We all love the holiday season! There are so many fun events to go to, family and friends coming into town, and so much more. With everything listed above, things can get pretty busy, can't they? During the business that is the holiday season, there's one member of the family who might become overwhelmed, excited, stressed or even confused when it's over. We're talking about our dogs!
Even though it's not our intention, with all the chaos, we sometimes forget to ensure that our pets have everything they need to enjoy the holiday season too. We're here to help with that! In this post, we're sharing how you can prepare your pets for the holidays with four helpful tips.
1. CREATING ROUTINES
The first way you can help prepare your pets for the holidays is to create routines. With so many new things being introduced to their environment, putting systems in place that provide a sense of stability will help keep your pet more relaxed.
There are many ways you can do this for your pet such as:
Creating a training schedule
Did you know that you all you need is 10 minutes of training to build a stronger bond with your dog? There's a common misconception that you need to spend hours of time each and every day to train your dog and that's simply not the case! Think about things you want to work on with your dog and create a schedule. For example, your dog might need to work on the sit and down skills for upcoming guests coming over for the holidays. Put on your calendar that every Monday and Wednesday (you decide!) you're going to work on training your dog these skills. You can always change the topic/skill as your dog continues to improve and to keep their mind working!
Setting aside time each day for playtime
Similar to training, you don't have to spend hours playing with your dog! You can do short bursts throughout the day of 5 minutes to make them feel loved and happy. Have a dog that loves to play with their ball? Hop outside and play a game of fetch with them. Have a dog that loves to zoom? Take them to the park or your backyard and run around with them a bit. They'll love it!
Sign up for an activity with your dog
Checking your local community center or fellow dog friends can help you find a new and fun activity to do with your dog! There are numerous dog training classes and fun activities you can sign up for like:
- Obedience
- Trick dog
- K9 fitness
- Agility
- Dock diving
- Fast CAT
- Scent work
Creating that one-on-one time is something they love and need to be happy. Plus, let's be honest, when you pay for something, it helps you commit a bit more!
2. STAY ON TOP OF YOUR PET'S HEALTH
We know that with the holidays, we're consuming tons of things we wouldn't normally eat as often, like sugary baked goods or extra heavy comfort foods. Since we know these aren't the best for our health long-term, we know that we have to ensure that we're taking care of our bodies with proper physical exercise and oral health. This is the same with our dogs!
During the holiday season, ensuring that we are keeping up with our dogs health is extremely important. The last thing we want, is an emergency vet visit during the holidays.
Two ways that you can help maintain your pets health during the holidays (and year round) are:
Maintaining a proper diet
We know your pup will be feasting on tons of tasty treats. Make sure you're keeping track of how many treats their eating and adjust their food accordingly. Obesity in dogs (which can be just a few pounds over their ideal weight) can lead to joint problems and more.
Prioritizing their oral health
Did you know that your dog's bad breath is caused by bacteria build up on their teeth? Similar to humans, dogs get plaque and tartar and need it removed in order to stay healthy, and to maintain fresh breath (we don't need Uncle Jimmy complaining about our dog's stinky breath by the tree!). Giving your dog dental treats like our Plaque Busters can help remove the buildup on their teeth, while providing a tasty snack!
3. CREATE BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR PETS
During the holidays, not only are there tons of guests coming in and out of our home, there's also new things placed around the house like decorations, presents, seasonal food, etc. With all of these new additions, we have to create boundaries with our pets to not only keep them safe, but also everyone around them. Here are a few ways you can do so:
Create a safe space for them
Whether your dog gets overly excited by guests or anxious and overwhelmed, giving them a place where they can be away from the excitement/chaos will help them stay calm. You can do this by putting their crate in a low-traffic area where they can relax, putting up a dog gate in an area of the house they need to stay in, or even having your dog relax in a room where guests will not be visiting. If you do the latter, just ensure you have nothing in that room that they can get into. Always set your dog up for success, not failure!
Keep everything at your dog's level picked up
This includes decorations, presents, food (tall dogs can reach the dinner table!) and any other items that you don't want your pet getting into. Again, the goal here is safety and keeping everyone happy.
4. CREATE BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR GUESTS
Similarly, to tip number three where we mentioned creating boundaries with your pets, you also need to create boundaries with your guests. If you know that your dog gets overly excited or anxious when new people come over, or if you've been working on a lot on training with your dog and don't want it going out the window with a particular guest, you have to create those boundaries with your visitors.
Here is the number one way to do so: communicate!
It's as simple as that! Some things you might want to communicate are:
- How you want them to introduce themselves to your dog
- Things that you have been doing in their training that you want your guests to do to keep the consistency (and the routine, tip number one!)
- Informing you when they will be arriving so you can put your dog in their safe space if needed
- Reminding them of the foods they cannot have from the table since many holiday foods contain ingredients that are not safe for and toxic to dogs.
Simply share with them information about your dog! Creating that open line of communication puts everyone on the same expectation level for how the holidays will be at your home, resulting in a very happy holiday.
We hope you found these tips very helpful and we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your pets, family and friends! If you have any questions at all about any of the tips shared above, let us know! We want to make sure you have the best holiday season with your pets and we're happy to help any way we can.
