10 tips to prepare for Christmas with your dog !

What does Christmas day look like for you? – Now think about what it looks like for your dog?

The festive season is officially in full swing – and what an absolutely brilliant time of year it can be for us! For our dogs – it can be a little overwhelming. For them, there might suddenly be lots of strange smells (remember their sense of smell is a lot stronger than ours), a huge flashing plant in the corner of the room (some might call this a Christmas tree), lots of noise, people coming and going (which can mean the door bell ringing a lot), toys that they aren’t allowed to play with, strangers around a lot, walk times and food times might change and families might be around a lot more or a lot less over the holiday period.

Having a plan for your day and your dogs day can help make sure everyone has a happy and stress free Christmas.

**We know everyone’s Christmas looks different, we are going to use the term ‘family’ to refer to anyone that you and your dog don’t live with but you might be choosing to spend Christmas with.

The first thing to ask when planning your dogs Christmas is – what would they really like to do? If your dog doesn’t cope with being around groups of people, strangers, children, other dogs or unfamiliar places, then consider leaving them at home whilst you go out for Christmas.

It’s common for people to feel guilt around leaving our dog out of Christmas day celebrations – but, if you’re doing the best for your dog to keep them safe and happy then you have nothing to feel guilty about! Your dog might be much happier having some time and a nice wintery walk with you on the morning then snoozing the day away before having some more time with you on the evening.

If your dog is going to be happier at home, planning your day to include only leaving your dog for as long as they are comfortable alone – working on this can take a lot of time, if you spend 24/7 with your dog they may become distressed if they are suddenly left alone, leaving dogs for periods of time should be built up gradually. Take your dog on a lovely walk before you head out, making sure they have time for a leg stretch, to go to the toilet and to have a good sniff and play so they can snooze away once you go out.

If you are having family at your home or taking your dog with you for Christmas day, here’s 10 tips for a lovely day !

Tip #1 Make a den:

Christmas day can include groups or people, including those your dog hasn’t met and children - everyone will be excited and may be a bit louder than normal, which can be a bit to much for some dogs. Setting up a ‘den’ to give your dog a safe space they can go can help this – this can be a crate covered with blankets or a full room made nice a cozy. Make this somewhere your dog has access to at all times throughout the day. If your dog already has a favorite spot to relax in, this could be the perfect room for a den. Make it clear to your visitors that this den is off limits and if your dog is in there they are resting and don’t want to be disturbed. Make the cozy and welcoming with comfy bedding, their favorite toys, dim lighting , dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) sprays and calming music for dogs – think spa feel like. Set the den up before Christmas day to let your dog explore it at their own pace, don’t force your dog in or shut them in whilst you’re introducing the den. To build confidence try some scatter feeding, puzzle toys, lick matts or long lasting chews available in the area for your dog to discover, this helps build a positive link to the den.

Taking the den on the road: If your dog is coming with you to a family members house but may need some time away from everything, set up a crate den at home, then on Christmas day, take this den with you to your family members house and set it up somewhere nice and quiet – this can give your dog somewhere familiar and safe they can go to and relax.

Tip #2: Four – legged friends:

 Will there be unfamiliar dogs around for Christmas? Taking time before Christmas day to meet up a few times outside, in a neutral area to see how your dogs get along can save a lot of stress on Christmas day. Even if the dogs know each other, Christmas day can be very different to a regular day – with lot of people, noises, lights and sounds, new toys and food around your dog may not wish to share. All of this excitement and potential stress can mean dogs behave in ways we wouldn’t expect. You may also have dogs together that will play endlessly and never rest. A couple of baby gates around can separate the dogs whilst you are not there to supervise or if you think they need a minute to relax away from each other.

Tip # 3: Prepare for the food

There is a LOT of temptation around for our dogs at Christmas – lots of smells and bits of food potentially left lying around in reach, dropped by children or alcohol infused adults - all dogs have a limit to their will power. If you have guests who are not used to dogs make sure they know what your dog can and can’t eat and ask them to keep any food out of reach.

Tip #4: Invest in baby gates

Christmas can be full on for dog guardians – we might not have the capacity to watch our dogs at all times. Baby gates can be SO useful for:

• Keeping your dog out of the kitchen: The Christmas day kitchen can be a wild ride ! Tempting food, hot pans, stressed people, timers going off, hot and not a lot of space. Keeping your dog out of the kitchen can avoid them getting under your feet, getting hold of something they shouldn’t (like the turkey!) and keeps them safe from being stood on or having anything dropped on them.

• Safety around children: Dogs and children should always be actively supervised - this can be very difficult on Christmas day when you’re catching up with everyone, opening presents, taking photos, setting tables and cooking. Some dogs aren’t used to children and some children aren’t used to dogs and Christmas isn’t the best time to try this out. Instead having a couple of baby gates to either keep toddlers and children in one room and your dog in the rest of the house or visa versa whilst you are not able to give them your full attention can be a literal life saver.

• Multi-dogs: Even if the dogs from different houses LOVE each other, a full day together of wrestling and playing can be a lot. Having a baby gate to separate the dogs to allow them to rest, eat in peace or enjoy their Christmas presents away from the other dogs as a little break.

• Door safety: The door will be opened a lot as people come and go. Add to this arms full of gifts (potentially fragile), bottles and food, having your dog jump up at this time could cause some damage or your dog might accidentally get stood on if the person can’t see past what they are carrying. Your dog might take a little run out of the door or sneak past to take themselves out for a wander. To keep them safe and avoid these situations, you can invite your dog behind the baby gate whilst everyone gets in or out, then let them out to say hello once its safe.

• Dog proofing: If the house you’re visiting isn’t totally dog safe – having some rooms that you can close off if they aren’t okay for your dog to be in can keep them safe. This might be where the food is, chewable items, gifts, expensive items at tail wagging height etc.

Tip # 5 - New environment introductions

 If you are going to another families house for Christmas and its somewhere your dog hasn’t been to before, or in a while - or somewhere they haven’t been to when the Christmas decorations are up - take some time to help your dog get familiar. Visit the house a couple of times before Christmas day, make these visits positive and calm to help associate it with happy and relaxed feelings before we throw a bunch of other people into the mix. Take this time to discuss with your family whether there is a place you could set up a den for your dog for Christmas day.

Scent transfers – Bring home a dog safe item that's been at your families house (e.g. a towel or blanket) and have this around your dog whilst they are doing something calm such as enjoying a chew or a lick matt, can help.

Tip # 6 - Stock up with activities for your dog

Having these prepared in advance is one less thing to think about leading up to Christmas or if you have surprise guests drop by. Get in some long lasting chews, freeze wobble/topple toys, snuffle matts, Kong and lick matts, so you can grab and go if you (or your dog) need them. Their day may be totally out of routine and they may not be able to rest as normal so having things that work as stress busters and entertainment can help throughout the day.

Tip # 7 - Staged decorating

 If your dog can be sensitive to change, it can be worthwhile bringing your Christmas decorations out in stages and keeping at least one place (ideally where your dog likes to rest) that doesn’t have any strong smells – like Christmas candles, musical decorations or flashing lights. Take a few days to bring out and put up your decorations to let your dog get used to the new sights, sounds and smells gradually.

Tip # 8: Set some visitor rules

Decide on some rules for your visitors to follow with your dog to keep everyone safe. These rules can be discussed before Christmas day or as everyone arrives. Things to consider include

• Don’t disturb the dog if they are in their den (and especially if they are sleeping)

• Don’t feed the dog – there are lots of potentially dangerous food around at Christmas (e.g. raisens, some nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, alcohol, onions – the list goes on) having a blanket rule of not feeding the dog any human food can keep them safe.

• Advise on greetings – this can be especially important if you are working on training greetings with your dog. This time of year can be a great way to test you and your dogs progress but we don’t want to push to fast and undo any good work.

• Any other training that you’re currently doing and want to keep making progress with.

• Ask visitors to text when they are about to arrive rather than ring the doorbell if this is something that causes your dog to become stressed.

Tip # 9 -Don’t forget the basics

In all the rush and excitement it can be easy to slip out of routine and forget the basics. Plan times to let your dog be alone to enjoy their food, regular toilet breaks, their usual walks and times to rest. It can be helpful to specify which primary carer (someone who lives with the dog and does a lot of their care on a daily basis) is going to be responsible for making sure the dog is happy and their needs are met throughout the day. This person ideally shouldn’t be the same person cooking Christmas dinner for 12 guests!

Tip # 10 Training to consider or refresh

‘go to place’ – where you ask your dog to go to a specific spot and hang out there.

This can be very useful for:

•   When visitors arrive

•   Whilst you are preparing food

•   Whilst you are eating

•   Whilst people are opening presents

  
  

‘settle’ – where you get out a blanket or bed that signals chill out time for your dog

This can be useful for:

•   Giving your dog a place they know they can chill out even in a strange environment

• Helping your dog rest in a stimulating and unusual environment

‘leave it’ – asking your dog to not approach an item

This can be useful for:

•   Helping your dog avoid food that can be dangerous

•   Keeping them away from Christmas ornaments

•  Asking them to not pick up other peoples presents

‘Drop it’ – asking your dog to release something from their mouth

This can be useful for:

•   If your dog picks up presents or decorations

• If your dog is chewing something and you aren’t sure what it is

•   If your dog picks up a food item that might be dangerous to them

‘Polite greetings’ – helping your dog understand that calm greetings bring positive attention

•   Helps keep everyone calm

•   Stops people getting knocked over if your dog is large and jumps

•   Keeps everyone safe

‘Crate training’ (or refresher of this) – Helping your dog to feel relaxed and confident in their crate

This can be useful for:

•   If you need to leave your dog alone whilst you eat or preparing food (or for any other reason)

•   If your dog needs a space they can relax alone in

And finally have an absolutely amazing holiday season - From Dog First Training !