‘Tis the Season: How to Holiday-Proof Your Pets

photo: AdobeStock

The holiday season often means guests and gatherings, which can be stressful for our household pets. But with planning, practice, and clear expectations for all involved, the holidays can be a wonderful time for everyone, including our furry family members. Attaining that goal means making sure pets have a safe space and that visitors understand the rules. 

Looking back at my life before I became a dog trainer, I cringe at some of the ideas I had about helping animals feel safe. For example, we adopted a cat in 2012, a beautiful Maine Coon mix. We were her fourth home, and she was incredibly shy at first. She didn’t jump onto high spots, didn’t know what cat treats were, and spent a lot of time cowering under the bed and couch. 

I had the (terrible) idea that being petted often by me and my friends would make her more social. This was not successful. She eventually learned to tolerate my wife and me but hid when we had visitors. 

A few years later, in 2015, I started down the path of becoming a dog trainer. As part of this experience, I had the opportunity to train our cat through the Karen Pryor Academy. I taught her to sit, come on cue, enter a box, and sit on a coaster. She also had a target stick that she would whack with her front paw. This is what ultimately made our cat more confident - providing choice and rewarding the behaviors she offered.

But just when I thought we had achieved success, our doorbell rang to announce a visitor and I saw what had been my very confident cat zoom under the bed.

My stomach turned as I realized that her fearful behavior was a result of not feeling safe in her own home with strangers present. I made a resolution to help her gain confidence in all situations.

My first step was to outfit our bedroom to meet her needs with food, water, scratch post, and litter box. Once she was able to hang out in the bedroom alone, I began removing her to the bedroom when visitors arrived. When people asked about the cat, I explained she was in the bedroom and that she preferred alone time.

Much to my annoyance, one of our guests visited her after using the bathroom. When she returned, she proudly told us, “The cat let me pet her.” I still wince when I think about that intrusion into her safe space. 

The next time we had a dinner party, I was clearer in my directions. When the invitation was issued, I stated, “The cat does not enjoy the company of strangers. Should she make an appearance, please ignore her.” I repeated that request the day of our dinner party. I put signs on the bedroom door for people to keep out, and whenever anyone headed for the bathroom, I reminded them of our house rules.

It took a while to establish our new policy with visitors. I must admit that we also made an example of the friend who secretly petted the cat by no longer inviting her to our home. This may sound cold, but if you can’t follow the house rules, you are not welcome. 

Over several years, our cat gained more confidence with visitors, though we always put her in the bedroom when any service people are present to prevent miscommunication. Some guests have been invited back more often because they are so gracious in following our rules (pro tip: if you want to help your animals feel safe with visitors, invite a positive reinforcement dog trainer for dinner). It makes my heart sing that the cat no longer worries about visitors. Despite my missteps along the way, our home is now her place of safety. 

photo: Alisha Ardiana

All this meant we were well prepared with a solid guest template when we adopted our Papillon last year. Anyone who is invited to visit is told well in advance: “Please understand that our dog is ambivalent about strangers. Unless she jumps into your lap, please do not touch her. And please ask if you can share your food with her.”

We have learned to put her toys and balls away when guests are with us as it’s too tempting for people to try to remove them from her mouth. As with our cat, we put her in the bedroom whenever service people are present. 

But we’ve also taught her that company can be fun. Guests provide a great opportunity for her to show off her tricks, and as a smart-as-a-whip Papillion she has many. She loves to perform turn, down, up, and fist bump - all maneuvers we learned from the book “Tricks in the City” by Sassafras Lowrey. 

We also keep bowls of dog treats out so our guests are able to give her something size appropriate. Yes, she would love to share their prosciutto, but the pieces my friends want to give her could blow her caloric needs for the day. She’s a tiny thing after all. 

We’ve also taught her the cue “find it,” meaning she has to locate the item we show her. We then invite our guests to hide their keys, and they squeal with delight when this little puffball is able to locate them effortlessly (learn more about this game in “Canine Kingdom of Scent” by Anne Live Kvam). 

As the holidays approach, I doubt that we’ll have any big parties or gatherings this year. But it’s nice to know that if we decide to do something spontaneous, all the members of our household will have had lots of practice and experience with visitors. 

The holiday season should be fun for everyone - pets included.