It’s that time of year for family gatherings and holiday parties. A well-bred, well-trained, well-socialized personal protection dog or family guard dog can easily be included in family gatherings, as long as care is taken to ensure the safety and well-being of your dog. Well-meaning but uninformed family and friends may slip your dog food that can make him very ill, including items like chocolate, cookies, cooked fat from a ham or roast, and cooked bones of any kind. Enthusiastic and excited children can bait, tease, and harass a dog, even without realizing they are doing so. What they think is “just having fun” can actually be causing great discomfort and unease to your dog (such as constantly petting or tugging on him, throwing themselves onto or flopping onto the dog, stealing his toys, poking at him, etc.).

It is important to allow your dog to have a quiet place where he can rest and withdraw from the festivities, a place where he will not be disturbed by guests, screaming children, and other pets. A crate tucked away in a bedroom or in a garage can be such a place. This is especially useful when there are large numbers of people or groups of young children running around the house excitedly, or if you are unable to supervise his interactions with guests (and their interactions with him!). Placing items like a bully stick or a Kong stuffed with treats in the crate can help entertain and occupy your family guard dog.

During this holiday season, be sure to provide your German Shepherd Dog with lots of exercise, time for supervised play and socialization, and time for rest and relaxation. Family gatherings and holiday parties can be both exciting and stressful for people as well as for dogs, and exercising and playing with your dog can help alleviate the stress and excess energy for both of you. Last but not least, be sure to reward your dog’s good behavior with healthy and appropriate dog treats. After all, he’s been a good boy this year!

We hope you and your German Shepherd Dog enjoy this holiday season together!