It’s the holidays.

You’ve spent the last two weeks putting up lights, baking, cleaning, setting up seating arrangements so your feuding uncles stay as far away from each other as possible and now it’s time; your guests are beginning to ring the doorbell. Your smile becomes frozen to your face as your dog barrels in from the back room and starts body slamming the door — barking in a hysterical, high-pitched noise that is sure to be heard even by your grandpa who forgot his hearing aid again. You gamely grab the dog’s collar and try to manhandle him away from the door, when the cat, freaked out by the sudden commotion runs out into the night.

No wonder people are stressed this time of year.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way. While I can’t help you with the feuding uncles, there is still time to help your pets enjoy the holidays. Here are three tips for a more festive holiday season.

#1 Teach a rock-solid sit

If your dog knows sit, he cannot possibly jump up on your guests because his butt will be glued to the floor.

It’s great that your dog will sit when you are alone in the kitchen and holding his favorite treat, but what you really need for the holidays is a sit that works while the doorbell is ringing and the guests are coming through the door. Many people get frustrated with their dog because they think he is just being stubborn when he doesn’t sit when company comes pouring through the door. It would be like asking you to do simple arithmetic in a quiet library vs. asking you to do the same problem while trying to find a parking space at your favorite shopping mall at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Distractions make even simple tasks more difficult. Take your sit on the road, meaning that wherever you go and whatever is going on, ask your dog to sit. Start small with few distractions, but work up to more challenges. Make it fun for the dog; when you up the distractions up the value of the reward he is getting.

Tip: Teach your dog to sit the first time you say the word. Many people repeat cues over and over and still give the dog his reward. There is no reason for the dog to sit the first time, if he still gets the treat after you have been shouting “sit” at him for 3 minutes. It is your treat, if the dog wants it, he will learn to earn it on your terms. Instead of shouting “sit” over and over, ask one time. If he doesn’t sit, take one step or count to 30 seconds and ask again. The first time he sits after only one cue have a huge party with lots of treats. Soon your dog will learn that sitting fast is the quickest way to the reward.

Tip: Teach your dog to sit even if he doesn’t see the treat. Your dog isn’t stupid. If you only ask him to sit when you are dangling something the dog really wants above his nose, he will have no incentive to sit when he doesn’t see the reward. Hide the treats in your pocket or put some on top of the refrigerator. Ask him to sit and magically make the treat appear from someplace else. He will learn that even though he can’t see the treat, it is still possible to get it. Once he is doing great, don’t give him a food reward every time he sits. Sometimes tell him “good dog,” or scratch him under the chin. Mix it up so he can’t predict when the awesome food reward will come and when he only gets a “good dog.” But, always pay him with something when he sits, even if it is just “good boy.”

Tip: Teach your dog to sit beside you. Many dogs learn to sit by being in front of their owners. Make sure you practice asking your dog to sit beside you. A dog sitting beside you looking up at your face is less likely to be jumping up on company.

Once you have these things in place, begin practicing with the doorbell. Start small with only one person on the other side of the door and work in short sessions. Break out your highest value treats. Slowly up the distraction level so that the dog is always winning. You have now made sitting at the door one of the best games in the whole world.

#2 Teach your dog to love his crate

Many people get anxious about putting a dog in a crate. Some people think it is cruel. But, as long as you make the crate an awesome place, your dog will love going into it. When I yell “crate” at my house, my two dogs scramble to find the nearest open crate because that word means something really tasty is coming their way. For many dogs, being in the crate away from the hustle and bustle of the arriving guests will be much less stressful. But, you don’t want to try stuffing your dog in the crate for the first time 15 minutes before your guests arrive.

Tip: Bring your crate into whatever room you relax in. Leave the crate door open and just sit down. Have a bowl full of high value treats. If your dog looks at the crate, give him a treat. Don’t throw the treat into the crate; just give the dog a treat for looking. If the dog is comfortable just being in the room with the crate, start tossing some treats near the crate door. If the dog is going up to the crate door without issue, begin tossing treats inside the crate, but just inside the door. As soon as your dog figures out that being near the crate door is fun, close the crate (without the dog in it) and ignore it for a few minutes. You want to end this game with the dog still wanting to interact with the crate. Open the door back up again and reward the dog for being near the crate door. Begin tossing treats into the crate. Once the dog is all the way inside the crate, call him out, close the crate door and ignore the dog. You want the dog to decide that the crate with the door open is a really excellent game. If you open up the door and the dog races into the crate you are ready to give this a name (like “crate” or “kennel”). Now you have a dog that will race into his crate on cue.

This puppy raced into a crate the very first time she saw the door open. Then she decided to stay awhile to play with her toy and finish finding the hot dogs. She now has a safe place to ride out a holiday party.

Next, close the crate door for just a second with the dog inside and then have a huge treat party as long as the dog is not whining, barking, or digging at the crate door. If he is, go back to just tossing treats into the open crate. If the dog is ok in the crate with the door closed, latch the door and step back. Then go right back and let the dog out with lots of praise and treats.  The final step is to find something your dog REALLY wants to chew on. I suggest bully sticks, elk antlers or a Kong filled with peanut butter. As you close the crate door, give the dog one of these high value things to chew on. When the crate door is open, the high value item goes away. It only appears in the crate when the door is closed and the dog is inside. Soon the dog will learn that being in the crate with the door closed is a magical place.

Items such as Kongs, elk antlers and bully sticks can help keep your dog entertained while he is in a crate. 

Tip: If your dog is so stressed by being in the crate that he cannot eat or if he injures himself while in the crate trying to get out, seek the help of a professional dog trainer or consult with your veterinarian. This may be an indication of a more serious issue.

Tip: Never use the crate to punish your dog. Don’t grab his collar and force him into the crate. You want the crate to remain fun, and you want the dog to run in on cue.

Now you have a dog with awesome crate behavior. Move the crate to different rooms and practice going in and out of the crate. Find the room farthest from your entertaining area and get the dog comfortable before guests arrive. Give him his favorite item to chew on. Put on some music and close the door so inquisitive guests or children don’t go in and bother the dog. For many dogs, this is the best place to be during the holiday party.

#3 Know the signs of stress in your dog

If you live with another person, you know the warning signs if your significant other is not happy. You might say, “Honey, can you get Uncle Jim another eggnog “and be met with “the look.” You know that look. Chances are good that asking for eggnog was not the issue, but that the request was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. Many people don’t realize their dog is stressed until he growls (or even worse nips at someone). But, your dog gave you lots of clues before that growl happened.  Get to know how your dog looks relaxed so you can begin to notice changes.

Tip: The following may be clues that your dog is getting stressed: lip licking, excessive panting, yawning, excessive scratching, excessive sniffing or pacing, shaking as if he just came out of a bath, seeing lots of white around his eyes, turning his head away from someone approaching him, tucking his tail or putting his tail up higher than normal and flattening his ears back. If you see these things it might be time for your dog to take a break from the crowd. Don’t ignore signals like this. These are clues your dog is sending out and he is trying to tell you he needs just a little more space or something is making him nervous. If you ignore your dog’s early warning signals, he could decide he has no choice but to growl or snap.

Tip: Just because your dog’s tail is wagging doesn’t mean he is having a good time. Dogs wag their tails for many reasons. Some of those reasons may indeed be happiness wags, but many tail wags actually mean back away.

Now you have a dog with a perfect sit, you know the signs of stress, and if he gets stressed you can ask him to go into his crate for some relaxation chewing. Your holidays just got less stressful for you and the dog.

Just don’t forget the cats. Most cats will be happiest shut up in the back bedroom before the company begins arriving. That way they won’t dart out the door or jump onto the kitchen counter for the caviar.

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Think about how you would feel if a stranger ran up to you while you were out walking. Even if the person had a smile on his face you would probably be nervous. You might enjoy meeting new people, but you probably want them to stop a few feet away and introduce themselves properly. However, if you didn’t enjoy meeting new people, going on walks could become torture because you would never know when some stranger would rush up and hug you.  You might get defensive and start shouting at people when they were still a block away to make sure they stayed away from you.

So, now imagine your dog. Everywhere I go I see people letting their dogs rush up to other dogs on walks. Often the person is shouting, “He’s friendly, he just LOVES to say hello.” Sometimes the dog on the receiving end is ok with having a strange dog rush into its face, but often what I see is one dog cowering or trying to back up. The greeting may still go ok, at least to our eyes, but not always. I get a lot of calls and emails from people asking why their dog is ok in the dog park, but growls, lunges, or barks at dogs on walks.

This dog sees another dog in the distance and is straining toward the dog. The dog is getting tense and is barking and growling. It wants the other dog to go away.

One person recently told me her dog grabbed another dog by the neck when they were on a walk. The dog is great in the dog park and loves to play. The dog owner was terrified of this new behavior. Prior to the neck grab, the dogs had both rushed toward each other and done a few sniffs, then one dog got scared and the neck grab happened.  Another person told me about how her dog was bitten in a pet store, after she allowed her dog to rush up to a dog on leash. It turned out the biter had just been with its new owners for two weeks and this was its first trip into a pet store. It got stuck between a cash register desk and a wall and had no where to go when the other dog rushed up to it.

Somehow we have this romantic notion that our dogs want to meet all the dogs they see on a walk and “be friends.” Sometimes I think we love our own dogs so much, we want everyone to meet them and love them as much as we do.

I don’t allow my dogs to meet other dogs when we are on a walk. When I walk on the Monon (a local popular walking trail) my dogs know we aren’t meeting other dogs, so they just ignore them. If I see someone whose dog is dragging them toward my dog, I stop my dog, stand in front of him and stop the meeting from happening. When the other person tells me how friendly his dog is, I just smile and say that my dogs prefer not to meet other dogs. I don’t care if the stranger suddenly gets the idea my dogs are dangerous. I don’t care if I sound rude. What I care about is that both Batman and Condor have no issues taking walks in public. They don’t get nervous when they see other dogs, nor do they become frantic when they see other dogs in the distance and try to drag me to them. Both Batman and Condor can play with other dogs and both enjoy certain doggy friends, but only when the leashes are off and we are in a safe, large, fenced enclosure.

I see so many people whose dogs have learned to drag them toward any dog they see as the dog has learned that it will meet the other dog and it wants to get to that greeting as soon as possible. Or I see the opposite end of the equation: a dog that is terrified of meeting another dog and starts to cower or back away. Often that dog may lie down and become submissive; leading the owner to think the dog wants to meet the other dog. And then there is the poor dog owner whose dog gave up trying to back away. Instead the dog decided that the best offense was a good defense. That is the dog that becomes reactive and often is then labeled “aggressive.” I get many calls from people who say, “I can’t walk my dog anymore because he is aggressive toward other dogs.” When I get more information, I find the dog is lunging, barking, hackling, sounding ferocious, etc. whenever it sees another dog. In reality, this is probably a dog that just wants the other dog to stay away from him, but the dog has learned on previous walks this isn’t going to happen, so the dog has decided he has to take matters into his own hands.

Remember, when your dog is on a leash, he can’t run away. He may want to run away, but since he can’t he may feel he has to sound scary to make the other dog go away. Sadly, once that dog is lunging, barking, growling, etc. he may be so over stimulated that if the collar or leash breaks, he may go forward and fight rather than running away.

Even if you dog is a social butterfly and loves meeting and greeting all dogs, chances are good that the dog he is meeting may not be having as much fun.

So, leave the doggie interactions for the dog park or your yard where the dogs can be off leash. Just remember how you would feel if strangers started rushing up and hugging you.

These dogs are meeting off leash. While the little dog is a bit nervous about the meeting, he has plenty of room to run away. If he were on a leash, he might feel trapped by the other dog and decide he had to protect himself. Instead after a few seconds, these two dogs moved apart and sniffed other areas of the yard side by side for a few minutes as they both got to know each other better.

Imagine that you have a super power and using that super power takes anywhere from one third to almost half of your brain to keep it functioning.  The super power is fun and has kept your species alive and well for centuries. Now imagine that you no longer have to use your super power. You still have it, but there isn’t anything to do with it. You would probably be bored, after all a huge chunk of your brain no longer has anything to do. You might feel unsatisfied. You would probably try and find ways to somehow use the super power, even if they weren’t socially acceptable.

Well, your dog does have that super power and it is his nose. Trying to put the power of a dog’s nose into terms a human can understand isn’t easy. Dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose compared to only 6 million in humans. Their nostrils can work independently to figure out what direction an odor came from and they have a special feature in their nose that sieves through the odors and breaks them down sending information to the brain about what each odor is. Alexandra Horowitz, a dog-cognition researcher at Barnard College, likened it to a human noticing that their coffee had a teaspoon of sugar added to it, whereas the dog could detect a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water.

The important thing to know is that your dog has a really powerful sense of smell and he isn’t using it much anymore. He doesn’t have to hunt. We don’t like lots of the things a dog does with his nose. We don’t enjoy it when the dog constantly stops during a walk to sniff and we hate it more if the dog tries dragging us to something interesting it discovered in the ditch. We don’t want the dog digging up ground squirrels or moles in our yard. We certainly don’t want him sniffing out rabbits or other furry creatures and doing them harm. And heaven help the dog who likes to go up to humans and sniff in inappropriate places (at least inappropriate in our minds). I have even had clients ask if I could please teach their dog not to go up and sniff another dog’s butt because it was embarrassing (to the human, the dog wasn’t embarrassed).

So, it is no wonder we have issues with our dogs. They often have to be bored out of their mind with nothing to do with their nose. Instead of being unhappy that your dog has this incredible super power, put it to work. Play games with your dog that let him use this nose of his.

Here are some ideas, but first a caveat. These games are to be played with only ONE dog. If you have more than one dog, don’t let them play these games together as dogs may not want to share what they find.

The Easter Egg Hunt Game: Take a hand full of small, but highly stinky treats and put them right in front of your dog’s nose. When you have his attention, toss the treats on the ground. I like to play this game in grass so it is more difficult for the dog to find the treats. Don’t point the treats out to the dog. He has a nose. I often see dogs give up on a task after a few minutes and just look hopefully at their owners. The dogs are smart. They learned that it is faster to just get the human to tell them the answer. I want my dogs to use their brains and figure it out on their own. If they don’t find all the treats, that’s ok. Once the dog figures out that interesting things to eat are in the grass, start to throw the treats farther apart. But, start small. Don’t make the game harder until your dog gets the hang of it.

If your dog loves this game, give it a name (like find). As you release your dog to find the treats say your cue word. Once the dog associates the cue word with the game of hunting for treats, you can seed your yard with treats while the dog is inside and then give him the cue and he will know that a fun game of find the treats is about to begin in the yard. Depending on the type of dog you have, this game could keep him busy for minutes or hours. If you don’t have a fenced yard, get a 20 or 30 foot long leash and let your dog hunt in a circle around you.

You can play this game inside as well.

The Food Bowl Game: Measure out the kibble you feed your dog and divide it into several small bowls. Start with just three or four bowls at first.  Put the bowls fairly close together in the beginning. You want the dog to know his food is now in more than one bowl. Start to move the bowls farther apart, but let the dog see the bowls as you put them down. Watch to see if your dog starts to use his nose to find the next bowl of kibble. If he likes this game, you can start to hide the various bowls farther and farther apart so that he has to search out his dinner. This game works best if your dog is all about eating his dinner. If your dog loves this game, you can just keep adding more bowls and putting less food in each one.

The Shell Game:  Get three bowls and let your dog see that you are putting a tasty treat in each one. Let him eat the treat as soon as you put it in the bowl. Repeat this several times until your dog is eagerly looking into each bowl. Then, take one treat and show it to your dog, toss the treat away from the bowls and when your dog runs to get that treat, drop a treat into only one of your three bowls. When the dog runs back, just stare at the bowls and wait to see if your dog will figure out to use his nose or to look into the bowl to find the right one with the treat. Praise him wildly for being so smart when he finds it. As the dog gets better at this game, move the bowls farther apart, put a paper towel over them, etc. to make finding the treat more difficult.

Where Is Your Toy Game: If your dog is obsessed with his toys, teach him to find them. Start with a favorite toy, and let the dog see you hide it. If your dog knows “stay” ask him to stay then show him the toy and put it just around a corner. Or have someone hold the dog if he doesn’t know “stay.” If he immediately runs to get the toy, praise him and play with the toy. Very slowly start moving the toy farther away from the dog and then slowly make it more difficult to find. Start to give it a cue such as “ball” or “toy” and say that word as the dog goes to find the object. If he likes this game, you can put him in a room, hide his toy, bring him out and give him the cue to find it and he should happily race through your house looking for it. Just go slow and build the game up so that it is easy for the dog to win.

This video shows Condor looking for his Frisbee, which is hidden in the black tub.

The Sand Trap Game: If your dog loves to dig, get some sand (such as what is used in children’s sand boxes). Designate an area in your yard that is just for the dog and build him a sand pit (the deeper you can make it the better). At first just put some treats on top of the sand, then let him see you take a favorite treat or toy and lightly cover it with sand. If he immediately goes in and uncovers this object, you can begin burying it deeper and deeper. If you give this a name, then you can put your dog in the house, seed his sandbox with tasty treats and toys and tell him to go out and dig them up.

If your dog loves to use his nose, these games will help him use some valuable brain power. Instead of having a dog that is bored and destructive you could just have a dog that is happy and content because he has the opportunity to use his nose.

Last night I went to a wiener roast that included a lot of my extended family. There were eight children under the age of 10 and four dogs; two of which had never been there before or met the other dogs. Because it was a wiener roast there was food everywhere. I got out of the vehicle and my stomach lurched. To the dog trainer in me, this looked like a dog/kid disaster waiting to happen or possibly a dog/dog disaster, but I felt it was more likely the dogs would figure out how to coexist rather than the dogs and kids.

Statistically I know kids are far more likely to be bitten than adults. The Centers for Disease Control says kids between 5-9 years old are especially at risk and that boys are twice as likely to be bitten than girls. Many of those bites are to the face and the vast majority of those bites are from dogs the kids know or at least dogs everyone assumes are ok to be around kids.

The following is an excerpt from an ASPCA article entitled Teaching your Dog how to Behave Around Kids: “Although dog bite fatalities are extremely rare and most bites don’t result in injury or medical treatment, children are the victims of half of the estimated 4.7 million dog bites in the United States every year. One study estimates that about a third of these bites are delivered by the family dog. Dogs often bite children on the face or neck, and these bites sometimes result in permanent scarring or disfigurement. Irrevocable emotional damage is often done as well. Many parents consider any tooth-to-skin contact with a child a major breach of trust—perhaps even grounds for euthanasia—and some people develop lifelong phobias of dogs after being bitten during childhood.”

The ASPCA has a pet recommendation guide based on a child’s age, and dogs don’t even make the list of recommended pets until children are 10 years old. But, kids and dogs are part of our way of life. Everyone wants “a puppy for the kids to grow up with.” We want a dog to protect us and our children from harm. We expect the dog to understand that our children are just being kids and shouldn’t be harmed for their transgressions.

So, why do dogs bite kids? First, this is by no means some scholarly scientific paper. These are just my own observations. But, what I tell clients and what feels right to me is that dogs bite kids because dogs are dogs and kids are kids and sometimes they have a “failure to communicate.” As a matter of fact when I see dogs and kids interacting I often hear the voice of Strother Martin in my head as he says to Paul Newman’s character in Cool Hand Luke, “What we’ve got here is (a) failure to communicate.”

For example, last night my four-year old nephew had a Woody doll. And this is a toy he loves – a lot. He was sliding down a slide and Woody was being flung all about and in one arc Woody came close to the face of a boxer. The boxer looked at Woody, not as the beloved toy of a 4-year-old, but as a super awesome amazing tug toy that just flew near his face. Obviously, the boxer thought someone must surely want him to play with this toy. The boxer grabbed the toy, the 4 year old let out a howl and pulled back. I’m sure the boxer imagined that a game of tug was now in order, but the four-year old only saw a dog trying to take Woody. The four-year old charged at the boxer screaming and kicking. Luckily, enough adults were present to stop the four-year-old from hurting the dog and to stop the dog from hurting the four-year old. Nothing bad happened except some hurt feelings on the adult side as everyone tried to decide who was at fault – dog or child.

Whenever I talk to a client who is upset because their dog has either bitten a child or growled at a child I always get the same picture as what I saw last night between my nephew and the boxer.

• A dog sound asleep on a couch with nowhere to go when a 5 year old approaches and smacks the dog on the nose because the 5 year old wants to be on the couch.
• A dog hunkering under a kitchen table while eight nine-year-old girls crowd in the kitchen for a birthday party and someone decides the dog should be in the festivities and reaches under the table and grabs the dog to drag it out from under the table.
• A dog on a leash on the Monon when a 6 year old waving an ice cream rushes forward to give the doggie a hug.

In these three examples the dog did bite the child involved. Luckily, my nephew was not bitten, but what would have happened had he pursued the boxer hitting the dog in an effort to save Woody?

You could say in the above examples that the parents should have been watching the child. Or that the dog should have inhibited its bite. (depending on which side of the issue you feel most strongly about). But, what I think is that it is hard to be a parent and watch your child 24/7. When I was watching all of those little kids running around last night, there was absolutely no way someone could be on top of the situation every single second. And is it fair to ask a dog to do something that it isn’t asked to do with any other species?

If a horse bites a person, very few people freak out. If a chicken runs at a child to scare it off or if a goat butts a child to get it out of the way, people accept the fact that farm animals are just acting as animals. If a cat bites someone, most people seem to just say, “well, it is a grumpy cat, the person shouldn’t have been petting it.”

When a dog bites, especially if it bites a child or other family member, it is “man’s best friend” biting. It is Lassie biting Timmy. It is unthinkable.

Which is why I try to tell everyone who attends my Learn to Speak Dog class that they have to be their dog’s advocate and try to make sure situations such as the above just don’t happen because the dog always loses. In the three examples above where the dog did bite the child, the dogs were all euthanized. It was just too traumatic for those parents or dog owners to think they owned a dog that could possibly injure a child.

The purpose of this post isn’t to provide an answer because I don’t think there is an answer, short of making sure dogs and kids never interact, which isn’t fair to the thousands of dogs and kids that have no issues together. But, hopefully it helps you think and remember that your dog has teeth and no matter how wonderful you think he is, the correct answer in his mind may be to sometimes use those teeth.  And if you are a parent, to realize that a dog should not have to put up with a child hitting it, shoving it, hugging it or dragging it. While some dogs may put up with this behavior, it doesn’t mean the dog is enjoying it or that every dog will behave the same way.

And remember, it didn’t end well for Luke in the movie — a failure to communicate can be devestating.

Super Bowl Sunday ranks only behind Thanksgiving in terms of food consumption and the average Super Bowl party is attended by 17 people!

Can your dog leave a plate of food this tempting for very long?

So, what this tells me is that on Sunday while the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are battling for football supremacy, there are going to be LOTS of plates of unattended food or platters filled with tempting things sitting on the edges of counters. While I could find no statistics for dogs related to the Super Bowl, I’m betting there is an increase in the number of emergencies at vets mostly related to dogs eating foods they shouldn’t.

A Super Bowl party has to rank as one of the worst things most dogs could attend. So, if you are hosting a party and you have dogs, pause between chopping the avocado and wrapping the weenies to think about the best plan of action for Fido.

While we all love our dog and want to show him off to our friends, many dogs actually aren’t party animals. While there are those dogs that thrive on constant attention and don’t care how many people fill a room, they are most likely the exception rather than the rule.

So, think about this: You have a room full of people and the normal places your dog likes to hang out are going to be taken. Suddenly half the room explodes in shouting and people jumping up screaming at the television. What is a dog to make of this? Some dogs may become scared and want to run and hide, but suddenly find their exits out of the room blocked by strangers waving plates of food and screaming. The dog may start barking, causing someone to miss the ever important instant replay and then someone absent mindedly reaches down to try and quiet the dog and gets bitten! While this probably doesn’t happen at every party, it is certainly within the realm of possibility. Your dog is dealing with a lot of stress. Or someone may actually yell at the dog to shut up, forgetting that the dog does not speak English and has no idea why people are jumping up and down and screaming. An ill-tempered friend whose team just did something he didn’t like could lash out at the dog.

But, maybe you own a bomb proof dog or one who just loves parties and being in the middle of the action. The Super Bowl party still may not be the safest environment. Dogs are opportunists. If they see an opportunity for food many of them will take it, no matter how great their training background is. After all, a plate of bacon-wrapped weenies sitting unattended at nose level must be meant for the dog right? Otherwise why would we have left it there? So, a well-meaning guest suddenly tries to save the plate of weenies only to be bitten by a dog that suddenly doesn’t want to give up such a great prize. Remember, many dogs don’t like to share, especially with strangers.

Then again, your dog may be bomb proof and he would never dream of guarding a plate of weenies from a human who wanted them back. But, what about taking the plate of weenies to the corner and eating them all while everyone is glued to the halftime show waiting to see if there will be a costume malfunction? Often hors d’oeuvres have toothpicks holding them together. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that your dog could eat the bacon wrapped weenies as fast as he can (certainly he has to eat fast because the room is full of other opportunists who may come for the weenies at any time). Nothing says a trip to the emergency vet more than a dog that eats a bunch of toothpicks.

Chicken wings are another staple of Super Bowl parties. Now, I feed my dogs raw food, including raw chicken. I give my dogs raw bones. But, I am NOT going to let my dog have cooked bones, especially tiny bones such as those from a chicken wing. They could splinter and hot and spicy barbecue sauce may cause the dog to burn his tongue or at least have severe tummy upset.

For the host and hostess of the Super Bowl Party, game day is going to be stressful. You will most likely be spending all day cleaning, cooking (or at least defrosting), etc. The dog may not get his customary walk or a much shortened walk. So, he is already going to be antsy before the people start arriving.

Game Day is NOT the day to decide you need to train your dog not to jump on everyone who comes in or bark at them. However, you might start training now for next year’s Super Bowl party.  And if your dog has never worn clothes before, now is not the time to dress him up in your favorite team’s jersey.

And if your party includes kids under the age of 13, be sure and set some rules and be alert. Dogs are hard to resist for kids and if suddenly it is quiet and you wonder where the dog and kids have gone to, please go check it out. You don’t want to find Fido in the corner being covered by kisses from a well-meaning 5-year-old.

So, this has been a long list of scary scenarios and what not to do. What should you do with Fido? Well, if he loves people and isn’t stressed by a lot of stuff, let him come out and say hello. But, he might like it better if he was in a crate in a back room until after all the guests arrive. That way he isn’t stressed by the constant ringing of the doorbell and all the new people. He can come in after everyone is settled and say hello. Let your guests know they should NOT feed the dog a snack, no matter how sad the dog looks and believe me, your dog knows how to play a crowd. Perhaps you could give everyone a dog approved snack and let them feed that to the dog. Don’t make the dog do a trick for every treat though. Your guests aren’t saying please and thank you every time they grab a deviled egg. Just hand the dog a dog biscuit and let him enjoy himself.

If the game is tense and lots of people are jumping up and down, your dog may wish to go back to his crate and chill out. Give him something to do. This is the place for a great raw bone, a Kong stuffed with treats (and frozen to make it last longer) or an elk antler. You want something that is fun and will last a long time.

Remember, if there is really a wardrobe malfunction at halftime, it will be replayed. So, take Fido for a quick walk to relieve some of his stress. Or maybe go outside for a quick game of fetch.

Remind guests that your dog may not be above stealing and to keep a close watch on their plates. Keep your food trays well back on the counter to prevent counter surfing or keep them in the oven or the refrigerator and ask guests to just go an extra step in getting their snacks.  7-11 stores report a 20 percent increase in the sale of antacids on the day after the Super Bowl. You will be the one cleaning up after your dog if he over indulges. Cleaning up dog puke while you have a hangover the next day won’t be fun.

And after the game is over, and the guests have gone, take the toothpick out of the bacon-wrapped weenie and give the weenie to the dog. He earned it. And if you are one of the six percent of Americans who call in sick on the Monday after the Super Bowl, give your dog some extra TLC.

Every Christmas Eve, we went to my maternal grandparent’s home. While the food and presents were great, it was the ride home that we most looked forward to. My brothers and I would watch the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa and his reindeer.  We would speculate on what we might be getting and who would get up first in the morning. The 45 minute drive was one of excitement and merriment.

So, you can imagine my parents’ surprise one year when they heard their six-year-old daughter sobbing uncontrollably in the back seat on the drive home instead of watching for Santa.

“What’s wrong,” my mom asked.

“I forgot to tell Santa what I really wanted,” I sobbed.

“Oh dear, what was it? Maybe he will hear you,” my mom helpfully said.

“I want a puppy. I want a puppy more than anything,” I cried.

Well, needless to say, Santa did not have any extra puppies on his sleigh that year. Although, I found out later that had my parents been able to think of a way to contact Santa and get the puppy, they would have done it. I guess I was really heart breaking to hear as I sobbed on my way home.  But, 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve is not a good time to try and find a puppy.

And what child doesn’t love the idea of a puppy popping out of a box or a kitten in a stocking? Never mind that A. an animal could die wrapped up in a box overnight (not to mention just chew out of it) and B. kittens might shred the stocking, but they are not going to sit prettily in it until a child comes into a room. Christmas is such a magical time that we often forget that reality doesn’t always match the pictures in our mind.

It is the reality that comes with that cute puppy or kitten that often leads to heartache and perhaps even finding a new home for the animal in the days or weeks after Christmas. So, if you are thinking of getting someone you love a living, breathing animal for the holidays this year; ask yourself if you are prepared for the reality rather than the Christmas card image in your mind.

Are you prepared for the puppy or kitten biting or scratching your child when it gets hugged too tight? The trip to the emergency vet on Christmas day if the animal decides to eat the tinsel from the tree?  Cleaning up puppy poop and pee while your home is filling with relatives and friends for the annual Christmas gathering? Walking the puppy in the sleet and snow? Watching the puppy eat your new shoes or perhaps take another trip to the emergency vet once the puppy eats Barbie and her playhouse? All of these things can happen. Or maybe you just decide the puppy should live outside, which makes life easier for you, until a few months later you realize you have a totally unsocialized adolescent dog that you can’t control, so it’s off to the pound.

Getting a pet should be a family decision. The person who most wants the pet and who will be the pet’s caretaker should be the one to pick the pet out. While you may think your mom is lonely and just needs a cat to keep her company, what if your mom has been waiting to tell you that she now plans to travel extensively or that she never really liked the cat you had growing up, she just tolerated it because you loved it? Does your child want a puppy or the idea of a puppy? According to the ASPCA, children under the age of 10 may not be ready for a puppy or a kitten. Read their recommendations here.

While the holidays can be a good time to get a pet because the entire family is home and the kids are out of school, what is going to happen on the day you go back to work and the kids go back to school?

Above all, think carefully about the fact this is an animal, not something you can return to the store if it isn’t the right size. It will live for years and cost lots of money in annual maintenance. If you are ready for a new pet, get a gift certificate and take the entire family with you to choose the new family member. Consider getting the pet a week or two before Christmas so it has time to settle into your home before the hustle and bustle of Christmas or go looking for a pet on the day after Christmas. After all the toys will be old news by then and the kids may have more time to spend with the new addition.

And while you are thinking, ask yourself if a puppy or kitten is the right fit for your family. Maybe a mature animal will make more sense. One that may not need lots of potty training or a cat that may be past the desire to take apart the Christmas tree. That puppy or kitten is only going to stay cute and tiny for a very short time. It might make more sense to get something that is an adult so you know what it is going to look like and act like as an adult. Not to mention, if you adopt an adult animal, you are saving that animal’s life. Everyone wants puppies and kittens and any animal past that “cute” stage is often overlooked. Christmas doesn’t have to be just about your family and the perfect gift; it could also be about giving a gift of a home to an animal in need.

Choose wisely and you will have a story for Christmases to come not to mention the love and devotion of a new four-legged friend.

Photos from Polly’s Christmas Present, story and pictures by Irma Wilde, first published in 1953.

If you are planning on taking your faithful companion trick or treating this year, make sure the experience is a treat rather than a trick for your dog!

According to the Ultimate Guide to Halloween Statistics people spent $310 million for pet Halloween costumes in 2011! Of course this is a very paltry number when compared to the $1 billion spent on children’s costumes and $1.21 billion spent for adult costumes, but still a not insignificant amount.

We obviously love taking our dogs everywhere and many dogs love going with us. But, Halloween can be very scary in a real sense for some children and dogs. We’ve all seen children screaming when coming face to face with a clown or some other scary object on Halloween. Your dog may not be screaming, but he still could be very nervous about the entire process.

Here are some tips for having a great Halloween for you and your four-legged friend.

#1 If your dog is nervous or already has issues meeting new people; Halloween is not a good time to be taking him for a walk. Just leave him at home in a quiet place and work on training him on other days so he gets used to meeting new people and going new places. That way he will be ready for next Halloween.

#2 Don’t buy a costume for your dog an hour before you plan to take him trick or treating. Get the costume as far in advance as possible and let your dog get used to wearing it. Have LOTS of tasty, high value treats on hand. You want your dog to think wearing the costume is fun. When taking it off and on make sure the dog gets lots of treats and GO SLOW. If your dog appears nervous about wearing a costume, just have him touch it or drape it over his back at first with lots of good rewards for tolerating it.  Once the dog is comfortably wearing the costume, let him walk around in it on leash for awhile so he gets used to how it feels.

#3 Think of less is more costumes, especially if your dog isn’t used to wearing clothes. Batman HATES wearing clothes. So, one year we went as Batman and Robin, only I dressed up. Batman had on a Batman plastic utility belt around his middle, and that was it. Another year Batman went as a seeing eye dog so I just had on his leash and I dressed as a blind person. On the other hand, Condor, who doesn’t care what happens as long as there is a chance to play ball, got dressed up as the Big Bad Wolf disguised as Grandma complete with wig while I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood.

#4 Take lots of dog treats with you so your dog gets lots of positive reinforcement when meeting new people. Remember, even if your dog loves meeting people, he is going to be on a walk with people dressed in all kinds of weird costumes and doing all kinds of weird things such as lurching, talking funny, and just meeting people behaving in a manner the dog may not be used to.

#5 Watch for signs of stress. If your dog starts yawning, licking his lips a lot, staying at the end of his leash behind you, etc. he may be telling you he isn’t having a great time. Watch for your dog to turn his head away from something or someone. This could be his way of saying he wishes the thing in front of him would back up. Before you go trick or treating, make sure you know what your dog looks like relaxed. Watch him in the house and see where he carries his tail, where his ears are, what his forehead looks like, etc. If you know what he looks like relaxed, you will be able to spot times when he isn’t relaxed more easily. If you see your dog is getting stressed, STOP. Don’t force him to go on. You want the experience to be fun for the whole family. You wouldn’t force your 3 year old to continue if she turned out to be terrified so don’t force the dog. Remember, there is always next year and if we stop before we terrify the dog, we can work on it for next year and do some training. The biggest thing to remember is just because your dog’s tail is wagging it doesn’t mean he is having fun! Dogs wag their tails for lots of reasons, and not all of them mean he is happy.

#6 Be your dog’s advocate. Don’t let people just run up and pet him. Your dog relies on you to be his voice. Don’t be afraid to step in front of your dog or in some other way block him from rude people or rude dogs rushing into his space. Don’t get so caught up in the fun that you forget your dog is on the other end of the leash! I’ve seen people talking in groups who totally forgot their dog was there and then seen a small child approach the dog without the owner having a clue. Don’t let a growl or snap be your first indication that something is not going well. Do NOT take your dog trick or treating on a flexileash. You want him near you.

#7 If this is your dog’s first Halloween experience make plans to keep it short or at least have a backup plan in place in case your dog isn’t having fun.

Let’s not forget the dogs at home. Batman HATES people coming into our yard. If he is in the house and he sees lots of people in the street he starts barking and getting very agitated. On Halloween, Batman goes into a crate in the back of the house with a tasty big bone to chew on. Or, he goes out front with me and we do some obedience stuff as kids come up so Batman has a job to do and isn’t worried about why I am letting all these strangers onto our lawn.

If your dog barks at the pizza man, then he is going to bark at the kids and seeing a bunch of people in weird outfits at his front door is not going to make him happy. Let him relax far away from the action with his own version of a treat. If the doorbell sets your dog off, great your trick or treaters outside so they don’t have to ring the bell. There is nothing worse than your dog going ballistic every time someone rings the bell or knocks (however, you could train your dog to hear that sound and go lay down quietly on a mat).

And above all: DO NOT give your dog Halloween candy. Don’t leave it on the counter or the table or anywhere he can get it. Make sure the kids don’t leave their candy out where the dog can get it.  It is going to smell delicious, but chocolate, especially lots of really dark chocolate can be bad for your dog. Things like gum, suckers, anything sticky can also cause serious issues. You don’t want to end your Halloween at the Emergency Vet.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Almost every day a client gives me a sheepish smile and starts a sentence with, “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but my dog sleeps on the bed.” So, I want to share my own secrets –so do mine.  Not only do some of the dogs sleep on the bed, some of them get up on the couch too. Not to mention, if they are polite, I’ll throw them some scraps of food from my dinner plate. Oh, and Batman almost always goes through the doorways first. And you know what? I’m happy with this arrangement.

Batman and Bandit sleep on the bed. So far, I have not noticed any signs that either one of them is trying to dominate me. Even after three years, shy Bandit flinches if I even look at him while he is on the bed. Sometimes Batman wants to see if he can have the spot with the pillow, but all I have to do is say, “Bat, move” and he does (although sometimes he sighs).

And yet, thanks to popular television shows and several dog training books, there are lots of people out there who think it is wrong to have their dog sleep on the bed, walk ahead of them, or get a treat from their plate.  I attended a training class a few years ago in which the instructor said on the first day that anyone who was letting his or her dog sleep on the bed or get up on the furniture was never going to have a well-trained dog.

Here is what I say: If you are happy with your dog’s behavior, then be happy and don’t worry what someone else says is right or wrong.

OK, I’m going to throw out some caveats. If your dog sleeps on the bed and he growls when you try to get into bed, or if he snaps at you if you ask him to get off the bed, that’s a problem.  If your dog tries to put his face in your plate while you are eating or doing something else to bother you during meal times, that’s a problem (unless of course you don’t mind). But, if your dog is polite and you like the situation, then don’t stress it.

My rules are simple. If the dog isn’t bothering me and if he responds to the cues I give him, then I’m happy and he’s happy. Batman knows if he sits a foot away from me while I eat, the chances are good he will get something. If he bothers me while I’m eating, he is asked to get off the couch and he gets nothing. He also can’t growl at any other dogs or cats that might be near while I’m eating as that causes the food to go away completely. If I need more leg room in the bed, he can move or get on the floor.

When we go for a walk, if I ask Batman to “sit,” he will. If I need him to stop pulling me, I can ask him to “heel.” Otherwise, he can do whatever he wants at his end of the leash. I’m pretty sure instead of planning on how he will dominate the world; he is really just sniffing for squirrels.

So, have fun with your dog and don’t lose any more sleep. Believe me; your dog isn’t going to take over the world, at least not until he gets opposable thumbs.

When the “check engine” light comes on in our vehicle, most of us take notice and take the appropriate steps to have the vehicle serviced. We do this because the vehicle manual tells us that ignoring this light could mean serious damage to our vehicle down the road.

Unfortunately, with dogs we often ignore the many “check engine” signals the dog gives us until everything falls apart. Then we are left trying to decide what happened and can we fix it. If we can’t fix it, then it generally means euthanasia for the dog.

This week I got two phone calls that illustrate this point.

Call #1: A 2 year old cocker spaniel bit a neighbor’s child. The bite did not break skin, but left a bruise. The dog has been growling at non family members for most of the year that the family has owned the dog. But, the dog is great with the family. The bite happened on the family’s front porch as the neighbor child was being invited into the home. The dog charged out the door and when the little girl raised her arm up, the dog leaped up and grabbed it.

Call #2: A six month old mixed-breed puppy is growling and snapping at a 4 year old in the home. The family has had the puppy for four months. They called when the puppy grazed the 4-year-old’s cheek with a tooth and left a scratch. The puppy was fine with the 4 year old for the first month the family said, and then it just started growling “out of nowhere.” The family is afraid of the puppy and it is now living outside.

The woman who called with the cocker spaniel was crying the entire time she spoke with me. She LOVES this dog; however, her husband says the dog has to go. The woman in call number two wants the dog gone because the family thinks the puppy is dangerous.

Once a dog has a bite history, it is difficult to do anything. As a general rule, rescues won’t take dogs that have a bite history. Rehoming the dog could be difficult due to liability issues. And there just aren’t sanctuaries out there waiting to take in the beloved pet that now bites people.

In talking with both people, it was clear to me the dogs in both cases gave lots of early warnings that they were scared and needed some help. Unfortunately, the owners didn’t have the resources they needed to understand the dogs needed help.

The time to reach out to a trainer or behaviorist is when the early warning light comes on. By the time the break down happens it can be much more difficult, if not impossible to help the dog.

Dogs communicate to us constantly. Unfortunately, they aren’t speaking English. They understand us much better than we understand them. Yet it really is fairly easy to begin to understand your dog. It just takes some observational skills. Yes, that means you have to actually LOOK at your dog and see what it is doing. If you learn nothing else, at least learn what your dog looks like when it is relaxed and happy. Where are its ears, its tail, how is it standing on his feet or how is it laying down, what does its face look like? Once you know what your dog looks like relaxed, it will be much easier to know what your dog looks like when he is not relaxed.

Left: This dog is happy. The photographer has been giving him treats. His face is relaxed, his tongue is out.

Let’s picture this. Say you know that when your dog is relaxed his tongue is hanging out, his face is relaxed and when he wags his tail his entire butt moves.  He will look something like the dog above. But when the 4 year old approaches the dog, it closes its mouth, turns its head or wags its tail without the entire butt involved. This is a change in behavior. The dog is no longer as relaxed as he was. The dog is saying “you make me nervous, please don’t come any closer.” If the 4 year old keeps coming, the dog may suddenly turn and sniff its butt, or point its ears back and have its weight distributed so it can flee away from the child. Again the dog is asking the child in the only language it has to stop approaching.

Right: The photographer got too close to the dog. Suddenly he became more nervous, closed his mouth and turned to look away from the photographer. He is saying, “too close, please back up.”

Luckily, most dogs tolerate rude behavior for a long time, but all dogs have a point in which they are just tired of the 4 year old in their face, or the neighbor kids constantly wanting to pet it or strangers coming in and saying “oh, you are so cute I just have to pet you.” To the dog, he has been communicating for a long time to please stop. So, when those early signals are ignored he brings out the growl, the lip curls or the bite.

I love dogs that growl. The growl is all of your car’s warning signal lights coming on at once. If that happened you would sit up and take notice. You wouldn’t just take out the fuses and hope the car keeps running fine. Yet, when a dog growls, most owners get really upset. They yell at the dog for growling. Growling is often the dog’s way of saying, “listen, you are obviously not the brightest dog in the pack, and you have ignored every other signal I’ve given you, so I am going to growl, so sit up and take notice.” If we punish the dog for growling and he needs to say something really important, all we’ve left him with is a bite. And then I get the call from the upset owner wondering why suddenly their loving family dog has bitten someone.

If you notice your dog seems unhappy around new people or nervous around the kids, call a trainer. Don’t wait. Get help before all the warning lights come on.

Often when people see my German Shepherd, Condor, they ask me if he is ill. At first I was perplexed by this question, until I found out people thought he was ill because they thought he was too skinny. You can actually see Condor’s “waist” (called a “tuck” in dogs). You can also see the outline of his last rib. He isn’t sick; he is just the right weight.

So many of our companion dogs are overweight, that people often stop and take notice of a dog that is the correct weight and immediately think it is sick or someone is neglecting it.

In February the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) released a survey from veterinarians that said 53 percent of dogs and 55 percent of cats were overweight. WOW! That’s more than half of our pets.  The study also found that many people do not realize their pet is overweight and when asked said they thought their pet was at an ideal weight.

When I talk to people about their pet’s weight, most people smile sheepishly and say something like, “but he looks at me with sad eyes.” Believe me, I know that look. Batman gives me that look and I have to constantly battle his weight. Because he does so many demos with me and he is out in public so often, he gets more treats than he should.

According to APOP treats are a major problem in combatting pet obesity. “Treats continue to be a major contributor to weight gain in pets.  An online poll conducted in October 2011 by APOP of 210 pet owners found 93 percent of all dog and cat owners gave treats. 95 percent gave a commercial treat with 26 percent reporting they gave their pet treats three or more times a day. “Treats are the silent saboteur of slimming down.” Remarks APOP founder Dr. Ernie Ward. “Those tiny treats are often hiding a significant amount of calories.” Ward suggests offering single-ingredient rewards or fresh vegetables such as baby carrots, string beans, broccoli or other crunchy vegetables.”

Consider these examples from the APOP article:

■A premium pig ear (231 kcals) fed to a 40-pound dog is the equivalent of an adult human drinking six 12-ounce Coke Classics™ (840 kcals).

■A typical dog biscuit (25 to 27 kcals) fed to a 20-pound dog is the equivalent of an average adult human eating two Keebler EL Fudge Double Stuffed Sandwich Cookies (180 kcals).

YIKES! Batman ate two pig ears the other day during a demo. No wonder I’m having trouble with his weight.

Now the big question: why should you care if your pet is overweight? You love him all rounded and happy right? Well, if you love him, you should care. Overweight pets face the same health problems as overweight people. And if you own a breed that is prone to hip and knee problems, then you should especially pay attention to weight. I try and keep Condor at or slightly even below an ideal weight because he is a German shepherd and they are prone to hip issues. Plus, Condor is a working dog. When he is out on a search, he has to do a lot of running, jumping, etc. He is an athlete and I have to keep his body in condition for an athlete.

Obesity also adds up at the veterinarian’s office. The August issue of Angie’s List newsletter is devoted to pet issues, including obesity. This is from the article on obesity, “Obesity-related conditions drive up vet costs, says Dr. Jules Benson, vice president of veterinary services for Petplan, a highly rated pet insurance company that provides policies nationwide. Treatment for arthritis –a condition exacerbated by aging and extra weight pounding joins – increases vet bills by an average of $2,000 a year. Benson says surgery such as hip replacement that runs $3,000 to $6,000 per joint, drives costs higher still.”

Overweight pets also become diabetic; have high blood pressure, etc.

Another issue is that many pet owners feed their pets exactly what it says to feed on the side of the dog food bag. Dogs are individuals. A coach potato dog doesn’t need as much as a dog that plays catch all day.  I change how much my dogs eat daily. If Batman is looking chunky, he gets less. If too much of Condor’s back rib starts to show, he gets more. On days when I do a lot of demos with Batman, and he gets a lot of treats, he just doesn’t get a meal at all.

I will leave you with two more examples from the APOP website:

■According to Dr. Ernie Ward, a 95-pound male Golden retriever is comparable to a 5’4” human female weighing 184 pounds or a 5’9” male that weighs 214 pounds.

■A 10-pound Chihuahua is comparable to a 5’4” human female weighing 242 pounds or a 5’9” male that weighs 282 pounds.

So, if you love your pet, watch his weight and don’t let his sad eyes sway you.  Chances are he will live longer if he is at a healthy weight and you will enjoy those sad eyes for a few more years.