For Thanksgiving and Christmas our day is mostly spent away from home. Isabella still gets very excited and we have not been able to get her trained well enough to take her to big family gatherings. I do not like that she has to stay home most of the day by herself. I was wondering what y'all do with y'all Goldens on Thanksgiving and Christmas?

I did a Search on this forum for "holiday boarding" and found a few links. Here's one that might offer some ideas:

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...ation-you.html (If your pup can't go on vacation with you...)

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Wendy

Now the proud Mom of Renny, gotcha-day 10/19/2012.



My beautiful Lacey, always loved, never forgotten.
- Gotcha Day April 28, 2008 at @3 years old
- Crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, at the age of @8 years old, on Sunday, August 5, 2012

My parents are elderly (86) and my dad is not in good health and will probably be coming over for Thanksgiving as they usually do. Tayla is just a year old on Saturday so she is way to wild to be around them, so unfortunately she will spend that time in her crate with a variety of very nice treats in a kong. Her crate is in the living room so she will have people around her and not isolated. Christmas is another thing. It will be our first Christmas without Cheyenne who got sick last year the day before Christmas and died a month later from a brain tumor. Not a happy time this year so we are keeping things really low key for us. We may do Christmas at my parents if we bring everything. Again, Tayla will be in her crate. Next year will be better for her.

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Barb, Rick and Tayla (STAR Puppy)



Cheyenne (CGC) and Jesse (CGC) who will be always loved and never forgotten.

It has been awhile since Tucker was little, but we always took him with us. We would bring his crate and some baby gates along and try to find a place for him at my parents. When he was out, we kept him on lead, tied to one of us. We would usually have to weather a storm of initial excitement, but eventually he would settle and just lay down at our side. We are lucky that our parents like dogs and understood he was a puppy. We did not have any really little kids (under 9), so the excitement level did not get out of hand.

Now we don't have to bring anything, as he walks into my parents, settles quickly, and lays down in the middle of everything like he owns the joint. We just have to watch him when the hor'duerves are set out on the coffee table, as he will make a move on them.

The one thing you have to consider is the energy of where you are going. My inlaws place is just too high strung for Tucker to settle quickly there. They have lots of nick nacks within tails reach, and everyone is so uptight about something getting broken. It simply isn't pleasant, so we do not bring him there.

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My father is coming to visit us for Thanksgiving (T-Minus 3 days!!!!) and while he is not elderly - he is frail from battling cancer for the past 4-5 years. As such his skin is very frail and easily torn. He's crickety and gets grumpy more easily now. Bear is only 3 months old, a total energy a spaz and I'm worried he'll annoy my dad or injure him in some way. So both my husband and I will be wearing him out extensively during this holiday and crating him while he sleeps and occassionally while he's awake with some kongs or some other puzzle toy.

For other holidays, we typically stay close to home and celebrate with dog-friendly families. You'll see the dining table packed with 15-30 people and a frenzy of wagging tails under the table or snoring on the carpet by the fire place.

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Follow Bear on Facebook!! He's Growing Up, Bear!

When Cookie was a puppy, we used to bring her and tether her near one of us with a leash stuck in a doorway or something. We brought her favorite mat, and once the initial excitement vanishes, she'd fall asleep.

A couple of things that I'll throw out there is that for some reason, lots of people will think that you are not feeding your dog enough and take it upon themselves to give leftovers to her. Too much rich food is very bad! Also, be prepared to hear training tips from anyone who has ever seen a dog. Other than that, family gatherings can be fun for puppies too.

Would your breeder take her for the day? Or a couple of days? In the first 6 months I had my puppy, I turned to my breeder, and he was always happy to look after her - and I knew she was cared for the way I would care for her. That would be my first try. Be prepared to leave her with them for more than one day - around the holidays, it might be better for someone to receive your dog the 23rd and have you pick her up the 26th.

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Tesia
"Joy and loyalty wrapped in sunshine."
The Laughing Dog Press

Sept. 21, 2000 ~ Feb. 5, 2013
My sweet, joyful, beloved heart.

If it is just for just most of the day she will be fine by herself.

We always travel during Thanksgiving and Christmas so Wyatt stays at a 5 acre horse ranch with his buds.

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We are going out of town for a week for Thanksgiving. For that timeframe, Rocket is going to stay with a friend of a friend who is a dog trainer/groomer. She has another dog of her own, and will keep him in her home.

For Christmas Eve, we'll be celebrating at home, with just my in-laws and sister-in-law. It will be interesting to see how Rocket does with all the decorations, tree, gifts, etc. But he is usually confined to the kitchen when not supervised, so it should work well. The key for us is making sure we don't get so distracted that we miss his signals to go out. And making sure he gets tons of exercise during the day before everyone comes over.

For Christmas Day, we will be at my in-laws for most of the day. Rocket will be crated at home. But they live only 1 mile away, so DH and I will probably each take a turn running home to take him out and play with him and feed him.

We are still hoping to bring him with us on our ski trip after Christmas. The in-laws are a little leary of that, though. I'm still hoping to talk them into it. If not, Rocket will have to go to the kennel.

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Tina,
Rocket, & Bruce....Gone but not forgotten.

I am so thankful for so many responses. It will only be one day that she will have to be home alone so I wouldn't want to bring her to her breeder or an unfamiliar place. My dad doesn't allow animals in the house. So she'd be outside all day and in Louisiana it may be warm enough. However, I still don't think she'd get enough attention and wouldn't be any happier tied up outside all day. I have a doggie gate at home. She could get around. I was feeling guilty to leave her there so long. I'm thinking it is best that she stay home. Isabella will be more relaxed. I have enjoyed all your stories. Feel free to keep sharing.