Family Reunions and Dogs: Triage 2022
Are you entertaining family and friends in your home more now than before? Whether it’s for football watch parties, Sunday brunch, or upcoming holidays, these events can present a big challenge for our dogs. So what do you do if you have an upcoming gathering where there will be lots of people in your home and you are concerned about how your dog will behave? If your dog has a history of nipping, snapping, biting, or jumping, use these management tools. Many trainers continue to have waitlists, so you may not be able to start training this close to the holidays. Remember, a good management plan can prevent problems.
If it’s Wednesday and you have family and friends coming Friday, there isn’t a whole lot of training/behavior modification that will improve a fearful or aggressive dog’s association with people in time. This is triage time. Management management management.
Dogs want predictability. When you have new people in your home, your dog’s environment becomes less predictable. Dogs who are wallflowers don’t want to be in a room full of people. You are not shunning them by putting them in a comfortable room, crate, familiar daycare, or even boarding away from all of the hustle and bustle. They’re probably relieved to have some down time. Imagine enjoying a slow news day if you will. Remember that great aunt whom your parents made you hug and kiss as a child? Wouldn’t you rather have been left alone to play with your toys?
Find ways to give your dog one-on-one quality time. Get up early and go for a long hike. Play games. Snuggle with your dog while you yourself hide from your guests. Prepare your dog's food puzzles ahead of time for mealtime mental enrichment.
Instruct everyone to ignore your fearful dog. Again, new people are unpredictable. If new people predictably ignore your dog, this may make your dog a lot more comfortable. A room full of people, who may be a bit tipsy, should not pet or feed your fearful dog. A dog may find his inner brave to come close enough for a bite of food, but then react poorly when he realizes his proximity to people. Set everyone up for success and put your dog in a quiet room or crate. If your dog is comfortable wearing a muzzle, this can be an additional layer or safety. A muzzle can also give people pause before reaching for your dog. You must advocate for your dog and keep everyone safe.
What if your dog isn’t fearful but a social butterfly? Does your dog barrel towards your guests and launch himself, nearly pinning them against your front door? It’s hard to manage guests entering your home and wrangle dogs at the same time. Embrace management to help you deactivate your dog’s launch codes.
Place a note on your door for guests to let themselves in or text when they arrive. Doorbell and knocking sounds can really excite your dog and cause them to bark. You and your dog don’t need an adrenaline rush right before guests arrive.
Use crates, bedrooms, and fenced-in backyards as a staging area for your dog. This allows you to invite your guests inside and get them settled. It can also prevent the great escape when inevitably a guest insists on standing in the doorway with the door wide open.
Before bringing your dog out to greet your guests, make sure your guests understand how you want them to greet and interact with your dog. If one of your guests says, “I don’t care if he jumps on me!”, you’ll want to pick another person to reinforce your dog’s four paws on the floor.
Manage your way through hosting events, and contact a force-free trainer or veterinary behaviorist to help you with a behavior modification training plan. Behavior United is offering a four session Holiday Prep Package for private lessons and Behavior Buddies subscription service offers a class teaching dogs how to greet guests politely.