Hey Woofa’s,

Two weeks to go til Christmas Day!!

Who’s excited?  Oh come on it can’t be that bad……………………..said everyone in 2020!!!!

This year Christmas is at our house, which is probably a good thing seeing that Billy has become a bit covid anxious.

He doesn’t like us leaving him alone at the moment!   Thanks to covid we didn’t go out at all, until now!  When we do go out he tends to get destructive, but that’s another post.

He loves people so he’ll be fine Christmas Day, more pats for him.

However, not all dogs love lots of different people in their environment and it’s up to us as owners not to set them up for failure.

The last thing we want is an accident!!

Christmas Day Safety Check-list for our Dogs!

a) If you’re hosting Christmas Day & your Dog is not social!

• Make sure your dog has somewhere safe to stay for the day, away from guests.  It needs to be in a well ventilated area or room with someone checking on them.  With food and water also available to them.  If possible, you could send them to someone else’s place for the day.

• The importance here is that your dog feels safe.  Your dog may want to get patted for a while and then take off to it’s safe area away from people.

• Guests tend to ignore that the dog isn’t social and still may try to pat them!!  If your dog doesn’t want this but people insist on patting them, then unfortunate incidents could occur etc!  Your goal is to avoid this.

• If your dog isn’t use to being around screaming yelling kids, or kids hitting them, pulling tails etc then your dog could react in a way to get them to stop.  To avoid this, separate the kids from the dog by putting the dog in a safe place away from the chaos.

• The most important thing is to know your dog, read their body language and stay vigilant.

b) If you’re hosting Christmas Day & your Dog is overly social !

• I know Billy likes to sit on people and be patted.  Not all guests like this, so when we host Christmas Day he is segregated to the backyard, until we all finish eating.

•  If your dog is overly social and your guests don’t really like that, then have somewhere your fur baby can retreat to.

• Bring your dog out on a lead to say hello to everyone, and give them a sniff.  Then put them in an area so people can eat and be merry not worrying about your dog jumping all over them.

• It’s also a good way for guests not to overfeed your dog while they’re eating.

• Being a responsible dog owner means knowing your dog’s body language, and watching them interact with kids.  As well as, making sure kids are not tormenting your dog either.

• Your dog might be fine with your kids, but other kids are a different story.  Your dog doesn’t know them as well.  Other kids don’t know your dog either, and this is where things can go wrong if people aren’t watching them both interact.

c) If you’re hosting Christmas Day & Your Dog is fine!

• The next thing on the list is if your dog is wandering around your guests looking all cute, that they don’t over feed them.

• Your dog could end up sick, so make it clear to everyone not to over feed your fur baby, no matter how cute they look.

•  If your dog is in a no child home and people are coming over with kids, stay on the look out, always have someone in charge of watching the kids and the dog.

• Read the dog’s body language and make sure the kids aren’t tormenting the dog.

• Again, make sure the dog can escape the noise and people, by giving them somewhere safe to go.

d) If you’re hosting and someone else wants to bring their Dog!

•  I was asked by my parents if my aunty could bring their dog one year when we hosted Christmas Day.  I hesitated, only because the two dogs had never met before.  It’d be better to have had an introduction before the day.  If your dog isn’t use to another dog coming into their territory it could get ugly if not handled properly.  This is the last thing you want to be dealing with on Christmas Day.

• If you’re asked this question, make sure measures can be put in place so EVERYONE can have a good and safe day.

• Before YOU do the asking, make sure you’re aware of the situation you’re putting both dogs in.  Discuss it with the owner of the other dog before just turning up with your dog.

e) If you’re leaving your fur baby at home!

• This goes without saying, make sure they are safe, have plenty of food, water and shelter from harsh weather.

• Don’t leave new toys, wrapping paper, ribbon, presents, food/ chocolate etc laying around that your dog might decide to snack on or destroy.

• If there’s local fireworks going off in the evening, and you know you won’t be back, make sure your dog has a safe haven to retreat to.

• If you know your dog doesn’t handle fireworks well or being left alone, then you may have to make it back to be with them, or arrange someone to check on them.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Whether your dog is social or not, don’t set them up for failure this Christmas Day.

Refrain from putting them in situations or environments they aren’t familiar with.

Take note of any changes in your dog’s behaviour.  This is the first indicator that something isn’t right for them!

Is it too many people, too much food, have they been bitten, are they over heated, are kids tormenting them, or are they too loud?

It could be many things and it becomes a process of elimination.

WATCH BOTH KIDS AND DOGS AT PARTIES.

Hopefully this Christmas Day Safety Check-List for dogs and kids will help you and your family have a relaxing and fun Christmas Day.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LOVE TO KNOW – WHERE ARE YOU SPENDING CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR?

Cheers