Holiday Puppies Happen

Okay, so every dog blog written in December is all about why you shouldn’t get a puppy at the holidays.  And, honestly, you shouldn’t.  But what if you do?  I mean, seriously – that happens.  I get lots of new clients around Christmas and Hanukkah.  

If you do decide to get a puppy now, make sure you know what you’re in for.  Don’t do it because it’s a good gift and the kids will flip out. Don’t do it just for the kids – it’s always the case that mom and dad end up doing most if not all of the work, and it's a lot of work.  Having a puppy is more like having a new baby in the house than it is like anything else, and can easily be a 15 to-20 year commitment. Only get a dog if you want a dog, Mom & Dad.  Also, NEVER get a puppy for someone else.  Even if all they talk about is how much they want a dog, there’s a reason they don’t have one yet.

Something else to think about is the fact that most good breeders, and even rescues and shelters, won’t sell or adopt out dogs at the holidays because they want to avoid the “spur of the moment” buyer.  It’s often the case that holiday puppies end up back in the shelter or at the breeder a few weeks later, because what seemed like a great idea for a present turned out not to be such a great idea as a lifestyle.  Most puppies available for holiday giving will be from pet stores, and therefore (no matter what they tell you at the store) from puppy mills.  And that’s risky, at best.  They’re often inbred, poorly socialized, and more prone to genetic health problems like allergies and bad hips, or to behavioral problems like anxiety or fearfulness. 

Now that I’ve gotten my version of the surgeon general’s warning out of the way, let’s say you get your puppy anyway.  We’ll call him Fezziwig.  Here’s what you’re going to do…

No Parties!

Maintain a calm, controlled atmosphere.  Lots of excitement and new people will completely freak Fezziwig out.  That means don’t give him to the kids on Christmas morning – it’s too overwhelming.  Give him on Christmas Eve, when things are quiet and it’s just the family.  Same thing goes for Hanukkah – even though opening a box and having a puppy come leaping out sounds like great entertainment when you have the whole extended family over to celebrate; it’s not.  Fezzi’s first impression of your home and family will be a terrifying one for him.  Do it on a night when it’s just you and the kids and things are nice and quiet.  Don’t going hauling him out during every party and for every guest who comes over, either; while he’ll need socialization later on, it should happen in a calm, appropriate way so he has the chance to learn that meeting new people is a good, non-stroke-inducing thing.

Careful…

Be careful where you let Fezzi roam. At the holidays there’s usually all kinds of wrapping paper, toys, holiday plants (e.g., poinsettias and holly are poisonous to dogs), food and, ahem, adult beverages lying around.  If he gets into any of these and eats (or drinks) them, he can get extremely sick and – I hate to say it – even die.  I know – I sound like I’m being super-dramatic, but it’s totally true.  So throw your garbage away, keep the food & drink up high, keep any toys with small parts away from him, and watch him like a hawk.  Leave a leash on him whenever he’s out of his crate, so if he does start to go after something he shouldn’t have, you can use the leash to guide him away and tell him “leave it.” Once he’s away, praise and redirect him to a toy of his own. Speaking of which…

Training

Even though it’s the holidays and the kids are out of school and nothing is the way it usually is, you have to provide structure for your puppy and you should start training him immediately.  Housetraining is going to be your number one priority.  Get him on a schedule – you should be taking him out at the same times every day (if your puppy is 8-10 weeks old, he should go out every 3 hours), feeding him at the same times every day (3 times a day, 1 hour before any scheduled potty time) supervising every single second of his free time, and putting him in his crate any time you can’t supervise him.  It’s important to catch him if he starts to have an accident – tell him “no – outside!” and rush him out – so that he starts to learn that peeing and pooping in the house is wrong. 

Also get started house manners and basic obedience.  Fezzi, even at this young age, can learn a lot.  Use lots of words with him and, as long as you’re consistent, he’ll learn what those words mean and start to obey them on his own, without any help from you.  He’ll need help at first, though, so as I said above, when you tell him “leave it,” use the leash to guide him away.  If you tell him to “drop” something, say it as you’re taking the thing out of his mouth.  When you call him to “come,” call him in a happy, upbeat voice  and use the leash to reel him in if he doesn’t come to you on his own.  And finally, teach him to sit.  So easy:  just say, “Fezziwig, sit” as you place his little, fuzzy tushie on the floor, then once he’s sitting there, give him lots of praise.  Yay, sitting is awesome!  Have him sit whenever he walks up to you, before you play with him or pick him up, before you feed him, before you give him a treat, before you let him up onto furniture, and soon you’ll have the most well-mannered puppy on the block.

If all this has made you think that maybe getting a puppy right now might be harder than you thought, here’s an option:  buy a really cute leash and collar, a good book on puppies, a gift certificate for a puppy class, and a picture of a puppy from a breeder you’ve chosen.  Wrap all of them up, let the kids open those, then the whole family can go together to pick up the puppy when things have calmed down a bit.  It’s still an awesome present, it’s just a little easier for everyone – Fezziwig included!

Happy holidays!