Keeping a full house calm?
The holidays are going to be crazy with a full house of pups & company. I plan to keep my pups calm with plenty of exercise and sticking to their routine. Do you have any other tips?
4 Answers
Big, special, long lasting treats and a quiet room may be very helpful for the periods of time you're distracted, like during meals. Your dogs may be happy for the time out from all the action, as well, since a full house means stress (even if it's the good, happy kind).
Make them do nose work! Wrap treats with like a paper then hide them corner of the room, under doggy bed, blankets, etc. And tell them "find it!" They gonna be happy and busy themselves.
Keeping a full house calm, number one is most certainly A LOT of exercise, and enticing of the animals. One of the greatest issues can be food, so no matter how well the animals get along, I feed them in separate closed off rooms, to make it the idea they are safe, calm, and never have to fight for food.
For sure if you can provide secluded safe spaces for your pups, that would be great for the holidays. At the same time, if you always do this during gatherings, you dog can develop too much anxiety to come out and meet anyone new who is there. Also beware of small children as they are not equipped with the skills to properly handle dogs.
Marie S., M.S.Ed