Pet Tracks
with Jan Jaeger

HOLIDAY ETIQUETTE One thing about the days ahead; regardless of your holiday traditions, they will be busy. You will either be going to parties, or having friends and family over, or doing both. You could be either a visitor or hosting visitors. Shopping, wrapping gifts, baking, dragging out boxes that have been languishing in the attic and decorating inside and out are on almost everyone's to-do list.

All of this unusual activity is sure to get the attention of even the most phlegmatic pet. At this exciting time, it's a stretch for even the most well behaved pet to remember its manners when up against strangers arriving and departing and when surrounded by enticing smells.

If your dog has some brushing up to do in the manners department, there is still time to practice and reinforce proper behavior before the commotion gets into high gear. Failing that, there are some last minute strategies to help you through some crucial situations.

These suggestions might have helped us out a few years ago, when we had a doggie houseguest during the holidays. We went about our usual routines without expecting behaviors different from our own dog, Junior, who is totally trustworthy around food. Our four-legged visitor, we discovered, was a notorious snack snatcher. On Christmas Eve, our special treat is to order-in Chinese. In the blink of an eye, our doggie guest managed to clean off an entire plate of Chinese food briefly left unattended.

Apparently unfazed by ingesting hot Chinese mustard and Pork with Garlic Sauce, he was still up for sampling our wares the next day. Unfortunately, we had a slow learning curve. On Christmas day, we set several plates of composed salad on a table outside to keep cool until time to serve with Christmas dinner, only to discover them licked clean by the time the dinner hour rolled around.

Counter surfing is a tough habit to cure, because there is always a reward for the dog if food is available. Be consistent in putting away things that tempt; keep all food off the counters, out of reach, and discourage visitors from feeding any people food.

To help with begging at the table, call a family council and make sure everyone understands feeding from the table is not permitted and begging, no matter how pitiful, is to be ignored. When dinner is over, place a treat in the dog's own bowl. In this way your dog will associate his bowl as the place to get food, rather than at the table. Last minute strategies include feeding your dog before the guests arrive, having an edible or chewable treat to keep him occupied, or if these fail, give him a time out in his crate.

Many dog trainers today espouse the avoidance method of reinforcement. Ignore behaviors you don't want, but reward behaviors you do accept. If your dog jumps up on people when they arrive, or creates a huge ruckus with barking, instead of touching the dog, or correcting him by shouting, turn your back, move a couple of steps away and calmly insist, "Sit." When he complies, then reward him with a pat.

Last minute strategies for jumpers or barkers include putting the dog into the crate, or into an unoccupied room, before your guests arrive. When everyone is on hand, wait about 15 minutes. When the excitement of getting together has passed, and your dog has settled down, go get your dog, put him on a leash and calmly introduce him to the assembled guests. Here again, a toy or treat that requires your dog to be engaged will redirect his attention in a positive way.

Charging the door is another problem behavior. This is especially trying when you have guests arriving with armsful of food or packages. Ahead of time, work on getting your dog to respond to a "Stay" command. Assign him a spot, train him to go there and sit, staying until released. Praise him when he does as he is told. When he reliably has this behavior down, enlist the help of friends or family to practice the arrival scenario by knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell.

Last minute strategies, if your dog is still too excited by arriving visitors, would be to take him outside on a leash to intercept your guests. This way he will be less territorial and everyone can come in together. Or leave him on a leash indoors, have someone sit with him until everyone arrives, then slowly introduce him around to your company.

You still have a few weeks to work on these techniques to brush up on holiday good manners. You could even fill a stocking with special treats, and make those treats a part of the fun and reward for this specific training. If your dog can be on his best behavior during the holidays, he'll be a joy to

everyone, including you. I

Jan Jaeger is owner of Geronimo's, Ltd., Nantucket's pet supply and gift shop, and is a member of DWAA and CWA (Dog and Cat Writer's Associations of America). Her pets at home are Junior, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and three cats. At the shop are cats Messrs. Fish and Chips, Flower bunny, Millie guinea pig and two budgies. Send email to jan@geronimos.com.