Over the festive period, you and your dog have probably had a really exciting time. I saw plenty of articles about introducing dogs gently to new people, giving them safe rooms where they could retreat to and even advice to owners on how to deal with THAT relative who feeds dogs from the table or brings in the equivalent of Haribo treats for the dog you have brought up on a species-appropriate feeding programme. We hope you didn’t bludgeon them to death with a Christmas cracker.
The visitors are emptying out, the children have opened their presents and the back garden looks like you have relocated the recycling depot. Get the house back to normal as soon as you can. Get the dogs bed back in his usual place so that your dog can chill out, relax and process all the new information he has learnt about people and behaviour over the past few days.
The influx of visitors or new dogs can sometimes affect the behaviour of your dog, perhaps your dog was crated more than usual over Christmas, or perhaps it was difficult to manage his or her environment, with people opening and closing doors and letting them into the living room to eye the Christmas baubles, which lets face it look like balls for the park with a bit more glitter. If a behaviour becomes a habit, then you need professional training to address it. At Hair of the Dog, Emma our associate trainer can evaluate your dog’s habits and put together a programme for hourly sessions to encourage the best behaviours in your dog. Please enquire on our Facebook page or pop into Hair of the Dog in Cherry Lane Garden Centre, Coggeshall Road Cherry Lane – Braintree
A120/Coggeshall Road
Stisted
Braintree
Essex
CM77 8AE