Traveling:

• If you are driving, for the most part, power through and just worry about getting there. If it’s a longer drive, be sure to give your dog potty breaks as needed. For really long trips, on potty breaks make sure to give your dog time to stretch their legs and get some of their energy out before loading back up and continuing on your journey.
• Adaptil – You can get the little spray bottles of Adaptil and spray it on their bedding in the car before you leave or they make Adaptil collars that might be a good option. This is a natural calming pheromone based spray and will help them relax in the car and it’s not detectable to humans so you won’t smell it. This is available on Amazon or in most pet stores.
• Confinement in the car – For their safety and yours it’s best to have your dog confined in some way in the car, either a seat belt tether or a crate. It stops them from being as large of a potential distraction and if there’s an accident being confined is safer than being loose.
• Thunder shirts can help reduce their anxiety levels
• If your pup has severe travel anxiety ask your vet for recommendations

During the festivities:

• Place – If your dog has a solid “go to place” behavior, holiday get-togethers are a great time to use it! Send your dog to their place and give them a nice pacifier to keep them occupied. 
• Advocate for your dog – if they don’t want to interact with your guests or they’re over excited about getting to interact with guests, instruct your guests to ignore them. Keep them on leash if necessary and help them succeed.
• Breaks for the dog – If you see your dog getting a little overwhelmed, stressed, or over excited then give your dog a break. Let them go in their crate, another room, or outside to decompress from the situation. You can give them a pacifier of some sort so they have something to expend their energy on. Additionally, if you’re tired of managing your dogs feel free to put them away for a while so you can just relax and enjoy your holiday!
• When guests come in, have your dog on a leash to prevent them from trying to go out the door if necessary. Then, keep your dog moving until they’re able to decompress from the excitement and stress of the people arriving and either greet them politely or ignore them. This might take a few minutes per guest.

If you have fragile guests, keep your dog on leash to protect them.

Pacifier recommendations:

Frozen Kong/Toppl – You can fill them with cream cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, pumpkin, cheese wiz, or any combination of them and stick them in the freezer for a few hours so it takes longer for your dogs to get through it. Both are available on Amazon or in pet stores as well as here at the school in our retail section.

Cow Ears – No odor, not greasy, and fully digestible so they’re a great option for a easy chew for your dogs. These don’t last as long as frozen pacifiers usually but they’re cheap and easy to let your dogs chew on for awhile. We sell these in the school as well or you can find them online.