Dogs and Christmas: At home Together

Christmas can be a fun time, it can also be a busy time, and a lively time. It can be wonderful to have that time with our fury companions, but this can also be a tough time for our dogs, and dog trainers and behaviourists tend to get an influx of calls after the christmas break. In this month's blog I'm going to offer some suggestions of things we can do to support our dogs through this exciting time together.

New Puppies

Believe it or not this is still a time people welcome new puppies into their home. This can therefore be full of adventure and stress. So we want to help puppies to adjust to their lives

• Toilet training

  • Outside every 30mins to 1 hour (treat after toilet)

  • Never scold

  • Outside after play, woken up, someone's come home, had a drink, anything exciting

  • Don't over rely on puppy pads - this can prolong the behaviour of doing it inside

  • Weather dependent - go outside with umbrellas and coats on puppies if the weather is bad

  • Try not to carry your puppy outside too much as they may not link how to get outside

• Safe space

  • Zen pen for puppies to be in to keep them safe around guests, hot food, or when they need a good nap

• Sleep

  • These little guys need 18-20 hours of sleep a day, they can easily become overtired so help then to regulate with chews and licks to be ready for naps

• Safe exposure to new things

  • The most important thing about socialisation is that they feel safe in all sorts of environments

• Have rewards ready to reward everything your love

Food to Avoid

We get to enjoy a lot of lovely food over christmas, but some this can be dangerous for our dogs, here's a list of some of things to avoid:

• Currents

• Onions

• Stuffing

• Garlic

• Chocolate

• Grapes

• Mince pies

• Christmas pudding

Things to Consider

Christmas is a time of a change of routine, business as we fit in all our social engagements, and everyone being home. All these things are lovely but can be disruptive to our dogs. Some people find their dogs may exhibit new behaviours over this time, and some can even struggle and display severe behaviours, so it's improtant for us as gaurdians to set them up for as much success as possible to navigate our christmas holidays.

• Safe space

  • Zen pen for dogs to be in to keep them safe around guests, hot food, or when they need a good nap to decompress from all the goings on

• Sleep

  • These little guys need a lot of sleep a day, they can easily become overtired so help then to regulate with chews and licks to be ready for naps

• Keep some walk routines

  • For some dogs the change of routine can be hard, so to help them ease in we can keep their walking times similar as to what we would if we were working

• Overtiredness

  • If we think of how we can be grouchy when overtired, dogs are the same. This is hugely stimulating time and allowing your dog plenty of down time to rest will help them navigate things successfully

• Supervision

  • Supervise dogs and kids (even familar ones) to ensure all aprties are coping well

• Lots of chews and regulation activities

• Consider pain

  • Be extra mindful of some of these points being exacerbated if your do has diagnosed pain and discomfort

• Time together

  • Ensure you have time together with your companion to bond and connect

• Time away

  • It's lovely we want to include them in all the festivities but not all dogs can and want to be so included. Some will cope much better if they have time away from the celebrations.

Most Importantly

Have a lovely time with your dog, keep their needs in mind even if they don't allign with your desires, and it will help for a smooth and enjoyable festive season.