Naughty Or Nice? Getting On Santa’s Nice List
Not everyone knows this, but Santa keeps track of pups on his lists too!
Do you think your pup would make the Nice List this year? If not, here’s how you can help your pup turn things around, right in the… St. Nick of time!
Mealtime Manners
Table manners are an important part of dog etiquette! Get your pup in the running for Santa’s Nice List with some proper mealtime behaviors. Teach them to wait patiently while you prepare their food bowl and hold a command such as ‘place’ or ‘down’, until they get the go-ahead from you and dive into dinner.
Polite Greetings
Having a pup that’s eager to meet and greet new people can either adorable or challenging, depending on what you teach them! Help your pup get in the habit of holding their ‘sit’ until invited for petting – it will make going out with your pooch much more enjoyable, allow guests to say hi to your furry friend, AND get your pup closer to that spot on the Nice List!
Grooming and Bathtime
When it comes to your pup’s grooming woes this holiday season, you don’t need a miracle! Make sure your furry friend impresses Santa this year by teaching them how to cooperate bath time and tolerate grooming with confidence. Start small and be patient. Use the ‘come’ command to guide your dog to the empty tub and use ‘place’ to get them into it. Use a leash at first if needed. Repeat this until your dog is freely jumping into the empty tub. Slowly introduce turning the water on and reward them for staying in the tub.
Next, it’s brushing and nail time! Have your dog ‘place’ on something, ideally something small and tall so there is not too much wiggle room. Again, having a leash on at first will help tremendously! Reward your dog for staying still while you are holding the brush (or other grooming tool) in your hand. Build up to lightly touching them with the tool and keep giving them rewards. Gradually build up their tolerance as you repeat this process over time. Soon enough, your dog will be navigating bathtime and grooming with ease!
Coming Back When Called
Santa has high standards for pups when it comes to recall! To make sure your pup makes it onto the Nice List this year, they’ll need lots of practice over the coming weeks.
Start by calling them to you randomly in the house and rewarding them for coming all the way up to you.
Once your pooch masters coming when called at home or in your fenced yard, you can begin taking them out on their longline to more distracting outdoor areas, like parks. When your dog proves they can come when called where other dogs around or wildlife are scurrying about, Santa is sure to notice!
Leash Walking
If your pup is pulling like one of Santa’s reindeer, they may find themselves on the Naughty List this year. Get your pup ready by brushing up on their heel command and practicing their loose leash walking everywhere you go! Reward your dog for ignoring big distractions like other dogs, people, or squirrels, staying at your side, and paying attention to you until released.
No Stealing
Stealing is a big no-no! If your dog has developed a bad habit of stealing food, socks, or other items, you should begin working on it right away. First of all, don’t tempt your dog by leaving things out that you know they will want to steal when you are not supervising them! When supervising, call your dog away from any items they should not have and reward them for giving up on it. (You should do well with this if you have been working on their recalls!) Call them away from inappropriate items quickly and consistently until they get the message that that item is off limits, then you can begin using the word “leave it”. Be sure to keep an eye on them for a while. Your dog needs your help to keep them honest, and stealing can be a hard habit to kick.
With plenty of patience and praise from their owner, even naughty doggos will soon find themselves on St Nick’s good side again!
Training shows your dog what they should do in challenging situations and helps them build skills so they can make better decisions on their own in the future. Your dog needs your help with this one, so start taking a little time each day to train with your dog, and you should be able to turn things around before Santa checks his list twice.