Preventing your dog from getting over excited when Thanksgiving guests arrive
1. When you've got an exuberant dog, It can be challenging when guests arrive. In fact it can feel socially awkward.
Firstly, prepare yourself and your dog for guest arrivals and let go of feeling awkward. Better described you're embarrassed about your dog going wild. Instead of feeling like a victim of over excitement try these things in preparation.
2. Exercise
Sounds like a no brainer I know, but it's often overlooked on holidays when so much attention goes to preparation of food, cleaning the house, and making sure all the appropriateness is handled. The best thing you could do for you and your dog is take at least 30 minutes and go for a walk, run... get outside and move. Yes, even it it's cold out. It takes the edge off the nervous energy.
3. Redirect
If you've got a food motivated dog, this is a great way to avoid a jump-fest all over your guests when they arrive. Scatter treats away from your guests. Make them good treats. High value. Save a few for when your dog has hoover-ed them up. Tell you dog sit. Deliver the treat.
The jump-fest has been avoided.
4. Put your dog in another room, behind a baby gate or in a crate
This is where crate training your dog can be so helpful. However if you haven't worked on it before, this isn't a method to try day of guest arrival.
The excitement of new guests at the door can be overstimulation for dogs.. Some can greet guests far more calmly and politely when all the excitement from the guests arrival, greeting, hugging and hustle and bustle has died down.
5. Park It (Place)
Again, this is a tactic that needs to be worked on as a habit, but once you've started teaching your dog to go "park it", guest arrivals become a lot easier. You can check out how to teach your dog to "park it" in the dogs bolting out of the door video. In essence a dog bolting out the door is trained for in a similar manner. You want your dog to have her own spot to go to, sit and stay. It works for bolting and it works for over excited door greetings.
6. Enjoy your holiday with your dog
No one is perfect. Stay calm. Play more. Enjoy the moments. Dogs are great at not letting a little comment or side eye from a family member go quickly. Adopt that trait and you'll have a more fun too.
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