Black November | A Calmer Thanksgiving at Alaska Dog Works

If the holiday is the hard part

From voting day through the leftovers

Where your dog goes while you vote. What to practice the week of the meal. Guests, kids, and the counter. Then the day after, when the leftovers are still out and your dog is done with all of it. Short work you can use the same day: LEAVE IT, OFF, QUIET, STAY, and a greeting that stays on the floor.

If Tuesday is already hard

Eight episodes, in order, back to a dog you can live with

Start with what the behavior actually is. Let go of the idea that this dog is broken. Build a recall that holds, and a reward that still means something when people are in the house. Then nights, noise, and a dog who has had enough of the room. The last episode is for people ready to keep going, including the Black Friday training offer.

Listen in the order that matches your dog

Each date is a Dog Works Radio episode and a short piece you can use the same day. When it is up, the links to listen and to read will be right here.

Mon, Nov 2

Cast Your Ballot, Leave the Dog at Home: Why Polling Stations Are a No-Pet Zone

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. A polling place is not a training field, not a photo stop, and not a place for a vest you bought online. What to do with your dog while you vote, and why “he’s friendly” is not a plan.

Read it

Tue, Nov 3

Turkey Day Prep: Getting Your Dog Ready for the Big Meal

Before the house fills up, decide where your dog will actually be while you cook, what you will practice this week, and which foods never become a reward.

Tue, Nov 10

Guests, Kids, and Chaos: Managing a House Full of People

Doors, kids, and the guest who thinks jumping is affection. How to greet people with four paws on the floor, and how to give your dog a quiet place to leave the party. That spot is part of the plan.

Tue, Nov 17

Table Manners and Counter Surfing: Surviving the Feast

A roll hits the floor. A plate sits on the edge of the counter. Begging worked last year. This is LEAVE IT, OFF, and ENOUGH, practiced before the bird is on the table, not during the toast.

Wed, Nov 18

Paint It Black

When Behavior Goes Dark: Why Dogs Act Out and How to Fix It

When the behavior looks bad, start by naming what is actually happening. Most of the time it is not a mystery, and the first fix is not another gadget.

Thu, Nov 19

Black Dog

The Black Dog Myth: Why Your Dog Isn’t Broken, Just Misunderstood

Your dog is not broken. This conversation puts that story down, so the work that follows has somewhere to land.

Fri, Nov 20

Black Betty

Bam-Bam-Bam: The Rhythm of Recall and Impulse Control

Come when called, and the pause before the bad decision. The rhythm is short reps, not a lecture in the kitchen.

Sat, Nov 21

Black Magic Woman

The Magic of Positive Reinforcement: Turning Tricks into Trust

A reward can build a dog you can live with, or a trick that falls apart the minute the guests walk in. This is the difference.

Sun, Nov 22

Black Night

Surviving the Black Night: Managing Anxiety, Fear, and Nighttime Chaos

Pacing, barking, and a house that will not settle after dark. What helps on those nights, and what makes them longer.

Mon, Nov 23

Black Hole Sun

When the World Feels Too Bright: Sensory Overload and the Overstimulated Dog

Noise, smell, people, and a dog who is already done with the room. Turn the volume down before you ask for manners.

Tue, Nov 24

Black

Black as in Loyal: The Bond That Outlasts Every Problem

Loyalty is not a dog who never struggles. It is you staying in the work after the easy part is over.

Tue, Nov 24

After the Feast: Recovery, Leftovers, and a Calm Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. This one is for the leftovers, the long walk that lets the day drain out, and a quieter house through the weekend.

Wed, Nov 25

Back in Black

Back in Black: Your Dog, Rebooted — and the Black Friday Offer

What this month was for, and how to hear about the Black Friday training offer before it opens to everyone on Friday, November 27.

November 24 has two pieces. One is about staying in the work. One is for the leftovers and the quieter weekend after.

Pick the path that matches the dog in your kitchen

If the holiday is the problem, stay with those episodes. November 3, November 10, November 17, and November 24. Do the short practice in the piece the same day. Five minutes of LEAVE IT with a boring piece of kibble will do more than a speech about being thankful.

If your dog is already having a hard time on an ordinary Tuesday, start November 18 and stay in order. A sale will not fix a recall. The work will. The offer at the end is for people who are ready to keep going.

Leave the dog at home when you vote. A service dog is a legal category, not a vest from the internet. If that is the question you are actually asking, start with how we evaluate and match dogs, then book a call. This page will not sort that out for you.

Hear about it before everyone else.

Join the Alaska Dog Works list. It is the same note more than 6,000 dog owners already get. You will hear about the Black Friday training offer before it opens to everyone on Friday, November 27.

Holiday already more than you want to handle? Book a strategy call. Text 206-752-3647. [email protected]

A calmer Thanksgiving. First word on Black Friday.