Hey Woofa’s,

It’s that time of year where some of us go crazy and bring Trees into our homes!

Whether they’re fake trees or real trees, they’re for Christmas.

BECAUSE it’s Christmas time.

I’ve got a Christmas tree up in my Dog Grooming Salon and have had to elevate it a bit.

WHY, so dogs don’t pee on it or pee all over my decorations on the tree!!

Yes it does happen.

Dogs go walking out in nature and generally tend to pee on trees.

Then we bring one inside and expect them NOT to!!!!

Some dogs are fine and aren’t bothered by the Christmas tree.

They might have a sniff and keep going.

But it only takes one to lift their leg and pee on it and then all the others seem to want to as well.

So as I said, I’ve elevated it and put it on a plastic box with red towels all around it.

This way I can wash the towels and the tree is pee free!!!

As for Billy and our tree inside, he’s not bothered too much.

The last two years though I did invest in a tree skirt.  It’s white and fluffy so I have found him actually laying on the tree skirt under the tree.

My point here is – if you have dogs they may become interested in your Chirstmas Tree!

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE FROM YOUR DOG?

I don’t think it’s really fair to be telling your dog off for going near the Christmas tree, they’re naturally going to be intrigued by it.

There’s a tree, that’s usually outside, AND we’re hanging things off the tree and it can be all very tempting.

A Small Christmas Tree

You can put a small Christmas tree up high on a table or buffet out of the way, or temptation, of your dog.

A Big Christmas Tree

If it’s a big one that goes on the floor AND your dog is interested in the tree you’ll have to put measures in place so they can’t get to the tree.

For the big Christmas tree you may have to put a small fence of sorts around it as you would a fireplace or a kiddie fence, as a blocker so your dog can’t get close to the tree.

You could also use this as a way to train your dog NOT to be interested in your Christmas tree.

Put your dog on a lead (not their walking lead as they’ll think they’re going for a walk and become too excited), and each time they head over to the tree, allow them to sniff it, but then walk them away.

While walking them away say ‘leave it’!

It make take some time and patience but your dog will eventually understand to leave the tree alone.

Christmas Tree Lights

I’m not a fan of seeing dog pictures with Christmas tree lights hanging around their neck.

It’s not a good idea to put out there.

If dogs have access to your tree, they can pull on it and tip it over.

AND/OR they can get tangled in Christmas tree lights and possibly strangle themselves.

Presents Under The Tree

Some of us like to wrap presents, not from Santa, and put them under the tree early.

Now if there’s food in any of those presents, I can guarantee you that your dog will be able to smell that food.

Chocolate for human consumption is not good for your dog.

So if you’ve got Chocolates wrapped up under the tree, maybe don’t put them under there until Christmas Day or Christmas Eve night.

Some dogs just love to chew stuff and they may get stuck into opening and ripping up all the Christmas paper off the presents.

As well as Christmas bows, we don’t want our dogs swallowing Christmas paper or bows.

Christmas Ornaments Under The Tree

As above, if you’ve got Ornaments under the Christmas tree and your dog is interested in them.

Teach them the ‘leave it’ command or put a barrier of some sort around the tree so the dog can’t get close to the Christmas tree.

Make sure the barrier height is appropriate for your dog’s size.

And sturdy enough to hold if your dog happens to jump at the barrier.

And make sure your dog can’t jump on the barrier and get to the tree.

Puppies And The Christmas Tree

If it’s your puppies first Christmas and it’s their first time experiencing a Christmas Tree…………..take note of all of the above.

Maybe it’s time to train your puppy and teach them the ‘leave it’ command.

If you’re going out maybe leave puppy in a different area of the house so they can’t get near the tree.

Even if it does have a barrier, how confident are you that your puppy can’t get around the barrier.

If they’re small, can they get under the barrier or through the side of it?

If they are a bigger puppy, can they jump over the barrier?

If they jump at the barrier is it going to topple over onto the tree and knock everything over?

These are just some things to think about regarding your dog and your Christmas tree.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

It’s Christmas time and for some of us that means bringing a Tree into the house and putting dangly things all over it.

This can be very tempting for some dogs to want to investigate and get close to our Christmas Tree.

Depending on your dog’s temperament towards your Christmas tree, you may have to take some measures so both dog and tree survive Christmas……

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOUR DOG GOES WITH YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE?