Are you ready for Christmas?
I’m just about ready for Christmas now. Decorations are up, turkey ordered, food planned, presents bought, cards sent – there’s a lot to do. (Himself doesn’t help much. he doesn’t really like Christmas and he declares he hates my musical Christmas toys. Though I’ve heard him play with one or two when he thinks I’m not looking.)
We’re all busy at this time of year. In fact, you might be so busy you don’t notice that all this change, fuss and bustle is having an effect on your pooch.
Dogs can find the Christmas season quite stressful. There’s a number of reasons for this.
– Their normal routines are often changed. Their people are on holiday; they might get up later; walks might be at different times and are different lengths (shorter or longer)
– There are often a lot of visitors, with family and new people coming and going
– There may be other dogs visiting
– The house has all sorts of colourful things hanging around it and a strange twinkly tree has appeared – sometimes furniture is moved round as well
– Their people are distracted and preoccupied, seem very busy and don’t have as much time for the dog
So it’s not surprising that some dogs act differently or become a bit stressed. Others, the party types, may get thoroughly over-excited by it all and behave badly because they cannot help themselves.
The message is – be prepared, like the best Boy Scouts. Make sure you try to keep to your dog’s normal routine as much as possible.
Try to avoid moving their bed or sleeping place as that can be very disturbing to dogs.
Make sure they have a quiet place or room to go to or to be shut in if everything gets too much for them.
Your dog may try and explore the Christmas tree – and even pee on it if it’s a real one. Please make sure all trees are stable and secured well or set behind a barrier such as a fireguard or pen to avoid them being pulled over by an enthusiastic pooch.
Make sure food presents, even when wrapped, are kept well out of your dog’s way. The smell may become too much and you’ll find a mess of half-chewed paper and noting left of Aunt Agatha’s present if you’re not careful. And of course many presents contain chocolate and nuts at this time of year, which are poisonous to dogs and MUST be kept out of their way. (More info on what’s poisonous for dogs this time of year in our next post).
Just a little bit of thought and preparation will mean that you and your pooch can enjoy a great Christmas.
See you soon
Carol