Christmas Dog Tips
I believe it is safe to say that Christmas can be a wonderful yet stressful time of year for us, let alone for our dogs. Therefore, I thought I would share my tips to take some stress out of the festive period!
Safe Place
So all dogs need a safe place within your home, this may be a crate or simply a room where they can retreat to and not be disturbed - or you may create this area by using a pen, or opening it up to act more like a room divider. This is even more important around the festive season as you may have guests, young children visiting, or tempting but toxic food. Giving them enrichment in this space is important to build a positive association before using it to separate them from the festivities.
Click here for more information about crate training
Put your focus on what you WANT them to do
Understandably we do not want our dogs tripping us up when we are cooking, stealing food or even presents so its important to give them stuff to do - giving them a long-lasting chew (under supervision) or a frozen Kong help
Click here for dealing with undesirable behaviour
Beware of DANGEROUS foods
Sweets, Chocolates, Liquors, Mince Pies and Christmas cake all contain ingredients that can make dogs very ill. In addition, gravy and stuffing can lead to an upset stomach and furthermore, cooked bones can splinter and cause internal damage when eaten, so be sure that all scraps go straight into an outside bin (out of reach and locked - my little one has found ways to get into the food waste bin so I have had to become creative!)
Ensure that these are kept well out of reach and remember about the presents (if they contain potentially harmful food, they are not under the tree - Scrumpy has opened his presents before (dog chews I forgot about) that were behind the tree, he sniffed and that was it!!). I expect I am going to give my boys some treats over the festive season, so I will be adjusting their food intake so they don't pile on the pounds!
Preventing access to the TREE
On my little one's first Christmas (2020), I had my pen ready to stop him playing with it (he is ball obsessed and I knew the baubles would be exciting for him) but thankfully after capturing some calm around the tree, he never went to play with it - I still have my pen in the cupboard so I am prepared, but he hasn't bother with it. However, if you do not have the time to train or worried about it, then having a pen around your tree or having it higher up can prevent rehearsal of behaviour and take away that stress for you!
Promote appropriate interactions with guests
Scrumpy can be a little worried with guests entering his home, so we always make sure he is in his safe place when people arrive, so if your dog is nervous or reactive to guests, ensure they are secured in their safe place - it is not worth the stress to you or your dog!
My little one is more excited, so he has a calming enrichment when people arrive to help redirect his behaviour and keep him calmer.
It is essential that your guests understand how to interact (if appropriate) with your dog, to help your dog feel confident or stay calm. Remember that its important to read your dog and know when they are in a social mood or not and advocate for them.
Christmas can be stressful which may lead to misunderstandings and potentially dangerous behaviours. If your dog does guard items, it is important to make your guests aware and that they do not try to remove an item from them - they should call you, so you can deal with the situation positively and appropriately. A text before they arrive can be a great reminder!!
Your Dog’s Comfort Comes 1st
If its cold both of my dogs wear fleeces, but they would not be impressed with hats, or costumes - so simply I do not dress them up (although they both have special Christmas collars)! Looking for signs that your dog is uncomfortable (half moon eye, tense body/ face, tail down, lip licking, yawning, drooling, panting) is paramount to ensure your dog is comfortable and enjoying the festivities with you.
Alone Time
Dogs do not understand why Christmas is such a big deal for us, so it is important to keep their routine as normal as possible. Scrumpy is okay with being alone, so this will be maintained throughout the festive period, but as my little one does not cope well with being alone for long periods, he will be joining me on family visits to ensure neither of them experience a shock in the festive period or when things go back to normal
Walkies
I love a Christmas Day/ Boxing Day walk, but please remember to not over walk them or to sudden drop their walks down. Increase or decrease their walks gradually to prepare for what your festive period is going to look like!
