiquette during Greetings. Not all guests want to be bombarded with a jumping dog when they enter your house. Teaching your dog to go to their spot or playing the "four on the floor” game with them can help make your dog’s greetings proper. If you have a dog that jumps, try “four on the floor,” it’s simple, you can practice this with your dog long before guests arrive. Ignore your dog when they are jumping, once they have all four of their paws on the floor you can reward them with a treat. Have your guests do the same thing with your dog when they arrive.

Just remember WINTERTIME and you, your dog and your holiday house guests can have a comfortable, safe and relaxed holiday season.

Canine Etiquette

Responsible Pet Owner month continues and this week is a look at canine etiquette, with a focus on space etiquette and proper greetings involving your dog and other dogs. Have you ever walked your dog around the neighborhood when you suddenly encounter another dog and were not quite sure what to do?

When encountering another dog on a walk or in public and your dog is excited, usually you want to let the dogs meet. It’s important to remember that just because you have a friendly dog, doesn’t mean that every dog that you encounter will be friendly and want to meet your dog. Part of being a responsible dog owner means handling situations where your dog encounters other dogs appropriately. The biggest chance you are taking by letting your dog meet another dog on leash is assuming that the other dog wants to meet your dog.

DINOS, Dogs in Need of Space, is aimed at teaching people that it is their responsibility to ask permission before their dog approaches another dog. They also stress that just because your dog or another dog may need space, doesn’t make them a bad dog, they just need a little room. There is also the Yellow Dog Project which is an organization trying to get all dog owners to put a yellow ribbon on your dog’s leash to let other people know you have a dog that needs space.

If you do have permission for your dog to meet another dog on a walk, it is important that you take the proper steps in order for the greeting to go smoothly.

1. When meeting on leash, you have to make sure that you have a dog that responds very well to their name, as well as a command like leave it.

2. It is also good to put a command on the action of your dog being allowed to meet another dog, such as “ go say hello,” so the dog knows it’s okay to meet the other dog.

3. It’s also very important to make sure that you only allow your dog to greet another when your dog is calm. An overexcited dog is more likely to react inappropriately to the situation.

When it comes to proper etiquette while walking your dog, not only is your dog’s interaction with other people and dogs important, but also being aware of leash etiquette. It is crucial that you obey local leash laws, if your dog is off leash in an area where leashes are required, it’s not only illegal, but you are also putting the safety of everyone else in jeopardy including your own dog.

It is important that you and your dog exhibit proper etiquette when in public, and as a dog owner it is your responsibility to show them how. Check back next week for another way to become a more responsible pet owner.

Sources:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/6577001349/in/photostream

http://dogsinneedofspace.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/dinos_psa_poster.jpg

http://www.theyellowdogproject.com/The_Yellow_Dog_Project/Home.html

ALLIE'S LAST WEEK OF BOOT CAMP



Allie is in the front of the group during training class eager to learn!



We've heard some wonderful news that there is interest in Allie for adoption! We are all crossing our fingers that she will find her fur-ever home. To continue to further her chances the staff at MK9 wanted to give our reasons why we think Allie is so great:

We love that Allie is so happy to see us when she gets dropped off in the morning, ready for a fun day of training because:

- She loves people she doesn't know unconditionally

- She has a great combination of a sweet manner but playful personality

- She is so affectionate and gentle

- She has joyful puppy-like play especially when she chases tennis balls as if they were bunnies in the grass

"Allie is such a pleasure to work with.." says Morris K9 Campus Trainer Robin Lash. "Most of her success in training is due to that fact that she is such a smart eager-to-please dog!" 

Since Allie might be meeting new dogs as part of her adoption process, we want to show a video of Allie nicely and appropriately greeting another dog. We have loved getting to know her!

If you are interest in adopting Allie, please call 973-664-0865 or visit Eleventh Hour's website for more information about her.