Training notes
Holiday guests and your dog
December fills the house with people your dog adores and cannot handle. The doorbell rings every twenty minutes, the coffee table holds a charcuterie board at nose height, and somebody's uncle believes turkey is a love language. We are not going to tell you to cancel Christmas. We are going to tell you to plan the first thirty seconds of it.
Last reviewed August 26, 2026
The door plan
Decide what the doorbell means before it rings.
Most holiday chaos is really door chaos. The dog that jumps on your mother-in-law at 5 pm was wound up by 4:59, waiting in the hallway while everyone fussed at the entrance. So move the job away from the door. Teach your dog that the doorbell means go to place, a mat or a bed with a clear boundary, and pay generously for staying there while the coats come off. Practise with a family member playing the guest before you try it with a real one.
Greetings happen on release, not on arrival. Once the guest is inside and seated, release your dog for a hello on four feet, then call them back before excitement tips over. If your dog cannot hold place through a knock yet, use a leash for the first evening and manage instead of hoping. A managed dog has a good night. A dog left to freelance the front hallway rehearses jumping all season and gets better at it every visit.
- Doorbell means go to place
- Greet on release, four feet
- Leash the first evening
- Rehearse before the real thing
Crate and table
The crate is a sanctuary, not a punishment.
A houseful of guests is a marathon for a dog, and even social dogs need a way out of the room. Set the crate up somewhere quieter than the party, feed dinner in it, and send your dog there for scheduled breaks with something worth chewing before they get ragged, not after. Guests will tell you the dog is fine. Guests are not watching the ears, the pacing, or the third yawn in five minutes. You are, so call the break early.
Then there is the table. Have the feeding conversation before dinner, framed as help: the dog is in training, and the way to be their favourite relative is a calm scratch after the meal, not turkey under the table. One relative slipping food teaches your dog that hovering pays, and you will spend January undoing it. If holiday manners keep collapsing no matter how you plan, our Private Training, at $150 for a single one-hour session, comes with a written plan for the week ahead, and every lesson is one-on-one, so we work on your actual hallway.
The programs
If this note hit home.
The programs below are how we turn a seasonal problem into a solved one.
SW · Weekdays, drop-off 8–10 am · pick-up 5–7 pm
Day Training
Professional training all day, your couch at night.
Includes weekly one-hour go-home lesson, daily structure
NE · 2-week board & train
On-Leash Foundations
If every walk is a wrestling match, pulling, barking, zig-zagging, this two-week program rebuilds the walk from the ground up with foundational on-leash obedience..
Includes handover lesson, follow-up session, lifetime support, slip lead + collar
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
How do I stop my dog from jumping on guests at the door?
Give the dog a different job before the door opens: a place command on a mat away from the entrance, paid well for staying put. Greet on your release, with the guest seated. Until place holds through a knock, keep a leash on for arrivals rather than repeating the jump.
Should I crate my dog when company comes over?
Yes, in planned stretches rather than as a last resort. A crate in a quiet room with dinner or a chew turns the party into background noise instead of an endurance test. Send your dog there before they unravel, and most dogs come back out better company.
How do I politely stop relatives from feeding my dog?
Have the conversation before the meal, once, and give them a replacement: they can toss a piece of the dog's own food to the mat, or offer attention after dinner. Most relatives feed because they want a relationship with the dog. Redirect the impulse instead of fighting it.
What if my dog gets overwhelmed with holiday visitors?
Watch for pacing, lip licking and an inability to settle, then end the socializing early rather than pushing through. If the stress looks bigger than one busy evening, that is worth addressing properly. Our Behaviour Rehab program is built for anxiety and reactivity, and it starts with a full assessment.
Keep reading
Plan the doorbell now
One-on-one training built around your house, your guests and your dog. Book a consultation before the season gets loud.
From real owners
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