Include your Puppy this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is less than 1 week away and approaching quickly. This can be a very stressful time for most pet parents as they are often trying to figure out what will be the best way to enjoy their holiday with their pet. Whether you are hosting dinner, visiting with friends, or traveling home to enjoy your mom’s favorite recipe we know at Little Paws Academy that keeping your puppy safe is the foremost thought on your mind.
With the hustle and bustle of the Thanksgiving nearing take a moment right now to sit and think about how this holiday might affect your puppy. Might she learn to jump on your guests or steal food from your family and friends? Will she have to be left home alone? Or will she need to travel on a long car or plane ride? While there is not much time to address these possible obstacles we can help our puppy be successful when Thanksgiving arrives by following a few of these simple guidelines.
Safe Traveling - Whether you are driving across town or flying across the country, traveling is often a common part of everyone’s holiday activities. Getting there safely is of utmost importance and having a proper crate or harness to secure your puppy in the car or airplane is vital. You should also make sure your puppy is wearing a collar with a name tag and you should have a leash. While using a crate will help prevent accidents make sure to give your puppy plenty of potty breaks. This will reduce stress for both of you. When traveling by car taking potty breaks is relatively easy, but when traveling by plane it can be a little more difficult. If your travel distance is longer than a 2 hour flight you might choose a connecting flight with about a 2 hour layover so you can give your puppy a potty break while on solid ground.
Create a Puppy Safe Zone - Whether you are hosting dinner or visiting family and fiends using a crate, pen, or baby gated off room will be a helpful tool on Thanksgiving Day. It will give you a comfortable and safe place to keep your puppy while they are napping and you are busy socializing with family and friends. Be sure to include your puppy’s favorite toys, fun new toys, a comfy bed, and access to water within the safe zone. Place it within sight, but out of the way of the main traffic of the room. Remind children that running past the puppy safe zone and putting their fingers through the bars is not allowed and that they must ask for an adult’s help if they want to take the puppy out.
Socializing with Guests - Thanksgiving Day is a perfect day to work on socializing your puppy to people of all sizes, ages, races, etc. While doing this you want to make sure that your puppy is having a great time and you are respecting his wishes if he makes the decision to stop interacting with the guests. If you are hosting, you might invite a couple of people to arrive a little early and ask a couple different people to stay a little later to meet your puppy. Visiting with guests before your home becomes busy and after it settles back down can help prevent your puppy from becoming overwhelmed. If you and your puppy are the visitors, ask the host if you can arrive a little early to give your puppy a chance to get comfortable with his new surroundings before everyone else arrives and have a plan in place in case your puppy does become stressed and you need to leave early.
Being Home Alone - At Little Paws Academy, we understand that sometimes you cannot bring your puppy to your holiday activities. Maybe your host has allergies, they have a no pets rule, or they have a dog that is not good with other dogs. Whatever the reason is, before you leave your puppy home alone ask yourself these questions. Have you left your puppy home alone before? How long have you left your puppy home alone for? Was your puppy able to stay calm, relaxed and comfortable for the entire time she was left home alone? And how long will you be gone on Thanksgiving Day? If you have left your puppy home alone for extended durations before and know that she can stay calm and relaxed the entire time you are gone then proceed like you usually do and return home within the time that she is comfortable with. However, if you have never left your puppy home alone or you are planning on being gone longer than your puppy will be able to stay calm, relaxed, and comfortable it would be wise to look into having someone stay with your puppy while you are gone. This could be a pet sitter or a neighbor, friend, or relative that is not planning on going to the Thanksgiving activity.
Now that you know how to include your puppy during Thanksgiving, go enjoy your stress-free holiday!
Thanksgiving is a great time to recognize any difficulties your puppy might be experiencing with their separation anxiety, potty, and socialization training. Noticing these difficulties and contacting us will give you the time needed to start resolving these issues before the next holidays arrive. Let us develop a customized puppy training program tailored to your needs today!
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