Opinion: Holidays should be bright for people and for our pets

The winter holidays can be a wondrous time for us, but they can be difficult for our companion animals to handle and adapt to the chaos and change in routine.

Training specific behaviors like mat-stay, sit-stay for greeting people, and general manners are important.

If behaviors like these are not already in you and your animal’s repertoire, some simple management tips can help save the day. Here are some tricks to make this holiday season more seamless and stress-free for your pets, yourself and your visitors.

1. Provide plenty of exercise and mental enrichment prior to guest arrival. Making sure your dog has had a nice long Sniffari, an off-leash romp in the woods and some brain stimulation prior to your guests’ arrival will help your dog be mellower, less excitable and less stressed by the change in routine.

2. Provide chewies and mental enrichment while guests are around. Once your guests have arrived, give your cat or dog an activity in another room, in their crate or on the other side of a baby gate to help keep them occupied and content. This, for example, can be a long-lasting chew, a stuffed Kong or an activity box. Providing your companion animals mental enrichment away from the hubbub also helps them from being underfoot while you cook or bothering your guests if they are not “pet people.”

3. Provide your animal a retreat or respite away from the hubbub, especially if they are fearful or anxious. Have a crate or comfy bed set up in a room that visitors will not be entering. Make sure there is water and activities for your animal in this room. Having a white noise machine or classical music playing can also provide some additional calm in the space. It is most helpful if the room is familiar to your animal. Be advised, forcing a fearful or anxious animal to be around your guests will not “socialize” them. It will push them over their level of tolerance and can very easily lead to bites and more pronounced fear.

4. Jumping/mouthing/attention-seekers. For the super social pets that love to greet everyone with enthusiasm, it’s best to start them off in their comfort space. This allows your visitor to enter the home and settle in without being jumped on, knocked over, mouthed or covered in hair. You can bring your beloved pet out once the initial greeting is over and allow them to say hi to their friends.

5. Kids and companion animal interaction should always be monitored by an adult. This is to keep both the kid and the pet safe and having a good time. With the chaos of gatherings, this can be a hard task. So, if supervision isn’t possible, keep the children and animals separated.

6. Table scraps. Many of the foods we eat around the holidays are dangerous/poisonous for our animals, such as poultry bones, garlic and onions. The rest tend to be high in fats, and both can lead to gastrointestinal issues or pancreatitis. A few scraps set aside for training at a later date is a great idea. We all love leftovers. Just don’t overdo it.

With a bit of preparation and management the winter holidays can be enjoyable for everyone, including our pets. Let’s make this season a time of joy, not stress, for the whole family.

Eva Perrigo is a certified dog trainer and behavior counselor. She lives in Taos.