Santa Paws

Letters to Santa

While humans either do or do not believe in Santa, Christmas Spirit, or Holiday Miracles, these are not really concepts that dogs understand. So the idea of writing a letter to Santa Paws may not be enticing for everyone. That's totally OK if this is not the holiday tradition for you! For me this is more of a special time where I try to place myself in my dog's place and think about what they really want. Instead of approaching Christmas for my dogs as what I might buy for them and put in their stockings and under the tree, I try to think about what my dogs would ask for if they could have anything. 

Azul's Wish List

Azul is a dog of strong opinions and he never hesitates to share his opinion with those around him. His big smile and high wagging tail tells others he is happy to see them. His stare that beams directly into my sole with quick glances towards the door tells me he's ready to go outside for sniffs and/or fun. 

If Azul could ask for anything in the world it would be to have snow on the ground. He loves to go when it's snowing hard and come in almost completely white. As a Husky mix he was bred for winter weather. Azul is way more active in the winter months and there is nothing more appealing to him that a great sniff-a-bout in a new place or someplace he hasn't been in awhile. We haven't been doing this as much as we used to since it hard to do with 2 dogs on slippery surfaces. But I do hope to get Azul out and at least a few sniff-a-bouts each week since they make him so happy. Often on sniff-a-bouts through woods and fields, Azul will come across some type of remains left behind by the coyotes and other wildlife. His favorite find is deer legs or any bones with fur. Azul will gladly carry these items back home or to the car, even if it's a mile or more. Once home he will enjoy it for awhile, then leave it on the porch or edge of the driveway where he could find it again later. This becomes the gift that keeps on giving for a very long time.

Those are his top 3 list items, but this year I think I've found a few other things that he will love. Since it gets dark so early in the winter, Azul learned to get his zoomies out chasing a green laser around the yard. But his old one is not working very well. This year he is getting a new one to share with Belle. He will also be getting a new tug toy or two and some fun food puzzles. But most of all, he will be getting lots of belly rubs and cuddles this holiday season. 

Belle's Wishlist

Belle's biggest desires are easy...More than anything she wants to be so close to her people that she is always touching someone. She also loves treats. All treats! The more the merrier! Last year we pretty much got Belle just before Christmas and she received a large Lamby (Lambchop toy). Daddy likes to give the dogs special treasures each night that contain some type of meat jerky and a few other smaller treats. Belle's treasure is always in the form of a puzzle or challenge and her Lamby was always laid on the top. Over the last few months, Azul & Belle have been playing tug with Lamby so it torn to shreds. She is getting a new for Christmas and I can't wait to see her face when her torn shreds turn into a new Lamby. I'm curious if she will recognize the stuffed animal or not care at all. Belle also would ask to play with her people doing most anything, but her favorite thing is ball. Recently I accidently broke both of our chuck-it flingers and my throwing arm only sends balls 10-15 ft. She wants to chase those balls and I want to watch her enjoy catching them so a new ball flinger as well as lots of new balls is on the top of the list for both of us.

In addition to those top 3, Belle also loves food toys, especially things that can be flung around to make kibble fall out. There will be a few of these in her stocking for sure and that will go really good with all the treats she is hoping to get. She also found a stuffed animal ram that has really long fur that she fell in love with on one of shopping trips. Bottom line is that no matter what Belle gets for Christmas, she is going to love ripping the wrapping paper and finding new things to enjoy.

In our house Christmas morning is very low key now that everyone is adults so the dogs will open presents one at a time throughout the day. Whenever they seem to be bored or needing a new adventure they will get another present to unwrap. We will likely start the morning with a special snuffle box filled with holiday goodies.

Template Help

If you would like to use my template to write a letter to Santa Paws, there are several formats for you to use:

Canva Users

Santa Paws PDF

Download The Image Above!

And if you are not tech savey, you can email the info you would like placed in your Letter to Santa Paws and I'll fill out for and send it back as picture you print or share on social media. Please send your info via email to yooperpaws@gmail.com for assistance.

Canine Christmas List

December Theme of the Month
Things to Do With Your Dog in December

We all tend to get busy during the holidays and sometimes that means we leave our dogs out. I want to encourage all our Yooper Paws friends to think about ways to include their dog in the holiday season.  

Here is a list of ideas to get you started!

1. Review Holiday Things that Safe/Harmful for Dogs
2. Letter to Santa Paws
3. Tree Lighting Ceremony
4. Create a Homemade Gift for your Dog
5. Puppy Playdate with a Friend 
6. String Dog Bone Treats for a Christmas Countdown 
7. Make a Puppy Christmas Card
8. Sing Christmas Carols to Your Dog 
9. Make Holiday Dog Treats
10. Christmas Lights Drive/Sniff-a-bout
11. Start a New Holiday Tradition
12. Make a Puppy Ornament
13. Share a Treat By the Fire
14. Donate a Dog Toy
15. Walk with a Friend 
16. Watch a Holiday Movie 
17. Hang a Paw Print Decoration on Your Door
18. Hang a Stocking for your Dog 
    
    
    
19. Pause and Reflect About the Past Year With Your Dog
20. Dance with Your Dog
21. Read a Book to Your Dog
22. Play in the Snow (We went sledding, but I didn't get any picts. I'll repeat this if we get enough snow!)
23. Dress Up Together
24. Have a Gift Exchange with Another Dog Owner
25. Donate Dog Food
26. Wrap a Present For Your Dog 
27. Make Cookies for Santa Paws
28. Take Photo in Front of the Christmas Tree  
    
    
    
29. Make a Training List/Plan 
30. Prepare Treat Bags for Puppy Friends 

Throughout the month, there were will be additional posts on as many of these items as we can get to with directions on how to do these things with your dog. BOLD means we've done it and pictures will be posted if we were able to take some.  You can also check out the posts from Decembers 2023 & 2022 to see what we accomplished on this list in previous years.

Please be smart and do all the things you and your dog can have fun doing together as a team!

It's important that you consider your dog's individual needs when you look at this list! If your dog doesn't like to dress up, skip list items that suggest that or keep it really simple like a new holiday collar. If your dog doesn't like crowds, you wouldn't take them to a Christmas tree lighting or parade.

If you want to share pictures of your activities with your dogs, email them to yooperpaws@gmail.com or send them to via messenger and I will post them on the Yooper Paws Facebook page and possibly even include them in a blog on that list item.

Have fun & Merry Christmas!

Creating Calm Canines

 Creating a Calm Christmas Special

Christmas time can be crazy for us humans and our pets! 

• We fill our homes with decorations that might seem unsettling to our dogs, especially the Christmas tree.
• Our schedule or routine often changes with some extra time off work/school plus extra time home with family.
• We are more likely to travel to see family we haven't been able to see since last Christmas.
• We often have people come to stay with us.
• There is extra time spent in stores which adds stress to us all! Christmas shopping, longer than normal lines, bigger crowds, etc. Often our dogs feel this stress in us when we get home!

Fearful, sensitive, and overly-excited and real young dogs tend to struggle with the changes that happen at Christmas more then confident, social dogs that are used to changing routines. Often I take emergency calls from people that have been going to Grandma's (insert any name here) house every year, but now they have a new puppy and either A- Owners don't know where to find a good puppy sitter OR B- Owners think taking their puppy with them will be real easy, then get a rude awakening when it's hard. 

We will have 3 Christmas promotions this year! The first 2 are totally FREE!

Here ion my blog we have the  "December List of Holidays Activities!" This is a list of 30+ activities to do with dog during the holidays. The list gets posted Dec 1st, then it gets updated with links to photos, videos, or blogs as I work through the list with my dogs. You're encouraged to copy the list and do as many activities as you can!

On Patreon we have the "12 Top Tips to Creating a Calm Christmas!"

The last one is super low cost virtual session to help your pup have a peaceful holiday despite all the chaos we often add to our daily routines. I'll be offering 30 minutes for $30 and 60 minutes for $50 available for Zoom sessions and video calls only.

The 12 Top Tips to Creating a Calm Christmas

This is a FREE resource that will be offered to Patreon members!  You can sign up for a free account and get access to this. As a member, you'll get notified each day Dec 1 - 12th when I add the post for that day. 

Here is a list of topics:

Day 1: Plan for Success
Day 2: Create a Safe Space
Day 3: A Present for Your Dog
Day 4: Creating Calm Introductions with People
Day 5: Creating Safety Around Other Animals
Day 6: Taking a Sniff-a-bout
Day 7: Packing for Calm
Day 8: Set Up for Successful Traveling
Day 9: Special Holiday Treats
Day 10: Set Up for Success
Day 11: The Big Day
Day 12: Safe Holiday Exits

One of the problems with lists of this nature is that they often cater to the most common needs that dog trainers experience with their clients. You may find that all 12 tips can easily be implemented into your holiday routine or you might find that only 2 really apply to your dog. Each dog if a unique individual, just like each family is different, each holiday gathering is different. So if you like the Top 12 Tips, but feel like you need a bit more, check out the next discount on Virtual Planning!

Creating a Calm Christmas Virtual Planning Sessions

From December 1st to 20th, I'll be offering a discounted rate on individual sessions based on reviewing the changes that your dog will face during the holidays and creating a plan for success. This might include some training you can do before the craziness happens, some enrichment you can add or other ways to help meet your dog's needs, and tips for making sure all the pets in the house and visiting pets can share space successfully. You can schedule your 30 min Virtual Session for just $30 or your 60 min Virtual Session for $50. (My normal rate with be $75 for any session up to 60 min long.) 

This is one-on-one time to look at your holiday plans and your dog's individual needs and brainstorm ways to meet your dog's needs in an attempt to prevent or reduce the challenging behaviors that happen when your dog becomes stressed.

I look forward to hearing about you and your dog plan to spend the holidays with as much peaceful feelings as possible and reducing stress as much as we can for everyone!

Black Friday Specials!

Announcing the Yooper Paws Black Friday Sales!

This year I have 3 big promotions for local & virtual clients! 

All specials must be purchased by December 6th and may take place in December or January. Gift Certificates are available if you are wanting to give the gift of dog training to a loved one!

The Challenging Behaviors Support Package

The Challenging Behaviors Support Package is a mix of our most popular packages! 

This starts with a 6 Session Package that can be in-person or virtual sessions for $300. 

You will automatically receive a free Challenging Behaviors Plan as follow up to your first session and 2 free workshops from our Challenging Behaviors Series 

Plus you will receive additional resources based on the top 3 behaviors that are driving you the craziest. That's $600 Value for the one time fee of $300.

Send an email to yooperpaws@gmail.com to confirm your desire to participate in this special and you'll receive a link to schedule your first Private Session and you'll be able to pick the 2 workshops you would like to have.

The Give Back Special for Online Clients & Referrals

If you don't live in the Yooper Paws local area and need virtual training support, you can try out Yooper Paws with the Buy One Get One Free Gift Certificates. These are available to current clients and those referred by current clients.

Common gift certificates include:

• Buy 1 Session for $75 and receive a 2nd gift certificate free.
• Buy a Challenging Behaviors Package including one 60 min session & 2 follow up 30 min sessions for $150 & receive a 2nd gift certificate free.
• Buy a 6 Session Package for $300 and receive a 2nd gift certificate free.

You can keep the 2nd gift certificate and use it yourself or you can gift it to another person needing help. Gift certificates must be purchased by December 6th to receive the 2nd gift certificate of equal value for free.

Reach out to yooperpaws@gmail.com and I'll help you find the perfect Buy One Get One Free Gift Certificate that fits your spending budget! 

New Client Private Session Package

Purchase the first session Behavior Evaluation for $150 and then you are eligible to purchase the 6 Session Package for $150 instead of $300. This package allows you to split your payment in half, paying for the Behavior Evaluation ($150) before December 6th to take place any time in December then paying for your 6 Session package ($150) in January when you schedule your first session. 

You are more then welcome to pay for the whole package when you schedule your Behavior Evaluation! This is especially helpful if you are giving this to a friend or family member as a gift!

This package is great for new in-person and virtual clients!

Please email yooperpaws@gmail.com to request this package. I will then send you a scheduling link for your first session and a gift certificate for your 6 Session Package.

Totally FREE Special on Creating a Calm Christmas!

The Creating a Calm Christmas Collection is a FREE resource to our Yooper Paws Friends & Family! All you have to do is sign up for a FREE Patreon Membership.

I have 12 Tips to Creating a Calm Christmas that will be released December 1st thru 12th! These posts will go out to free and paid members on patreon. These are the best of the best tips I have from years of taking dogs with me to family gatherings and holiday activities.

New this year I've added an E-Book that with these tips in an easy to download PDF E-Book. You can support Yooper Paws Holiday Activities by purchasing the Creating a Calm Christmas E-Book in the Patreon Store.

If something in one of these tips sparks an interest and you want additional help with planning or setting your dog up for success at holiday events, I do have a special rate available for online sessions dedicated to planning and preparing for the holidays. You can purchase a 30 min Coaching Session for $30 or a 60 min Coaching Session for $60. I'd love to help you create the perfect plan or set up for your pup during this crazy holiday season. Just email me at yooperpaws@gmail.com to set up your Creating Calm Session.

Also be sure to check out my Canine Christmas List for some ideas of activities you can do with your dog this holiday season!