If any of these scenarios (or more than one!) sound familiar, then it's time to get started so that your dogs will be under your control and better behaved when the holidays arrive. Too many dog owners wait until the holidays and holiday stress are upon them to try to get a handle on nuisance behaviors. Sure, if your dog is crate trained, you can simply put him in his crate when you have guests or parties. This doesn't, however, address the underlying issues that are leading you to take the path of least resistance. Instead, teach your dog the way you want him to behave now so that he will understand what you want him to do. Just as you've taught your dog to sit, stay, come, etc., you must teach him to not jump, stay back from counters and tables, and refrain from nosing into people's personal spaces. Obviously, if your dog is afraid of kids in costumes, then crating them with something fun to chew on is much preferred to trying to desensitize them to unsuspecting children on Halloween. However, for most of the other issues listed above, a ready solution is at hand.
For example, if your dog jumps up on people for attention. Stop giving them attention for jumping up. Period. Don't admonish them. Don't try to correct them verbally, because you've done that before. Instead, block them with your knee, turn around, and walk away. Remove yourself completely. Same goes for dogs that paw for attention or nudge hard, possibly knocking food or beverages out of people's hands. When they paw or nudge, get up and walk away. They WANT your attention, so if you remove yourself, they aren't getting what they wanted. The moment the light bulb goes on above their furry little heads and they sit instead of jumping up, pawing, or nudging, then acknowledge them for a job well done. And you have to practice good behavior every single day. You really do have to take your dog to restaurants and teach them how to behave with wait staff or people passing your table. Same goes at home. Have people sit in chairs with food on low tables, or sit on the floor with plates on their laps and practice with your dog so they know how to behave. Your goal should be to only have to default to putting them in their crates IF there is a possibility of your dog responding aggressively. If your dog has resource guarding aggression, for example, then having them around unattended or loosely controlled plates of food is too much of a temptation and a big risk for you. Same for dogs who don't like kids or are afraid of costumes; there is no reason for these dogs to be going to the door each time a trick-or-treater arrives at your door in a Halloween costume.
If you need help prepping your dogs for the holidays, just let me know. You know where to find me.
Ozzie loves "people food," but he knows better than to take food off of the table or off of someone's plate. He will, however, do his best to convince you to share. Frankly, who could resist?
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