Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

Is Your Puppy Company Ready, Or Will They Be The Holiday Horror?

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 33

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Is Your Puppy Company Ready For The Holidays?

The holidays don’t have to turn your living room into a zoo. We break down a humane, step-by-step playbook to keep your dog calm, guests comfortable, and memories photo-ready—from nail grinding and fresh coats to clear house rules that prevent door dashes, food theft, and accidental scratches. With years of grooming and behavior know-how, we walk through real-world solutions that work when the doorbell won’t stop ringing and the kitchen’s in full swing.

We start with stress signals most owners miss, then map out the home setup that changes everything: quiet zones with crates or bedrooms, posted rules for guests, and simple gear like gates, leashes, and place cots. You’ll hear how to protect a puppy’s schedule, when to invite your dog into the action, and when to give them a break. We also share a practical training plan you can run between toasts—short reps of sit, down, stay, and place—so your dog learns to greet politely and settle amid the bustle. For families with kids visiting, we outline a fast meet-and-greet script, kid-safe petting rules, and the non-negotiable moments to step in before excitement turns risky.

As the calendar flips, we prepare for New Year fireworks with a calm routine, early vet consults for meds if needed, and sound-dampening strategies that actually help. Our approach is simple: choose humanity over vanity, support the dog you have, and design the room so good choices are easy. By the end, you’ll know how to balance hospitality with safety, use the chaos to sharpen your training, and avoid the holiday horror story that lives in family photos for years. If these tips help, subscribe, share with a friend who hosts, and leave a quick review so more pet parents can have a calmer season.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started. Who let the dogs go? Who let the dogs go?

SPEAKER_01:

Holiday guests are coming. Is your puppy ready to shine or destined to cause chaos? Welcome back, everyone. I am Sophia Yuvet, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. How's it going today, ladies? It's great. How about you? Great and great to be back with you both today. Now, today's question is: Is your puppy company ready or will they be the holiday horror? Let's dive in.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, let's do that. Let's let's paint the holiday scene just really quickly. You've got guests coming, uh, you've got food cooking, you've got kids running around that you don't normally have of all ages.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh probably hopped up on sugar.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. You got soda, you got drinks, you got alcohol, uh, you've got a dog who may or may not be ready for what you're prepared to do. So we need to be sure that your home is ready and prepped. Uh uh, because I the otherwise it's just it's it's chaos. Chaos. Preparing your dog is just as important as preparing your home. So uh number one, understand your dog's holiday stress. Yeah. Know your dog. You know if you've got a puppy, if you've got loud noise problems, you know if you've got food issues, allergy issues. Um, you know if your dog uh is acting normal, uh, if they're uh scared by panting or they're nervous or they're jumping up and down, or you may just have a dog who jumps on everybody and who barks at everything. And if that's the case, uh, that's not going to be pleasant for your guests. So you really want to make it pleasant for them. But you're the if you've got loud obnoxious dogs, it's it's good for you to kind of learn how to rein them back. If you've got dogs that are nervous or bitey, uh, you want to know how to be able to better prepare them for what's about to come because unlike us, we sign up for the chaos. They do not. So grimming prep. Grimming matters. 100%. Grimming matters. Um some of the do's and don'ts.

SPEAKER_03:

You don't want, you know, Aunt Ronnie saying, Oh my god, when's the last time you groomed your dog? You don't want that.

SPEAKER_02:

And you don't want grandma going, oh my god, can I have a band-aid? Because Bunny jumped on me and sliced my arm open. So literally people have thin skin. So get your get your dog's nails grinded down, get them smooth and soft, put them in a cage if they're jumping, uh, make sure they smell, you know, good, make sure that they feel good to touch. You don't you don't want to be that person. You don't want to be the person that everybody talks about for a whole year. And keep in mind, people are gonna be taking photos. So you're gonna have you're gonna have a reminder of what you did with your dog. Um, we talked a little bit about travel in our last podcast. So uh revert back to that if you have any travel questions. Travel is a big deal if you're traveling with your dog or boarding, yeah. Uh let's do for let's prepare for some guests in our home because now we have them. Um, one thing you can do is just prepare a calm area for your dog. Um, it could be a bathroom, it could be an upstairs, you know, kids' room that you don't want him in. Or even a bedroom, your bedroom, a kennel, a crate. Um, you know, give them a quiet space so they feel safe. Yeah, that doesn't mean they they can't be part of the holiday, but yeah, give them a place to go later.

SPEAKER_03:

Tell family, like, hey, if he goes in there, do not chase him, especially young kids. Yeah. Um, because we don't want them to bite anybody either.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we we definitely need to do that. Um we be careful if you're people opening doors. If you have a bolter or a runner, you know, you don't you don't want your dog running away on the holidays. That's not fun. Um be careful what you're serving, know what's coming in and coming out. Because if it drops on the floor, so during dinner you might want to lock your dog up. Um we've got uh company situations that may or may not be different for for certain people. Training, if you can work with your dog about not holding, that would be great. Sit, stay, place down, really try to enforce these. And if you're just learning these with your dog, go ahead and and try to embrace that, right? Let's let's take this a great time to do it when you have some um other distractions around. It's really going to help you and your dog in a situation outside your home. It's a great way to invite um all of the abnormalities that you need for having a well-trained dog and you're inviting it into your house. So use it as a strategic plan to really lock home your training stuff. So that's just a fun thing I like to do because I like to show off how smart my dog is. But um I we've got holiday foods and hazards. We have another podcast on that on things that you can, you know, feed and and not feed. Yeah. Special needs dogs. Um, you know, they need a quieter space that just try, dust not introduce them to everybody in the family right now.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Um especially if you have an overly anxious pup.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And and I just got a new puppy, and everybody wants to pick up the dog, and the dog needs rest. He's on a very strict schedule because I want him to be potty trained and eat the right things at the right time. I need to know what's going in so I know when it's coming out. Um, and so I have to tell people leave the puppy alone. Stop playing with the puppy. Don't pick up the puppy.

SPEAKER_03:

Just tell me to stop playing with the puppy. I was very sad.

SPEAKER_02:

Don't look at the puppy.

SPEAKER_03:

I was very sad.

SPEAKER_02:

So, you know, have some have some boundaries and and stick to them. That's a it's a really good um thing to keep up and keep in mind when you're there. And you can post those to uh someplace where people can read them if you have something that's really specific, like keep door closed, dog will run. Um or just keep the door locked. And then the I would say one of the biggest, uh, and then I'll see if you have any questions for me, Sophia, but um, is is children. Children, children, children situation. The children, the children scare me. If you have children and you have animals, it's less likely that you have this problem. But your children are probably used to your animals, and your animals are used to your children. Not all children play appropriately with animals. They pull and tag, uh, they they get those tails, they get the ears. Uh, and dogs that are typically very, very nice, all dogs bite. Number one rule, all dogs bite. If it has teeth, it's gonna bite. So it can bite. If you're pulled in the wrong way, if that dog, if that kid is screaming or crying, or even if they're running and they run and trip over the dog or step on its foot or catch it in the door, that dog's gonna turn, it's gonna react. And you don't want to have a kid bitten in the face or the arm or the leg by what is Especially on a holiday, a really sweet dog. And it's, you know, a genuine accident, but it's you're asking for that accident to happen if you don't learn how to ring that back. So um customize your dog to children if they're not there and if you don't know whose kids are coming, take some time. Uh, show off your dog, show off your dog skills and and say, look what my dog can do. And let's have all of the kids come in kind of a meet and greet uh and go over the the soft rules. And if you see those are being broken, then then stop them immediately and separate the two.

SPEAKER_01:

How can owners balance holiday chaos while keeping their puppy calm and well groomed? How do you manage that?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh it's there's really no managing a chaotic um it's chaos is exactly what it sounds like. It's embrace the chaos. Yes, it's learning how to pivot and move with it. So knowing that the holidays, it's kind of like a wedding. It's never gonna go as planned. It just isn't. What you think is going to happen isn't. Um that perfect turkey, the fryer working on time, the oven may quit, people are gonna be late, they're gonna be leaving early, or vice versa. And then you're gonna have the one person, get the food ready yet. Yeah, and can I bring my 18 children that I forgot to mention I have? You know, it's it there are so many unknowns that you just cannot prepare for it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

If you if you prepare for everything that's there, you're gonna drive yourself crazy. So just learn to embrace what you what you and your dog can handle. And if you've gotten to a point where you're like, I can't handle this. If you're stressed, your dog is going to be stressed. If you're stressed, prepping and getting ready. Our holiday time here, our dogs that are typically just very good dogs, beautiful, beautifully well behaved. They come in, tails tucked, ears down, shaking, they hate life. You know, mom has cleaned their beds, they've washed everything that they own. They put up this weird-looking tree. They've decorated that you know, you can't come in this room because we've mopped, the Zoom is going 24-7.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, there's food out. There are so many things that you're doing and prepared. You're gone more often, you're home more often, whatever it is, it's different. And anything that's different to a normal routine for your dog, it's not going to set well. Um, whether it's anxiety-based or happy-based, you know, overly excited is not good either. Um, if piddles pitls, every time somebody comes in, well, piddles doesn't need to be at the door at all.

SPEAKER_03:

Nobody wants to slip in pee on a hobby.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So that's where like the quiet space and things like that where they can have their own space, they can feel safe in their own home.

SPEAKER_02:

And knowing their limits, yeah, you need to know that before. So just prepare for chaos. And if you have a nice, sweet, awesome, non-chaotic Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve. Um, I'm gonna touch a little on New Year's Eve. I know we're getting close, but um, be be aware too of loud noises. A lot of dogs that are afraid of loud noises, prepare first. Um, I I like to put on some music or start early. Um, some people do the CBD for their dogs or get something from the vet to kind of just kind of mellow them out before they're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_03:

If you need something from the vet, make the appointment now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, get it, get it early.

SPEAKER_03:

Get it early.

SPEAKER_02:

And go ahead and prepare your quiet time, turn your TV up loud so it drowns those out. So it's as normal of a routine as normal uh for them. So uh not not a lot of people do fireworks on New Year's, but some people have it at their house. And yeah, I know it scares a lot of dogs. So either way, embrace the chaos. Do not let your your dog be the holiday whore. Do not let don't be that person in the picture. Don't let grandma be mad about it five years down the road. It's not a good place to be, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, ladies. Well, thank you both for sharing these helpful tips. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_02:

You're welcome. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009. To schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails whacked.