Is this a yawn, or a stress yawn? If it was your dog, you should know.
Advocate - to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly:
With the holiday season upon us; we (as k9 guardians) need to be very aware of our dogs. We humans will celebrating and making merry and not all dog are comfortable doing the same.
So what does advocating for your dog mean? Simply put, it means that you know your dog and you have their back.
Many dogs:
Are not comfortable around strangers.
Do not want strangers touching them.
Are not accustom to children being around.
Don’t do well in crowds.
Are highly reactive and/or defensive.
May not be well socialized.
Do not have a whole lot of training under their belts.
Still need 100% supervision.
All of this means that our dogs need us to step up and advocate for them. But, it can be a difficult thing to tell family and friends “don’t.” Saying “don’t touch, don’t look and ignore” can be very difficult but we must. Even when you are not in your own home, you should be advocating for your dog. I am often asked if people can touch my dogs and I tell them “that one, yes, the other, no.” Then if I get the chance I will explain how you should approach a dog and their person; which is to never reach out to touch. (More on that in this blog)
If your dog is an overly excitable type with strangers in your home (a good problem); then you need to ask the people coming into your home to ignore the dog. There is nothing worse than someone coming into your home; ramping up your dog with squeals of excitement; then turning around and complaining that your dog is jumping all over them. If this scenario is all too familiar then you must advocate for your dog.
Ask the visitor to ignore your dog; then you take the reins and get your dog under control. Of course this means that you will have done an immense amount of training before hand. You cannot expect your dog to behave and perform behaviors that they don’t fully understand. If you have not done your training then leash your dog. Your dog, your job to control them…it is not your visitors job.
If your dog is simply not comfortable around strangers coming into your home; put them safely away somewhere that they feel comfortable. Turn a t.v. or radio on in the room where they are staying to add a sort of “sound machine” for their relaxation.
Never push your dog into a situation that they are not comfortable in. If you do it will almost always backfire and land you in a far worse situation. The bottom line is that we have our dog’s backs. That means knowing who they are, what they are comfortable with and then supporting them.
It is your job to protect your dog at all costs.
This means not allowing your house guests free access to your dog/s without your strict supervision.
If your dog needs help in this department, start training today. Hire a trainer who truly understand dog behavior and uses positive methods of training and behavior modification. If your dog does not like strangers; then find a training facility with multiple trainers. As I always say…
“You cannot use the general public as your guinea pigs.”