Wolfie the Holidays Family Coming to Visit

I can just about handle Wolfie when everything is normal, but the Holidays and all my "wonderful family" is coming to visit.  How can I keep my sanity?

?The Holidays are always a crazy time, especially for all of us down in South Florida.  It seems that our guest rooms and every sofa in the house now becomes a Hilton for relatives from up north.  All our routines are messed up and our lives are turned upside down for about ten days to two weeks.  Since Wolfie likes things calm and consistent, this is not a good time for him.  Here are some ideas:

• When your family first starts to arrive, have Wolfie somewhere else during the initial "meet and greet time".  Bring Wolfie in to meet everyone after they are settled and have stopped arguing who gets to sleep where.  This will be a time where the adrenaline is lower and Wolfie will react calmly when greeting everyone.
• Tell everyone not to "make Wolfie nuts".  No "run-run, yell-yell, jump on me-jump on me" games in the house.  This is a recipe to straight disaster.
• ONLY DOGGIE FOOD for Wolfie.  Do not let anyone give Wolfie all the little goodies that are now in the house.  First of all, you arent sure if the food is good for Wolfie.  Many foods can make Wolfie sick and make a big mess in the house.  This is not a good thing with a house full of people.
• No feeding at the table.  This should have been obvious from the bullet point above, but it is something that family members love to do.  They all go home and now you have a dog that expects to get stuff from the table.  You now have a bad behavior that will take time to correct.  Just dont give Wolfie stuff from the table.
• Assign a buddy for Wolfie.  If you have some kids who are twelve years or older, ask them to be Wolfies buddy.  They are the ones who keep track of him, play with him, help feed him, and manage his time according to the rest of the activities going on in the house.
• Keep Wolfie on a leash.  If he starts to get out of hand, you can easily step on the leash and regain control.
• Manage the front door.  Put a sign on the front door that says "WHERE IS WOLFIE?".  This will make everyone aware where he is before you open the door.  If you arent watching where he is, he can easily dart out the door.  If he is close to the door when you want to open it, you can ask someone to take him to another area while the door is open.
• Include Wolfie in many of your events.  Make sure he has some presents and that he opens them with you.  Remember that Wolfie is a very social animal.  The Holidays are a social time.  Make sure that you and he enjoy the special moments!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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