Ok I know I am going to be hated for bringing up the word xmas but I would like some advice. We are contemplating having a xmas eve party. Rolo is 18 weeks old and I think he is a really good boy, he gets very excited when new people come in the house, jumping up etc. Some of people we are inviting have not met Rolo so want to really show people how good he is. He is a huge pincher, will take anything that hasn't been screwed down! There will be a buffet kind of affair so lots of food, I can put Rolo in the kitchen when the majority of the eating is happening. I am thinking about things I can train Rolo now that will help when the time comes. I dont think he knows "Bed" he gets in there for his kong and we always say "in your bed" but I do think that may be a fluke. Any guidance will be gratefully received. Kris
Re: Xmas party We have had a couple of parties since we got Inca and she has been amazingly well behaved at both. Before the first I was quite worried with visions of her being totally over-excited and whizzing round like a maniac but she seems to treat parties as the time to bring out her best manners. I'm not sure I can think of anything specific to teach Rolo. Inca is often in the same room as us during meals but has learnt to lie down quietly while we are eating. She's never been fed from the table and I don't think she associates the two. I suppose the most useful thing we have taught her so far around food is 'leave it'. She understands this and does obey it when we put food on the coffee table or other surfaces. This may change as she hits teenage years!
Re: Xmas party Charlie used to be a bit of a nightmare at parties but only for the sad people that aren't capable of juggling a plate of food, a wine glass, and 28kg of labrador licking their ears all at the same time. I've always managed that just fine, so I'm at a loss as to why some people find it difficult. : Anyway, until people learned to cope with this simple task, Charlie started his social party life on a lead. With regular breaks to eat frozen kongs in his pen. Gradually less pen time, and more off lead time when everyone understands the meaning of "if you ignore the dog, he will ignore you. But if you say "HELLO CHARLIE!" in an excited voice, he'll jump all over you. Which is fine, so long as you can manage your wine glass at the same time". My friends are mostly well trained now, but I still have a problem with my SIL, who persists in holding an irrational view that dogs shouldn't lick ears, but other than that's we're pretty much sorted.
Re: Xmas party Hah, Julie, that made me laugh If you want to train "in your bed", you can do it by throwing a treat into the bed and, as he moves towards it, say "in your bed". As his feet go onto it, click (or say "good"). Once he has the hang of that, just pretend to throw the treat, then just point. Only say "in your bed" when he's moving towards it until he's bullet-proof about going in there. Remember to use a release cue to let him leave it. When we've had people round for dinner when we just had Willow, we let her say hello and have cuddles, but when the food came out, she went into her crate and stayed there until after the meal. We've not attempted it with two of them yet!
Re: Xmas party My advice would be to avoid any food that could be a hazard to dogs. No things on toothpicks, no skewers, no chicken bones.... People will leave these things at dog height and Rolo might decide it's his duty to clean them up. Also, Rolo will need a special, festive Xmas Party Collar.
Re: Xmas party [quote author=Oberon link=topic=8892.msg126440#msg126440 date=1416901274] Also, Rolo will need a special, festive Xmas Party Collar. [/quote] Or a Santa hat. Or reindeer antlers. Or both.
Re: Xmas party [quote author=Oberon link=topic=8892.msg126440#msg126440 date=1416901274] Also, Rolo will need a special, festive Xmas Party Collar. [/quote] Wow never thought about that. That is my job for today. I'm also thinking lots of exercise during the day and a big bone to keep him busy. Getting quite excited now. Thanks for all the great tips guys. Rudolph (Rolo I mean lol)
Re: Xmas party We've not had a party with Holly, but had several with Tammy. Teaching the dog to go to bed is really useful, especially if you put the bed somewhere "safe" so that it's away from the partygoers. We used to put Tammys bed on the landing so she had somewhere to retreat if it all became too exciting. A child gate is also useful. It's equally important to brief the guests. If they get the dog excited then they deserve to get wet ears, spilled drinks or stolen snacks. The advantage of having Tammy at parties was that we never had food trodden into the carpet. She was the ultimate intelligent Hoover. She was also a very useful for breaking the ice.
Re: Xmas party [quote author=Hollysdad link=topic=8892.msg126461#msg126461 date=1416903430] The advantage of having Tammy at parties was that we never had food trodden into the carpet. She was the ultimate intelligent Hoover. She was also a very useful for breaking the ice. [/quote] I didnt realise how true this was until my old dog passed away.
