The holiday season is a much-anticipated time of the year. It’s filled with celebrations and good food. Plus, people get to meet family and friends to catch up. But, do you know that holidays can be quite stressful for everybody’s furry four-legged friend?
Although it may often seem that your canine is delighted to have a lot of humans around him and is excited to join in the festivities, a lot of holiday elements can be bothersome for him. So, to make fun celebrations of the season bearable for your little furry one, here are some tips to better care for him.
1. Always have food available for him.
When there’s an abundance of sweet treats around your home, you can bet that your dog would be interested in the stash. Likewise, when everybody’s feasting on the holiday spread, your furry one would want to join as well.
Aside from instructing everybody not to give your dog any chocolate and other sweet treats, make sure that there are no spills on the floor that your dog might lick or eat up. Also, set out his own stash. This way, family and friends won’t feel like your pet’s missing out on the celebration.
If you have been quite busy preparing for the party at home and had forgotten to restock your dog’s nibbles, you can take advantage of a dog food delivery service. You can have his snacks and full meals delivered for him in time for the party, so he gets to join in on the feast. The guests can give him his treats while everybody’s feasting on all the desserts you have prepared.
2. Consider putting a leash on him.
The problem with holiday celebrations is they can get loud. This can prove quite overwhelming and agitating for pets. The frequent ringing of doorbells, the chatter, the running around of nieces and nephews, and even the festive attire of guests can scare your fur baby.
Prevent the possibility of your dog running around too much, growling, barking or biting people if he’s not used to all the racket. Put a leash on him to keep him under control. Or, find a quiet room for him in the house where it’s quiet, or the sounds would be less intense for him.
3. Be careful in dressing up your dog.
It’s no longer uncommon to want to dress up canines to celebrate the season. You will surely find costumes in all shapes and sizes in pet stores that will make your pet look cuter and even more lovable.
However, inspect doggie outfits thoroughly first. Check for potential problems that may cause agitation. Also, see if your pup would be up for wearing clothes and if he won’t be bothered by the accessories that some costumes or outfits have. As much as possible, avoid anything with fringes, poofs, and small detachable embellishments like buttons or beads that could be choking hazards.
4. Avoid using wax candles.
Candles are among the favourite decorative pieces for the holidays. But, as pretty as they are (some even come with a delicious scent), they are not the safest to have around your home if you have a dog.
First of all, those scented candles may appear edible to the furry four-legged member of your household. Your dog might nibble on it and can get sick. Secondly, there’s always the danger that your dog could knock it over, or his furry tail would catch fire.
But, if your holiday celebrations simply would not be complete without the cosy flickering illumination of candles, opt for battery-powered LED versions instead.
5. Do not use holiday decor that can aggravate your dog.
As mentioned earlier, the sounds of the holiday can be quite stressful for dogs. Therefore, as much as possible, avoid using decorative items that can make a lot of noise such as toy locomotives that go choo-choo often, twinkling lights that play songs non-stop, and chimes and bells along the doorways.
Rethink using glow sticks, tinsel, and angel hair that your dog can ingest. These decorative pieces can lead to intestinal issues for your pet.
6. Invest in reflective or glow-in-the-dark collars and dog tags.
Nights are longer, and they can be really dark at times. So, if you are keen on letting the dog out to get away from the crowd and noise of the holiday festivities at home, make sure that it will be easy for you to find him when it’s time to go back inside.
You can purchase reflective or glow in the dark dog tags online. This way, if your pup wants to play hide and seek before heading back home at night, you’ll be able to locate him more quickly in the dark. However, if there are fireworks in your neighbourhood, don’t even think of letting your dog out as he may end up getting lost from the stress of avoiding the noise created by pyrotechnics.
With these simple pet tricks for dog protection, the holidays can indeed be a time of fun for your entire household.
AUTHOR BIO
Farah Al-Khojai is the Managing Partner of Pet’s Delight. A passionate entrepreneur, Farah holds a Bsc in Government from the London School of Economics. She is always on the lookout for new opportunities to develop and grow the pet and equestrian retail and wholesale market in the UAE and beyond, and is proud to be at the helm of the first and the largest pet care provider in the market representing world-class brands including Orijen, Applaws, Hunter, Savic, Flamingo, Ruffwear and Rogz.
