22/12/2024
Good tips to help keep your family member safe and chilled over the festivities 🎅🎄🐕
☮ Tips to Keep Everyone Safe & Happy over the Silly Season ☮
The holiday season is full of excitement, but it can also bring some safety challenges for dog owners, especially with the increased traffic of guests, decorations, and food. Here are some key tips to keep your dog safe while hosting and celebrating the season:
1️⃣ Create a Safe Space
Set up a quiet area for your dog to retreat to when they need a break from the festivities. This will help them feel less stressed and keep them away from potential hazards like open doors or unfamiliar people. Remember not to rely on your dog to take themselves away, you may need to pre-empt situations and guide them into utilising this space before accidents happen!
2️⃣ Manage Guest Interactions
Not all guests may be familiar with your dog's needs or boundaries. Gently remind visitors to ask before petting your dog, especially if they’re feeling overwhelmed or shy around strangers. If your dog enjoys being petted but is overstimulated, help guide interactions in a calm way.
3️⃣ Keep Decorations Out of Reach
Holiday decorations like tinsel, candles, and ornaments can be tempting for young dogs to explore. Ensure all decorations are securely placed out of your dog’s reach to avoid choking hazards, burns, or damage to items.
4️⃣ Watch the Food
Holiday meals often come with rich foods that can be harmful to dogs. Keep food items like chocolate, grapes, onions, and alcohol far out of reach to prevent accidental ingestion. Remind guests to avoid feeding your dog scraps.
5️⃣ Prepare for Noise and Visitors
Holiday celebrations can be noisy, and sudden loud sounds (like fireworks or party noisemakers) might startle your dog. Consider using calming music or background noise to help ease any anxiety your dog might feel.
6️⃣ Actively Supervise Dogs and Children
Most bites to children happen by a dog they know and when adults are close by but distracted. If you have extra kids around over Christmas, make sure your dog is only loose with them if: A. they’re already known to be great with kids and B. you’re directly supervising the situation without splitting your attention in multiple directions. When that’s not possible, utilise the safe space mentioned in point 1.
❓❓❓ What have I forgotten? Any other tips or tricks you’ve come across to prevent whoopsies during the holidays? If you’ve got management strategies set up i’d love to see examples too to help other people get ideas!
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