positive reinforcement dog training Archives

Stop Dead! The Simple Game to End Leash Pulling

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When you were a little kid, your parents had to tie your shoes for you. Once you learned how to do it yourself, the grown-ups left you to it.

Your dog can’t tie shoes. But they can learn to walk politely on a loose leash. The hitch here is that you have to teach it in a way your dog will get the message and understand.

Breaking the Habit

If you’re just starting out with a puppy, the best way to teach loose-leash walking is to never let them start pulling. 3-Step Pattern Walking from day one works.

Teaching Pattern Walking to an older dog takes longer. Adult dogs have habits to overcome. If your dog already has a pulling habit, you may need a more immediate solution. That’s where the “Stop Dead!” game comes into play.

🛑 Before you start

The first time you play “Stop Dead!” you’re probably not going to get very far. It’s going to be tedious for you and frustrating for your dog. But it graphically demonstrates to your dog how they’re supposed to behave.

Keep it short and fun: Like all training games, brevity is key.
Gear up: Hook your dog up to their harness and head out.
High-Value Rewards: Prepare with plenty of delicious treats.

⏱️ Timing is crucial

As soon as the leash is taut – stop. That may be right when you go out the door. It could be when you hit the sidewalk. Or turn the corner. Or your dog sees a SQUIRREL. You have to be prepared to stop in your tracks whenever that leash gets tight.

The “Subway-Rider’s” Stance

Around here, everybody recognizes the “El” posture: legs slightly apart, knees bent and bouncy, ready to absorb the impact. Especially if you have a big dog, assume this position when you “Stop Dead!”

The Next Hard Part: Silence

Don’t cajole your dog. Don’t say “here, Fido” or wiggle a treat at them. This is the crucial point where your dog has to figure out what to do to get you moving again.

Stand firm as long as there’s tension in the leash.
Wait for the slack. As soon as the leash goes loose (because they turned to look at you or backed up), tell them they’re good.
Reward at your side. Offer the treat right next to your leg.
Resume walking. You can walk, praise, and offer treats all at the same time.

Dogs can chew while they’re walking. Both dogs and people can multi-task. This is the time.

Case Study: Katie & Oscar

Most dogs figure out quickly that they control forward motion. We have a student, Katie, with a five-year-old Rottweiler named Oscar who would pull like a tugboat.

The first time Katie “Stopped Dead,” Oscar was so surprised he came back to see what was wrong. He got a treat, and they walked… for about two steps. Then he pulled again.

The second time, Oscar strained forward for 30 seconds. It felt like an eternity to Katie, but she stayed silent. When Oscar finally turned his head to look at her, the leash went slack. That was the “Aha!” moment. Oscar got his treat, and the next stretch lasted six steps instead of two.

For the lesson to be effective, you can’t help your dog figure out what to do. They have to puzzle it out for themselves.

💡 Be Patient

There’s a lot of stop-and-go in this game. You aren’t going to be running any errands the first time you play. However, each successive time you play, you’ll get a bit farther. Eventually, your dog will figure out that pulling doesn’t work.

Hopefully, your dog will be rewarding you with a loose leash and a happy trot in no time!

The “Rule of Thumb” for Reactive Dogs

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If your dog is triggered by sights and sounds on your daily walks, you need to use your thumb for something besides swiping your screen.

The “thumb trick” is easy. You always have your thumbs with you, so make use of them to help your dog stay calm in the neighborhood. Your new Rule Of Thumb – if your thumb, held at arm’s length, covers the trigger object, you’re far enough away. If you can still see it, you’re too close. Turn around and go in the opposite direction.

If you can still see the ‘beast’ around your thumb, the ‘beast’ is too close for your dog’s brain to handle.

When you’re at ‘thumb distance,’ that’s the perfect time to drop a high-value treat. You’re rewarding the calm observation before the explosion happens

Distance is your friend

No matter what sends your dog into berserker mode, there’s always a safe distance to stay below threshold. It’s going to be different for every dog, so you’re the one who has to pay attention and figure out whether “thumb-covered” is far enough away. Whether it’s bicycles, other dogs, squirrels, people, or even nannies floating by on umbrellas, there’s a safe zone where your dog can watch calmly.

Finding your dog’s safe zone will make your life easier. You won’t have to stay there forever. The goal is making wherever you go part of the safety zone. But identifying it, no matter how tiny, gives you a starting point. And your safety zone is the perfect spot to do a little focus work, like playing the “Touch” game.

Pro Tip: Your most difficult task in expanding the zone will be constantly scanning the environment. The more triggers you can avoid, the calmer your dog will be. You don’t have to be perfect, but every time your dog loses their cool is a step backwards. It’s definitely one of those “two steps forward, one step back” situations.

72 Hour Adrenaline Rush

A single doggy meltdown produces a rush of hormones, specifically adrenaline and cortisol, that can take up to three days to leave the dog’s system. That’s 72 hours when your dog is more stressed, overly stimulated, and hyper-aware.

In our neighborhood there’s a pair of German Shepherd Dogs that react negatively to every person and dog, whether we’re walking by their house or they’re passing ours. These dogs are always super-charged because they never, ever have a chance to flush the hormones from their systems. They are living in a permanent state of high alert.

That’s why you want to avoid those triggers as much as possible for as long as possible. Aside from the chemical change to the dog’s body, you want to develop emotional calm as a habit. Dogs are allowed to watch, notice, and pay attention to their surroundings. They’re not allowed to lose their sh** about it.

What is Trigger Stacking?

Trigger stacking is when a dog experiences multiple stressors within a short period of time, without an opportunity to recover. Think of it like a bucket filling up:

A trip to the vet…
A squabble over a toy…
A canvasser ringing the doorbell.
The bucket overflows..

Note: some trainers intentionally “flood” dogs with triggers in the (mistaken) belief it will “desensitize” the dog to those triggers. What it really does is cause the dog’s brain to shut down and send them into “fight or flight” mode.

Give your dog time to regain their equilibrium. If you keep them below threshold using the Rule of Thumb trick, your chances of actually reaching them multiply exponentially.

Impulse Control Training Game: Whatcha Gonna Do?

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What would life look like if your dog was able to make good decisions? If they pondered the options and chose well? If they actually thought about consequences and opted to be “good?”

How much better would your partnership be if you didn’t always have to regulate your dog’s behavior?

It’s all possible. There’s a bit of effort and a lot of patience required. But you can do it!

Impulse Control Training Game

The best training game to teach your dog impulse control is “Whatcha Gonna Do?” It’s a variant of the game “It’s Yer Choice” developed by renowned trainer/agility competitor Susan Garrett. We’ve tweaked it a bit over the years. We’ve found that despite the long-term gains the game brings, few people are willing to stick with it to reap those benefits.

It’s worth it, especially when you only play for a couple minutes at a time. The tiny time investment has a tremendous payout. But the initial steps may be painful. (Please note that other games can be found in Book 4: Impulse Control.)

Steps of the game

To play “Whatcha Gonna Do?” all you need is a bunch of treats and your dog. Sit on the floor with your dog in front of you. Grab a handful of treats in your fist and hold your fist, palm up, in front of your dog, below their eye level.

At this point your dog is going to nibble on your hand. Paw at your hand. Start gnawing on your hand. It’s not going to be fun. It will be slimy. And it might hurt, especially if it’s a puppy with those needle-sharp teeth.

You don’t say anything. You especially DO NOT tell your dog what to do. The whole point of teaching them impulse control is so you don’t have to monitor their every action. If you give up now, you’ll be policing their every action for the rest of their life.

You may, however, squeak in pain if your dog’s nibble is very painful. But if you’re not in danger of losing a digit or some blood, keep your mouth closed.

At this point, you want to quit. It’s not working, it hurts, and your hand is all gooey. This is where many people give up. Don’t give up. Don’t say anything. Impulse control training games are worth it.

What’s the goal

Some dogs stay at this stage for quite a while. You may not accomplish anything at all the first time you play Whatcha Gonna Do? But you might. The first inkling of thought is when the dog takes a break.

At the first tiny interruption in the dog bothering your hand, they glance away, they hear a sound outside, they have to yawn, you reach into your fist with the other hand, grab a treat, and give it to your dog. Give the treat at arm’s length. This gives your dog the seed of an idea to step away from the hand.

Even if your dog stops bothering your treat hand for the tiniest fraction of a second, reward it from the other hand. At some point, after the dog gets an initial treat, they’re going to start wondering how to get more of those yummy nuggets.

Some dogs catch on quickly and start backing off, leaving the treat hand alone. Others are blessed with dogged persistence and take a while. But every single dog can learn to leave that treat hand alone. They can, eventually, understand the underlying bargain of dog training. They get what they want when we get what we want.

Don’t give up

Whatcha Gonna Do? isn’t designed to play for long. Forcing your dog to think is tiring for both of you. Giving them the freedom to choose, without you directing their action, stretches both of your limits. Regardless of progress, or lack thereof, stop playing after five minutes. Tomorrow’s another day.

In time, your dog will recognize the start of the game. When you grab some treats and sit on the floor, they’ll happily back off while you reach into the treat hand and reward them. That’s when you start the next step – open your hand.

The reason your treat hand is palm up is so that you can, in time, sit there with a whole handful of treats, clearly visible to the dog, and have them wait to be rewarded, like Booker in the still photo (after he’s practiced the game for a little bit). When you first start opening your hand, chances are your dog may lunge in to try to get them. Slam your fist shut, as in the little video below. Don’t say anything. Not even a “whoopsie!” The whole point is demonstrating to the dog that their decision, good or bad, drives the action of the game.

Eyes on the prize

Eventually, when your dog understands the game, you’ll be able to sit there with an entire bowl of treats on the floor, and your dog will do all kinds of cute things to get you to give, or toss, a treat to them. Dogs trained with positive reinforcement have an entire repertoire of tricks they’ll run through. Each time your dog does something that isn’t bothering your treat hand, reward it.

Dogs always do what’s most rewarding for them. Playing Whatcha Gonna Do? teaches the dog that the way to get rewarded is to control their impulses. Being a rude jerk gets them nothing. Thinking and acting politely gets them what they want.

Variations on a theme

Once your dog understands that being a nuisance gets them nothing, you can use “Whatcha Gonna Do?” in other contexts. If your dog is a counter-surfer, set up the training game. Be prepared to cover whatever’s drawn their attention up there and wait. When they give up and have four paws on the floor, toss a treat into their corner of the kitchen. Whenever your dog’s being rude, you can apply the principles of “Whatcha Gonna Do?” to the situation. Impulse control training games are worth it: when you require your dog to act thoughtfully, they can and do live up to expectations.

Save Your Dog (and Your Nose): Why the Recall is the Only Command That Truly Matters

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“Come!” is absolutely crucial

When you call your dog to “Come!” on cue, it isn’t just a good idea. It can save your dog’s life. It can also save your nose.

From the memory files:

Case #1: A friend unexpectedly knocked on our door. We corralled most of the dogs, but Booker (who’s special in a not-so-good way) slipped out and was headed for the street. As he was bouncing back and forth, clearly in play mode, a car was approaching. We couldn’t panic, but we had to get him back to safety. Against every human instinct, Hope ran, fast as she could, away from Booker, calling his name. As dogs reliably will, he chased her right into our fenced yard.

Case #2: Hope had Razzmatazz out for last-outing-before-bedtime. As they reached the backyard, Hope spotted a skunk in the yard. First instinct? Panic! Thinking mode: Yelled “Come!” and started running back to the door. Snagged Razzy as soon as he got close enough and the tomato-juice supply went untapped.

Rule of the Recall

In dog training, the “Come!” command is called the Recall, so that’s what we’ll use. There are two kinds of Recall; the Chase Recall and the Stationary Recall.

The one absolute rule, regardless of which you’re using, is Never Call Your Dog To You For Anything They Don’t Like.

If your dog hates getting a bath, never call them into the bathroom for a bath. Go get them. Lead them in.

It’s a trust thing. If you only ever call your dog for happy, fun things (training games, meals, walks), they’ll know good things await. If they can’t rely on that being true, they have no reason to do what you want.

Start With the Chase

Dogs are hard-wired to notice and pursue motion. It’s why a bunny in motion attracts their attention. A bunny frozen in place (instinct on display) will probably not be noticed. It’s why Hope ran away from Booker when he slipped out of the house.

To play the Chase Recall game, put your dog in a Sit/Stay. If your dog doesn’t have a reliable Stay!, have someone hold the dog. (Check out this article for getting an unbreakable Stay!) Turn your back and walk away. When you’re about half-way to the other side of the room or yard, break into a run and yell your dog’s name. When they catch up to you, celebrate and reward heavily. This is a great opportunity to use a tug toy as a reward. It reinforces the fun of coming to you.

For an extra measure of security, when your dog reaches you, grab onto their collar or harness and immediately release it. (Simon is playing the Collar Grab game with Fran in the photo.) This teaches the dog that it’s not a big deal. And lays the foundation of getting hold of them when you really need to. Like when there’s a skunk loose in your yard.

Stationary Recall

When your dog is reliably coming at speed, try the Stationary Recall. Put your dog in a Sit / Stay and confidently walk away. With your back to the dog. If you’re hesitant, walking backwards, or keep repeating, it tells your dog you don’t really mean it.

When you get a few feet away, turn around and call your dog. The more enthusiastic you sound, the faster your dog will run to you. When they get close, tell them to “Sit!” This builds the habit of politely greeting people. When they do, celebrate with treat rewards or a game of tug.

Always Be Happy They “Come!”

Just like you’ll never call your dog for unpleasant things, always be happy when they arrive. If you call your dog 99 times and they don’t come, but they do on the 100th attempt, you still celebrate. It’s a complete command-killer to greet them with “Where were you?” Even if you’re a bit frustrated, put it aside and celebrate the little win. You’ll know the cue needs more practice. Make a mental note and put it aside. Play with your good dog.

The Doggy Paycheck: Why Your Pup Won’t Work for Free

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Positive reinforcement training is based on one single premise: dogs will always, without exception, do what is most rewarding to them.

The focus of your training has to be making what you want the most rewarding option. Your choice has to be, in the dog’s opinion, the best thing available.

To convince your dog, you have to build a history. If your dog always gets rewarded for doing what you want, they’re more likely to continue doing it. They get their doggy paycheck every time they do what you want.

If, however, your rewards are inconsistent or absent, the dog has no reason to do what you want. There’s always something interesting to do. It may or may not be what you want them to do. The environment is your biggest competitor. If a squirrel is a $100 bill and your treat is a nickel, the squirrel wins every time.

Hierarchy of rewards

One of the first lessons of reward-based training is figuring out what’s valuable to your dog. You may want your dog to love the expensive, organic, healthy treats you bought. But you can’t make that love connection happen. In our classes we always have extra treats available for our students. The treats we provide aren’t healthy, good-for-dogs, or expensive. They’re the junk food french fries of dog treats. Because they work. Dogs love them.

We’re not saying you have to buy junk dog treats. We’re saying you have to find the rewards that your dog would (virtually) run through fire to get. Don’t be surprised if it’s something weird. One of our dogs would kill for celery. Another thinks celery is poisonous. It’s not our choice, it’s the dog’s.

Transfer of value

Let’s use Torque, the celery fiend, as our example. If he always gets celery when he does Puppy Push-ups, before long he’s going to get all excited to do them. In his little doggy brain, that incredibly yummy treat is paired with Puppy Push-ups. The value of the treat is associated with playing that awesome game. And he loves doing it.

Once your dog has made that pairing, your reward delivery can become more random. But it can’t go away forever. If it does, the behavior will, too.

Think of it this way: You love every single aspect of your job. Your work is fascinating. Your colleagues are awesome. You even get a catered lunch every day. Are you still going if you don’t get paid? Of course not. Your bargain with your employer is to complete assigned tasks in exchange for compensation.

Your dog gets the benefit of the same deal. Their task is to be a good dog. Their compensation (doggy paycheck) is the rewards you provide.

Just for the fun of it

You don’t have to reward your dog constantly for just being good. If they’re doing something you didn’t ask them to do, just a pat or a “good dog!” is fine, if you notice it.

But if you’ve told your dog to do something and they do it, that good behavior should be acknowledged. That’s good training and living up to your side of the deal.

Dog Training Game- 4 On The Floor

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Dogs always do what’s most rewarding for them. Our “job” as dog owners is to make what we want the most rewarding option.

One of the most common rude dog behaviors is jumping on people. For dogs, it gets them exactly what they want: attention. Dogs don’t really care if that attention is yelling at them, or batting at their feet, or even shoving their chest. For your dog, who loves you, any attention you pay to them is wonderful. That’s unconditional love.

Change is hard

To get your dog to stop the behavior, you have to make something else more gratifying than jumping. It’s time to play “4 On The Floor.”

With a bunch of really yummy treats in hand, walk into the room where your dog is hanging out. Get your dog all excited, by whatever means necessary. Talk excitedly, jump around, pretend to throw a ball, whatever gets your dog to perk up and pay attention.

When the dog is standing, lean over very close to your dog and start feeding high-value treats. One after another. Be sure you don’t stand up, you don’t want your vertical motion to trigger your dog’s jumping. Let your dog know the cue for standing there getting fed: “Good 4 On The Floor.” “Nice 4 On The Floor.” “I like your 4 On The Floor.”

Use whatever cue you want for the behavior. We use “4 On The Floor” because it describes what we want and everybody knows what it means. It is longer than most dog cues, so choose one that works for you.

Watch carefully

Your dog may get all excited and start to jump up. If they show signs of jumping, freeze in place. Stop rewarding and wait. If your dog does jump on you, try not to move. Don’t say anything. Ignore the behaviors you don’t want. It’s tough, especially if you have a big, powerful dog. But be patient.

When the rude behavior gets the dog nothing, chances are they’ll go back to what they were doing – standing there and getting treats. As soon as the dog has four feet on the floor, go back to rewarding and praising, giving your dog the cue you’ve decided on.

Dogs catch on quickly

After just a couple of times, your dog should start recognizing the cue “4 On The Floor.” When you’re pretty sure they have the idea, recruit someone the dog knows to help out. If the person is okay with it, have them do exactly the same thing, bending over and repeatedly rewarding. If the person can’t, or won’t, then you bend and reward as long as the dog has “4 On The Floor.”

You’re building a new behavior that the dog will find more rewarding than jumping. They get the attention they crave, as well as many treats, for behaving politely. It becomes the most attractive option for the dog.

Expand the experience

When your dog is pretty good about staying off of people at home, add on by having someone come in the front door. Entries and exits are the most likely times for dogs to jump on people, so it’s up to us to make it normal to greet people with all four feet on the floor.

Once your dog is proficient at entries and exits, it’s tempting to take it for granted. If you completely stop rewarding, the dog will revert to behavior that’s more fun for them. You won’t have to reward every time, or multiple treats all the time. You do have to randomly reinforce good behavior to maintain it. Dogs live in hope that something good is coming their way. If they’re good, make that wish come true. At least every once in a while.

Are you a dog-control freak?

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How much of a control freak are you with your dog?

As the dog trainer associated with a doggy day care facility, the staff sometimes asks Hope to consult with a dog owner that has some issues in the play group.

Not long ago, she talked to the owner of a dog that was, putting it mildly, inappropriate with other dogs and staffers at day care. While the play supervisors had repeatedly mentioned the problems to the owner, the dog’s person dismissed their concerns.

Not a fun phone consult

The dog repeatedly charged at and nipped other dogs, even staff, trying to get somebody to play with her. They weren’t casual invitations, and the dog wouldn’t take “No!” for an answer. The dog clearly had no idea of manners.

When Hope finally was able to speak with the owner, his answer was “She always does what I tell her.”

And that, right there, is the problem. If you always tell your dog what to do, what happens when you’re not there?

Banned from daycare

This particular owner clearly had no interest in training his dog to learn impulse control or manners. He thought it was adequate “training” that she obeys him. It didn’t concern him that the rest of his family couldn’t get the dog to obey. It didn’t bother him that the dog has no manners in day care and doesn’t listen to the staff. The dog was banned from play groups.

The kind of blind obedience this man requires from his dog may suit him. Decades ago it may even have been the norm to be a dog control freak. Now, it’s not good enough.

Giving up control

Letting your dog exercise some autonomy makes life easier. Teaching them to make good decisions, giving them credit for controlling their impulses, frees you to enjoy your time together. It’s stressful to always be the one making every choice for everybody.

There’s no helping the control-freak man. We tried, and were unable to convince him of the benefits both he and his dog would experience. His repeated response was “She does what I tell her.”

We agree that it’s easier to just tell your dog what to do. A friend of ours had major difficulty guiding her dog into making good decisions, rather than telling her all the time. This particular dog has major confidence issues. Both dog and person felt safer with the owner giving orders all the time. But that wasn’t helping the dog’s timidity.

Confidence boost

It’s scary ceding control to another being. But, with children and dogs, letting them make good decisions boosts their confidence. When your dog knows what’s expected of them, even when faced with unfamiliar situations, they’re more likely to demonstrate good judgment.

It’s hard giving up control and allowing the possibility of mistakes. It helps the dog’s confidence when errors are overlooked rather than punished. They try, and try again, mostly because it’s fun to finally get it right.

We couldn’t help the day care dog. Our friend, on the other hand, won High In Trial in Obedience with her dog last weekend. Patience pays.

Dog Training Game “Stomp”

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“Stomp!” evolved from our involvement in the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida. One of the cognition studies we saw in action was getting the dolphins to “imitate” what another dolphin was doing. The first dolphin was given a specific behavior to perform, like a circle spin. The second was instructed to “imitate.” The trainer never asked the second dolphin to do a circle spin, just to do what the first dolphin did.

Dog And A Dolphin

Much of modern-day dog training can be traced back to Karen Pryor’s ground-breaking book “A Dog & A Dolphin,” so we’ve always figured anything a dolphin can do, a dog can do, too.

Coming up with new training games is part planning, part evolution, and part learning to follow where the dogs lead. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Our attempts at color discrimination haven’t panned out. Every once in a while we come up with a new idea and try it again. But it’s been shoved to the back burner.

We started thinking of ways to translate the dolphins’ imitation behavior to dogs. We’ve seen many instances where dogs learn by watching each other. And we know that our body language matters – a lot. But would they imitate us, too?

Give it a shot

Teaching our dogs to “Stomp!” was as simple as having them stand in front of us and alternately stomping our feet. At its core, it’s marching in place, with an audience of one – your dog.

As soon as they lift a paw, name it and reward it! You can call it whatever you like: March!, Stomp!, High-Stepping!. What’s crucial is the timing. It’s important to mark the behavior and immediately reward it.

That’s really all there is to the dog training game “Stomp!” Demonstrate it for your dog. Invite them to join the party. Once they understand the goal of the game, you can stretch out the rewards so they continue “Stomping!”

Copying what people do

Dogs will copy what their people do. The recent social media “Hands In Challenge” proved that dogs with little or no other training would imitate their people’s actions. Try it for yourself. The videos are mostly adorable. Whatever their dogs can do, yours can, too!

Walk This Way! Teach Your Dog the Fun “Sideways!” Game

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Why does your dog need to walk sideways? The short answer is, they don’t. The good answer is that it increases body awareness, balance, and works some muscles your dog may not usually use. The best answer is that it’s fun!

Part of the package

Dogs (and people) have these great machines for doing all kinds of things. Bodies are pretty amazing. They function automatically for lots of things, like breathing and digesting. But there are some things they may not do unless they’re taught. Like building a strong core to keep us upright and functioning. And using legs for stuff other than walking or running.

Teaching your dog the Sideways! game goes along with games like “Paws & Boots” to get your dog moving in ways they may not do on their own.

Easy does it

All you need for “Sideways!” is some treats and your dog. It certainly helps if your dog knows a “Stand!” command, but it’s not crucial.

A woman standing perpendicular to a dog, which is also standing to demonstrate the positions for "Sideways!"

Stand perpendicular to your dog with one foot under their chest and your other foot in front of their front feet. Have some treats in the hand closest to your dog’s face. Show them the treat while you gently contact your dog’s ribs with your leg as you move slightly forward. This puts pressure on the dog for the sideways motion.

You can say “Sideways!” as you shuffle forward to keep your dog moving in that direction. Don’t try to cover much territory. You’re just trying to familiarize your dog with the idea that they can move to their side.

After a few steps sideways, go around to your dog’s other side and do it again. All one-sided training like “Sideways!” should be done on both sides.

Build on success

Just like us, if the dog is using “new” muscles, they may be sore the next day, so don’t try for any real distance at first. If you just get a couple of steps, that’s fine for an introduction.

Take note of your arm position when you’re playing “Sideways!” Once your dog catches on, you shouldn’t need to lure, but you can use that same hand/arm signal as a cue for your dog. Most dogs like going “Sideways!” so it’s both fitness and fun at the same time.

Holiday Dog Dilemma: When Your Dog Isn’t Party-Ready

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“We can’t host Thanksgiving for the first time in decades!” One of our trainees was almost distraught at the thought. She loves her adopted rescue dog, but knows the dog isn’t party-ready. She has a holiday dog dilemma.

The dog is fearful around strangers, and will bark and snap.

She is helping the dog overcome his fear-aggression but realizes it’s a process that probably won’t meet her Thanksgiving deadline.

Dogs not invited

We love dogs and truly think the world would be a better place if everyone agreed with us. But we do recognize that dogs are only a part of our lives. Everyone has multiple priorities that require our time and attention. Family is first. And family traditions, like Thanksgiving, take precedence over dog training.

Just because dogs are members of the family doesn’t mean they have to be included in every family event. Especially when it would cause tremendous stress for both you and your dog.

Always another option

If our trainee’s event was only a single afternoon, it would be fine to confine the dog to a room far away from the festivities. If the dog is comfortable in a crate, use it. Turn on the television or a radio, give the dog a special treat, and leave the dog alone.

With a more extended event, if people are coming for several days, you can think about boarding the dog. There’s plenty of time between now and the holidays for you to check out boarding kennels near you, both their reputation online, and their physical facility. If possible, you can even book your dog in for a “practice” night.

Teaching party manners

Our student is relieved that she can continue both her family Thanksgiving and her pursuit of better socialization for her dog. Her goal is for her dog to be part of the festivities at home next year and avoid the holiday dog dilemma.

She’ll achieve this by building her dog’s army of “Cookie People,” both in her neighborhood and at home. She can enlist friends and neighbors to come over specifically for short dog-training sessions. It only takes a few minutes and does the dog a world of good to meet new people at home in a non-threatening way.

The objective isn’t for your dog to love everybody and be their best friend. It’s equally stressful if your dog jumps on your guests and won’t leave them alone.

The ideal is for your dog to say “Hi!” politely and then resume normal behavior. The dog shouldn’t be the life of the party.