WWYD? Re: Xmas Eve Gathering
 

Ask if someone else could have it at their house this year :)

Been There, Done That!!
 

We face this often with our little Bella. She loves to be around people, but I think it gets stressful after a few minutes trying to decide who she should give her attention to and trying to dodge feet, etc. I think she actually is relieved if she doesn't have to be part of a larger gathering. We have found that putting her in her expen in the bedroom with the door closed and the TV on has eliminated her barking. If she can't hear specific voices, ours, she seems to calm down. The TV masks the voices in the other parts of the house. We put food, toys, her bed, and her travel bag (her favorite safe place) in the expen with her. We let her come out when most of the people have left and it is down to the last few people. We just explained to everyone that large crowds were exhausting for her. Although they were disappointed, they understood. Everyone was very supportive. We also can peek on her through the window throughout the gathering to make sure she is okay. Each time we've checked she was dozing or watching the TV, we put Animal Planet on.
Hope this helps.:thumbup:

Makes no difference what the space is, it is always good when family gathers. I have had the same problem you are describing. Mug solution may not be right for you but I will share my solution which has worked well

First, it is Roxies's house so putting her out of the action will always be a stressor for her - therefore , the barking in the past.

Second, guest have to realize this is Roxies's house also..

I put my Cali in her playpen some where that is right in the midst of the action - she gets to know what is going on but is protected from the action and big feet.

The children have to be told that the dog is not their toy and may not be hassled, teased or otherwise abused.

Roxie will not want to be in the playpen, but you know itis the safest place for her and she will be able to sees all the action and even get a pet now and then when you pass by, and you will not be worried about her.

I also tell folks, no feeding the pup or she might get sick.

Sooooo, this works well for us. The guests now know the drill and after 3 years the kids have even grown up to be able to give her some special treats I have planned for them to give her a certain times.

Of course, anything you do must be right for you and what is important is keeping Roxie safe and comfortable.

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your family! We are looking forward to our Christmas gathering again this year -- Cali loves it!

I am in the same situation and I absolutely HATE having to put my dogs away in their own house! My niece's son is 5 now and you'd figure by now he'd not be so horrible acting . . .WRONG! Last year I tried gating them in the hallway, but they really hated that and my niece's son would purposely tease them to make them riled up . . .it was extremely stressful when nobody besides myself was telling him to knock it off.

The year prior to that, the dogs were with all of us and Brody disliked the little boy and was barking at him and every time I tried to tell him just to sit down and let Brody smell him and to pet him nice, he'd stamp his feet and scream and run from Brody just to aggravate him, Brody started to go after him and this little boy at age 3 mind you swung back his leg and was going to literally kick Brody . . .I screamed NOOOOO and picked Brody up . . I mean, really?

So, this year, they are going upstairs in my daughter's old room with the door closed so they won't be teased. They are going to hate it, but unfortunately I cannot tell my niece he's not invited (oh how I wish I could)! I don't think there is any hope for that kid if he cannot control himself in other people's homes . . .the problem is he was never told NO.

I get myself so aggravated about Christmas Eve every year and I just want it to be a night where we can all have a good time and enjoy each other as a family . . .:(

Our solution with three dogs, no matter the mix of company, is to put them in their crates in their room. And yes we get barking, which we correct. Then when things have settled (of they have settled), we bring out one dog at a time, to greet guests, and be part of the "pack". But that is when I and hubby can be there with our guests. After present opening, dinner etc. Well actually we will let out one our Magic, to be a good boy when we eat dinner. After dessert, coffee, one at a time we bring out the others.
This won't work in all situations. With stranger's small children, we simply will not bring them out. Been there, done that. Not worth it.

I so understand what you are saying.. my now DIL came with a grandson that drives me nuts,he likes to keep the dogs barking and they hate him...I can not enjoy my family for him and she is blind & deaf to anything he does...

If he comes this year i am going to lock them in another room until he is gone

Exactly! We might be talking about the same child . . .lol :p

LOL it sure sounds that way :) I love children but this one is something else, all 78 lbs

Me too! I don't know if its because I'm old now or what, but this kid . OMG he needs some self control . . .

My kids are 22 and 18 and they were very good kids, they knew how to behave not only in their own home, but out as well and all I had to do was give them the "look" when they were acting out and that was it . . .

I don't know why my niece lets him get away with all that . . .:confused: She's only asking for trouble later on . . .

Seems a lot are taking this route anymore...

I would actually put her playpen in the livingroom, where all of her human friends are. Putting her upstairs makes her feel left out (like a little kid) and I think that could be why she's yapping (barking). She's saying "Helllooooo I'm HERE!" lol!

I'd put it in the congregation area of the holiday event, and just let people know that they can reach in and gently pet her if they wish, but that you would prefer it if they would not take her out of the playpen under any circumstances. I'd also ask your brother or sister (whoever is the parent of the nieces) to have a talk with their kids about her, and make sure they adhere to your 'yorkie rules' of not taking her out.

I think she'd do better if her playpen was in the main area, so she doesn't feel like she's not being included. Maybe put an extra yummy holiday treat in there with her, or a Santa's Elf Dog to gnaw on (something new and special).

I'm not a dog expert...just adding my two cents =)

I just tick every one off right away. I anounce that the dogs are in their play pen. And have to stay there No one is allowed to feed them or pick them up. Anyone who teases them or makes them bark gets a 5 min. time out on the green chair. Be sure to state the time limit and time out place. It worked for me and mine.

My husband just carries the dog around with him the entire night. The biggest issue is little kids. They just do not want to leave him alone. Most of the time, they go away after a little gentle supervised petting. My husband once told one mother of a little girl who would not stop after we told her to over and over again that we were worried that he would bite her because he was so tired.

I was thinking of putting the playpen in the living room too. This is what we will be doing with Katie Scarlett. We want her right there with us so she can feel 'in' on the action, but no underfoot where she could be stepped on or get into things she should not. I also would let the children know that they are not allowed to play with her unless an adult is present so they won't chase her and scare her. Maybe give her a favorite treat or a new toy for a sort of 'prize' for staying in her playpen like a good girl. This is our plan. Good luck to you! And Happy Holidays!

my ollie loves people & loves being @ grandmas house, but after a few hours & a lot of comotion & a lot of people, he starts getting stresed. all he needs is the security of knowing im there, so i hold him like a baby. maybe a little unrealistic, but happens @ the end of the night. this year i plan on bringing something to hold him in, will see if it works. good luck to all of you, guess we do the best we can. i am lucky i can bring my 2 babies on christmas eve & christmas day to family. it would stress me & them more to be left for many hours. they are like toddlers & think we need to treat them the same. wish i had a new answer but don't think there is one. trial & error. merry christmas:animal36

I'm really really lucky that our Christmases are not HUGE - we just have my moms main family over (my aunt, her hubby, 2yr old, my grandma, her husband, my stepdad, mom, and young sister) and Jackson knows and LOVES them all. I would never lock Jackson up in his house because, well, it's his house before theirs, lol. Maybe that makes me crazy but I don't care. He has always enjoyed being a part of everything we do and I would never keep him from it. He also travels with me to my father's house for Christmas (we sleep there Christmas Eve).

LOL maybe we will get lucky this year and they will not come ;)

My nephew is just like that. But i know its not his or his parents fault because he has some issues. Everyone in our family knows that so we try to correct him as nice as possible. Carter hates the kid but Carter can tell theres something not right with him so he puts up with him and somehow knows exactly when to leave the room lol.

We're about to have the 1st family holiday gathering with Bailey. It will be interesting for sure. We plan to let him just hang with family. I like the idea of telling everyone no table scraps.

I've only had a couple of indoor parties and a few of direct sales parties (pampered chef, partylite, willow house) in the year I've had ZoE. I always lock her in my bedroom during these. I just move her potty pads in there and her water bowl & toys and give her a kong stuffed with something yummy.

How about locking the kid in the room and let the dog out? LOL

Gee that wasn't nice now was it? I am a preschool teacher and know just what you are talking about with the children these days....

I was wondering the same thing about what to do with Macy with 15 people here. I also had the same 15 people her at Thanksgiving and came upstairs and found the 2 year old Great Neice kicking Macy's kennel with Macy in it. I flipped out!!!!

I took the Great Niece back downstairs, got Macy put in a nother safe place..locked the door......went downstairs again and found the Great Niece WALKING on top of the antique pool table. Problem is her Grandpa put her up there to entertain her and got ticked off when I asked him to get her down. Hang on...it's going to be a wild Christmas!!! This would make an entertaining thread......"

"What are some of your family Christmas stories involving your Yorkie"

LOL sounds like a plan :D

I would definitely keep her away from the kids. On Halloween my brother, his GF and her 7 year old son came by unexpectedly. He can not be trusted with my 4. I put them all in my bedroom and told him not to go in there. That I would let him see them when I was done with trick or treaters. Well my brother and his GF sit in the kitchen, I answer the door and all of a sudden I hear one of mine yelping and running from the bedroom. My brother and GF say "kids name" leave the dogs alone, never get up etc. Well it was poor Cali who he did who knows what to. I decided then and there that I would not have Thanksgiving or Christmas at my house this year because I can't take the chance one of my babies will get hurt. It's such a shame that people can't teach their kids how to behave and respect animals and ruin things for everyone.

Lucky for us our Maggie doesn't bark at people in the house. She pretty much just does the watch-dog bark at things outside so she didn't bark during Christmas last year. We had about 15 people total and at one point we noticed she wasn't around. She is usually where the people are wanting to play or be fed treats. We found her in her crate!

We keep it in the family room and she only goes into it at bedtime. We usually have to find where she has fallen asleep and put her in. I guess she thought it was a safe place! I keep it covered with a blanket, like a bird cage so only the door side is open. It was so cute! She is 1 and a half and hasn't pottied in the house in a long time but we crate her at night because I don't know what she'd do if she had to go and I was sound asleep in bed. She does hold it forever at night. Last night she pottied around 11, went to bed in crate at midnight and at 10:30 this morning I finally opened the crate to see if she wanted to come out!

Trust me, I've thought of that!! :p

I faced this last Sunday when there were 18 people here. My older dogs just picked a corner and stayed there. Mina is 11mos old and didnt know what to do with herself. My daughters passed her back and forth to keep her off of the floor. When we ate,she was put in our bedroom (right next to the dining room) in her crate. She barked,I ignored,people made comments (if this had been a baby they wouldnt of said a word). Finally my DH went in and told her sternly "enough" and she stopped. She was pouting and not happy when dinner was over. She caught me holding the family's newest addition (baby girl),sat at my feet and growled,can you say jealous.
I know that I visited with everyone but I dont remember the conversations and when everyone but my children were gone, I passed out on the couch with Mina. We were both exhausted.
Could you put her playpen in the den so she can see what is going on? I would tell the twins "hands off". Of course the one kid in the family that would of been chasing Mina wasnt at my house,guess its easy for me to say.
Good luck,I hope that you have a nice Christmas Eve and figure out what will work best for you and your baby.