The holiday season is a time of family celebration and most of us want to include our pets in the festivities. It takes a little planning, but the family pets can join in the fun with the rest of the household -- from feasting to dressing up to family photos.

Prepare your pet
Holiday festivities may cause even the best-trained dog to forget his manners. So, before the guests arrive, give your pet a refresher course. Spend a few minutes each day putting Rover through his paces. Make sure he can consistently respond to the commands, "come, sit, down and stay."

Be aware that changing mealtimes and extra treats can cause a break in housetraining. The best way to avoid soiling accidents in the house is to keep your pet on his regular feeding schedule, regardless of when the rest of the family is eating. If your pet does have an accident, be sure to clean it up quickly and treat the area with a pet odor-remover.

If your dog jumps up on guests in excitement, you need to do some special training. See the article on Dealing with Jumping Up in the October 2000 issue of Between Friends for advice on how to stop this behavior.

Prepare your guests
It's a good idea to be sure guests are aware that your pet is at home. Be sure to let them know if your dog or cat are indoor pets only, so they won't unwittingly let them out the back door.

If a special guest suffers from allergies or brings along young children who don't know how to play with a pet, you might want to separate your pet from the main activity areas for an hour or two. Keep in mind, though, that it's your pet's home, too, and Fluffy will want to join in some fun after his nap. That might be a good time to break out special holiday toys or treats you purchased just for your pet!

Deck your pet
There are lots of fun and festive holiday costumes available - from reindeer antlers to angel wings. If you want to deck out your pet for the holidays, keep in mind these precautions.

First, choose attire that doesn't restrict your pet's movement in any way and that won't cover his eyes. Also, choose items that won't get in the way when your pet needs to relieve himself.

For the best results, gradually introduce your pets to holiday finery. Make a fuss over how great she looks and allow her to get accustomed to wearing it a little at a time before the big day. If Scruffy is really unhappy in his holiday duds, don't make him wear it, no matter how great he looks.

Sometimes a thorough grooming is all your pet needs to look it's very best for guests. For advice on that holiday makeover, see the Good Grooming column in this issue.

Snap a portrait
Don't forget the family pet when you gather the crowd for your photographs. Like other members of the family, your pet may need to be cajoled into standing still long enough for you to snap the picture. The easiest way to do this is with some treats.

Get everyone else in place first, then add the pet to the shot last (animals get bored and fidgety faster that people), enticing it with a favorite treat. Shake or squeak a toy at the same time you tell your human subjects to smile. That way everyone - pets and people - will be looking at the camera at the same time.

Keep safety in mind
Special precautions are in order to keep pets safety in the midst of holiday activity:

• Be sure your pets have collars with identification tags - and wear them at all times. Escapes can be a problem with all the comings and goings, and opening of doors.
  
  
• Keep holiday decorations out of reach. Holiday plants like mistletoe and holly are poisonous (see the Pet Health column in this issue for more on holiday poisons). Candles can be a fire hazard in the vicinity of a wagging tail. String, ribbons and tinsel can cause choking or a blockage in your pet's intestinal tract.
  
  
• Go easy on the holiday goodies. Even small amounts of chocolate can be toxic to many pets and rich holiday foods can cause digestive upset or illness. Have plenty of healthy pet treats on hand and be sure your guests know not to feed Sparky anything else.

Finally, remember that some pets may become overly excited by the noise and activity. A large, exuberant dog could harm a guest - especially a small child. If your dog has a tendency to be aggressive, he should be isolated from holiday guests. Let him join the private family celebration later on, so that everyone can enjoy a happy holiday.