Holiday excitement, visitors, noise, and unpredictable schedules can turn even the most well-behaved pup into an overstimulated puppy overnight. If your holiday puppy suddenly seems forgetful, chaotic, or overwhelmed, you are not alone. December creates the perfect storm for puppy regression, and most owners never see it coming.
In this episode of The Well-Mannered Mutt, I’m sharing the importance of why puppy regression Spikes During the Holidays and eight actionable steps you can take right now to reduce stress and get your puppy routines back on track.
Some of the things we cover in this episode are:
- Why puppy regression is normal and temporary during the holiday season
- How to help an overstimulated puppy settle when your home gets loud and busy
- Simple ways to stabilize your puppy routines even when your schedule changes
- What your holiday puppy needs most to stay calm, confident, and connected
Regression is not failure. It is simply your puppy trying to navigate a chaotic season with a developing brain. With a few supportive changes, your holiday puppy can bounce back quickly, rebuild good habits, and head into the new year with confidence. You are doing better than you think, and your puppy is learning more than you realize.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Connect with Staci Lemke:
- Website – www.mannersformutts.com
- Instagram & Facebook @mannersformutts
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00] Staci Lemke: Welcome back to the Well-Mannered Mutt podcast. The holidays are here and with all the excitement, visitors and changes in routine, many puppies experience a few hiccups in their training. Today we’re digging into something that every puppy parent deals with, but almost nobody talks enough about regression potty accidents popping back up.
[00:00:24] Staci Lemke: Suddenly pulling on the leash again, jumping, nipping, whining a puppy who was sleeping through the night now suddenly crying. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. December is prime time for these little training hiccups. And in today’s episode, we’ll explore why they happen, how to handle them, and what you can do to help your puppy stay calm, confident, and happy.
[00:00:49] Staci Lemke: During the holiday season, let’s just take a minute to discuss what regression is and what it isn’t. So regression does not mean that your puppy forgot everything. It does not mean that your training has failed. It does not mean that your puppy is being stubborn, difficult, or defiant. Regression is simply your puppy saying, my world got weird, my routine changed, and I’m really trying hard to figure all this out.
[00:01:15] Staci Lemke: That’s it. No drama, nothing broken. Think about yourself when your routine gets disrupted by travel, late nights, holiday events. You don’t eat or sleep the same. Your focus is off and everything feels a little outta whack. Your puppy feels that too, but they don’t have the context to understand why. Why is December a regression hotspot?
[00:01:38] Staci Lemke: There are a few big holiday triggers that contribute to this. First of all, routines go out the window and puppies thrive on predictable schedules. So around the holidays, the kids are home from school, people skip walks, meal times change, bedtimes, get later, you’re running errands. Guests come and go. Your puppy’s internal predictability meter is suddenly thrown way off.
[00:02:04] Staci Lemke: The second is because energy levels in the home change. Holiday energy is loud energy. There’s excitement, busyness, noise, movement, wrapping paper bells, deliveries, cooking, your puppy feels all of it, and that overstimulation leads to more barking. More jumping, more impulsive choices. Difficulty settling.
[00:02:27] Staci Lemke: It’s not misbehavior, it’s sensory overload. Another reason is because more access equals more opportunities for mistakes. Doors open more often. Counters are often full of food. Suitcases get left open. Decorations appear at puppy nose level and trash cans overflow with goodies. Your puppy isn’t being naughty, they’re being curious, and December creates a playground of temptation.
[00:02:55] Staci Lemke: Less Training usually happens in December. Not because you’re slacking, because you’re human. December is busy, so you end up with shorter walks, fewer training moments, and less structure equals more regression. Also, dogs are very sensitive to us. If we are rushing around and we’re stressed, overwhelmed, or tired, the puppy feels it too, and when their emotional anchor, which is you, is unsettled, they lose a little stability as well.
[00:03:26] Staci Lemke: Wanna know the top regressions and behavior that I see in December? Yeah, let’s talk about those. So the first is potty training. Regressions, accidents happen when routines change if you’re traveling or hosting supervision slips and cold weather doesn’t happen either. A lot of puppies do not wanna go outside in the rain or the snow.
[00:03:48] Staci Lemke: The second one I see is crate or alone time regression. Your puppy may whine again because there’s more activity happening outside the crate. They’re overtired. FOMO kicks in or the environment feels different. Loose leash, walking regression, too much pent up energy plus fewer walks equals pulling on the leash, comes back fast.
[00:04:10] Staci Lemke: Jumping on guests, oh boy. This one explodes in December because puppies love people. Are excited, are overwhelmed, and guests often reward on wined behavior without even realizing it. Barking and over. Excitement, new noises, doorbells, strange decorations, holiday music, people coming and going. A lot of puppies get bark here in December.
[00:04:35] Staci Lemke: And last, just general sassiness. Anything from zoomies to grabbing things to ignoring cues. This is the puppy’s way of saying I have big feelings and I don’t know what to do with them. So how do we handle behavior aggressions without losing our minds? Well, we’re gonna go back to basics at least for a few days.
[00:04:57] Staci Lemke: Think of your puppy, like a computer that needs rebooting. You wanna return to regular potty walks, shorter on leash walks more management, such as baby gates or tethers pens, keeping them on leash in house. Refreshing, simple cues. Crate naps in order to recharge. Going back to basics like this can fix 80% of December’s regressions.
[00:05:22] Staci Lemke: Lower your training expectations. Holiday training sessions should be one to three minutes long, no more. They should be fun and they should be quick, easy wins for you and your puppy. Tiny, consistent reps keep your puppy successful without overwhelming them. And let’s face it, who really has time for dog training during the holidays?
[00:05:42] Staci Lemke: Protect sleep at all costs. Overtired. Puppies Meltdown fast during December. Try adding in one extra crate nap. One more quiet time break, and a lot of calming enrichment. A rested puppy is a well-behaved puppy. Create a holiday puppy safety zone, a gated area or playpen where your puppy can chew and relax.
[00:06:08] Staci Lemke: Watch the action from a safe distance and avoid being stepped on overstimulated or fed dangerous foods. Reinforce the behaviors you want most right now. Just choose, say three. And examples could be relaxing calmly on a bed, sitting for greetings, choosing to go lay down on their mat, coming when called, leaving food alone.
[00:06:30] Staci Lemke: Consistency with two to three behaviors is, is far more helpful than trying to train 20 during the busiest time of the year. And finally, you wanna prevent mistakes instead of correcting them. Baby gates lead to fewer wrong choices. Having your puppy on leash inside the house means less jumping moments.
[00:06:51] Staci Lemke: Tethers during dinner means less counter surfing. Use December as a containment strategy, not a perfection month. I. Once the holidays wind down, we can reset. Usually this happens in January and your puppy will settle back into a rhythm quickly. If you reestablish routines, reinforce crate time, return to your usual daily structure.
[00:07:16] Staci Lemke: Increase physical and mental exercise, revisit any skills that may have slipped and celebrate any small wins puppies bounce back beautifully with predictability. January is a fantastic time to polish up on training, reteach anything fuzzy, and build momentum for the new year. What you need to remember, regression is not failure.
[00:07:40] Staci Lemke: Regression is not a sign that you’re doing things wrong. Regression is simply your puppy trying to navigate a chaotic, unpredictable season with the developing brain. If you take nothing away from today’s episode, let it be. This regression is normal. Temporary and fixable. Your puppy isn’t broken, your training isn’t lost, and both of you’re going to be just fine.
[00:08:04] Staci Lemke: You are doing better than you think, and your puppy is learning more than you realize. So take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back. You’re gonna make it through this holiday season. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I hope this episode helped you feel a little lighter, a little more confident, and a lot less alone in what can be a very chaotic month for both you and your puppy.
[00:08:29] Staci Lemke: Remember, regression is normal, temporary, and fixable. Your puppy isn’t misbehaving. They’re navigating a busy, unpredictable world just like you are. If you’d like more tips, guides, or support for keeping your puppy on track this holiday season and beyond, check out the links in the show notes. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram at Manners for Mutts for daily tips, video and encouragement.
[00:08:55] Staci Lemke: If this podcast was helpful for you, go right ahead and share it with anybody you know who might need it for the holiday season. And be sure to leave a positive review from my home to yours, happy holidays, happy puppies, and here’s to a calm, confident, and joyful end of the year.