I think dogs must find Christmas quite a baffling time of year - odd decorations around the house, lots of visitors, a tree suddenly appearing indoors, lots of food around, lots of rushing about...
We need to be careful to make sure Christmas is safe for our dogs, and as stress-free as possible, so here are a few hints and tips to make sure your canine friend enjoys the festive season too:
- Make sure the tree and any decorations are out of dog-reach or are placed somewhere Fido can't reach them - he doesn't understand he's not supposed to eat this brightly coloured play thing!
- Be careful if putting chocolates on the tree as the dog may be tempted to eat them, and chocolate is poisonous to dogs (my mum's collie Kiri ate all the chocs once, wrappers and all - we came down in the morning to find a few bits of string left on the tree where the chocolates had been!)
- When visitors come round, ensure your dog has a quiet safe bed/den/crate somewhere where he won't be disturbed to retreat to, or pro-actively put him out there if you know he may find the extra people stressful. Not all dogs are social butterflies and some need their peace and quiet.Stuff some Kongs to keep your dog happy and occupied.
- If you have children over visiting, be sure to set some rules on behaving around the dog - the most important one being that they should never disturb a sleeping dog.
- Don't be tempted to feed your dog Christmas pudding, cake or mince pies as sultanas and raisins are toxic to dogs.
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