Boom Boom Pow!
It's 4th of July weekend! With that comes the family get togethers, BBQ, and fireworks. As a pet owner all of these can be stressful! How will my dog act with family over? Are they going to try and steal the food? Will my dog loose it when the fire works go off? All of these questions and uncertainty can lead to a stressful time. Luckily we have some suggestions that can really help with these events. I'll go over the some common solutions for each of these categories to help make your 4th a fun no stress holiday!
Family get together:
Whether the get together is at your house or someone else's if can be hard to know what to do with your pup. For you having family over to your house here's some good tips to help it go smoothly!
Keep your pup put away while guests are arriving.
It's hard enough welcoming everyone is getting their things situated and just being a host. The last thing you need to worry about is your dog jumping on guests or running out the door. So do yourself a favor and tuck them away until most of the guests have arrived.
Leash first
It's exciting to have new people in the home, so make it easier for your pup to meet everyone. Walk them around on leash to help them acclimate to your guests in the home. Make sure they are calm enough to mingle with your guests before brining them out or letting them off leash. If your pup isn't calm enough then they don't have to be apart of the party or you can put them back and try again later.
Give them breaks
This is especially important when you have high energy party guests. The loud talking and everyone moving around is a lot for a dog. So it's very important that they have a quiet place to go for them to relax. You can either leave that place open if your pup is good at taking a break themselves, or make sure to take them there at regular intervals.
Doing these three tips should make you family get together much smoother for you and your fur baby!
Serving food with guests:
Your pup could be wonderful with guests and have no issues, but how are they when everyone sits down with a juicy steak or tender ribs? All the yummy smells and excitement can lead the best pups to beg and steal food when they normally wouldn't. So here's some tips to help your pup beat these tasty temptations.
Feed them during dinner time
It can be so helpful to have your dog eat their meal when you are eating yours. They smell all the tasty food and it makes them hungry too. So take them to a quiet place and feed them their own tasty meal to satisfy them while you and your family enjoy their meal.
Tuck them back away in their crate or room while you and your guests eat
Sometimes it's just better to make sure your pup is not part of the meal in general. This is especially true if you have things on the menu that are dangerous for dogs to eat. It can be as simple as a young niece dropping some food on the floor, and fido has gobbling it up before anyone even notices. So save yourself the vet bill and stress, have your pup tucked away safety while you eat.
Doing either of these choices will save you from a sick pup and from your guests having their meal stolen. Leading you to have a healthy pup, and you a yummy family meal!
Fireworks and dogs:
It's no secret that dogs and fireworks can be a toxic mix. The sound and explosion is enough to make some pups run for the hills. So here's some tips to help your dog deal with the explosive part of this holiday.
Don't take your dog out with you
So many pups run away on this holiday because they hear the fireworks and take off in fear. So many dangers are out there for a loose dog: cars, other loose dogs, wild animals, and even people looking to steal or harm them. So make sure your pup is safely in either a kennel or a closed room so they safely safely at home.
Place them where they feel the safest
if you've seen your pup go to a specific place when fireworks are going off or thunder and lightening are happening then that is the place they feel is the safest. So when you know that these things are going to happen make sure your pup is in that room. This way they are in the place they feel most comfortable when the fireworks start.
Keep them in a dark room with music playing
Darkness and background music can really help soothe a nervous pup. The darkness blocks out the visual of the fireworks going off and just gives them nothing to look at to be afraid of. Then the background music helps to make the fireworks less intense. Something loud in silence is more upsetting than something loud with noise. This will help dampen the fireworks for your pup so they are more comfortable.
In conclusion there are many ways to help you and your pup have a successful holiday weekend! In some cases though not even these suggestions will help your pup get through this holiday. If your dog has issues with guests coming over, stealing food, or fear of fireworks we can help! Schedule a free consultation call and we can help you get your dog more comfortable so 4th of July isn't a stressful Holiday!
Happy training.
Morgan Head Trainer at Morgan's Pawsitive Pup Training