I “love” my hot dog costume…
JJ: I am almost out of firsts, and that makes me sad. I have one more major holiday on my list of firsts (Thanksgiving), followed by my first birthday (12/22). Although it won’t be my first Christmas, I don’t remember much about last year’s Christmas, given I was three days old.
Alanis: Christmas around here is special, JJ – our parents leave us for two days straight and try to make up for it with toys and treats. You know, stuff we get every day regardless if it is Christmas.
JJ: Now, now, Alanis – be more appreciative! We will get to Christmas some other time – I recently had my first Halloween, and Mommy put me in Jeter’s hot dog costume from when he was a baby…
Alanis: Very sentimental!
JJ: Daddy actually bought me a prisoner’s costume but they had trouble getting it on me.
Alanis: For a dog that is always on the move, you are extremely patient – you let them put stuff on you and don’t make any fuss. They towel you off after being outside in the rain and you don’t make any fuss. Why is it that you don’t fuss?
JJ: Training! My trainer emphasized stuff like being comfortable when being touched by humans. It has translated to when they put costumes, towels, etc. on me. I just don’t care.
Alanis: Now about Halloween: A lot of kids came to the door this year!
JJ: It was funny because it forced Daddy to work hard to give candy to the kids with you and I hanging around by the door.
Alanis: I kept barking and you just wanted to play with them.
JJ: Thankfully, I was on a leash.
Alanis: Thankfully, I have some DISCIPLINE and sat and stayed when Daddy told me to!
JJ: Yeah, there’s no fun in that…
Alanis: From what I understand, Jeter ran out the door on his first Halloween!
JJ: Really?
Alanis: Yep! As Daddy tells the story, he ran out, said high to a few kids and ran right back in. As I keep telling you, Jeter had a reputation as the world’s most obedient dog. Even at such a young age, Daddy just had to call his name and he was back in the front door.
JJ: Can you imagine if I was able to get out the front door?
Alanis: You would be ten miles away within five minutes. Our parents never want to see you get loose. It would become a party!
JJ: Daddy likes to keep the candy near the door for easy access – couldn’t do it this year because of the presence of ME!
Alanis: Everyone should know that JJ is their first Golden Retriever who has an interest in climbing on counters and trying to steal whatever he can get his paws on. He has accomplished some “amazing” things.
JJ: I am such a naughty little boy…
Alanis: You WERE a naughty LITTLE boy. Now, you ARE a pain-in-the-ass BIG boy!
JJ: Oh, quiet. In my world, everything is a party and everything in the house belongs to ME. I don’t care what it is – MINE! Stuffed animals? MINE! Paper bowls? MINE! Cheese? MINE!
Alanis: It is so much fun trying to show you how to be a dog around here. In one ear, out the other…
JJ: Actually, it never even makes it into my ears at all!
Alanis: True that.
JJ: We watched a Halloween marathon this year and I determined that I am too young for Michael Myers. He wasn’t dog-friendly!
Alanis: He wasn’t anything friendly.
JJ: So traumatizing – too traumatizing for a young dog like me. Why watch that stuff with a young dog in the house?
Alanis: Because Daddy is stupid.
JJ: Oh well, Halloween came and went – several kids to greet, a costume to wear, and a worn out puppy at the end of the day.
Alanis: The last part was the best part for me. A break from JJ’s late-night shenanigans!
JJ: You don’t get many of those…
Me: As I like to say, no two Goldens will ever be alike. JJ is a wild child, yet he has taken well to his training – it just requires a lot of reinforcement. The fact that he doesn’t mind having a costume being placed on him or having a towel on him to wipe him off is a very good thing that will have practical use throughout his life when he goes to groomers, gets his nails clipped, or when a vet needs to position him for an X-Ray or any procedure. You would think his high energy ways would mean he would hate anything that holds him back from wanting to “zoomie” his way around the house, but it just isn’t the case.
Halloween is always a tricky day because there are many ways it can be bad for your dogs – from the chocolate candy that may be easier for them to get to all the way to the constant opening of the door to hand out that candy. While it may seem as if I was giving JJ full freedom based on the above, that isn’t REALLY true – he was on a leash during trick-or-treat hours. Alanis does love to bark, but also a solid stay command that keeps her in check. If your dog is acting crazy at the sound of the doorbell or the knocking of the door, your #1 priority is to keep them SAFE – even if it means not opening the door. If you must crate them or put a barrier up in front of the door, do it. It may be harder with a Golden than it would be with a smaller dog – but you have to do what you have to do. Especially with a dog who has never experienced that type of activity before.
I took JJ and Alanis for a long walk earlier in the day (trick-or-treat in my town is actually on October 30th every year) in a further effort to knock some of the energy out of them. For JJ, does it work? Maybe. Even reducing his energy level by 2% is probably worth it. A walked dog is typically a calmer, less-stressed dog. I also had toys out and did whatever I could to keep them as distracted as possible.