A Dog for Christmas

At this time of year, with all the decorations, the smells and the food on offer, it’s enough to get any dog overexcited. From pawing at Christmas baubles, to climbing on top of the table to commandeer the roasted Turkey, the opportunity for dog-anarchy is pretty high!

The family’s new puppy, Scout, is celebrating her first Christmas, and so isn’t aware of all the pomp and ceremony it entails. Scout: a Sprockerpoo, aged 9 months, is finding the build-up to Christmas very exciting indeed; marvelling at all the tinsel that she hopes to get her paws on and all the treats on the table that she’s biding her time to get a hold of.

Although it is funny to watch Scout launch herself at the Christmas tree and to nonchalantly climb up on to the dining room table, it is better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to the 25th: all hands to battle stations, that Turkey, Chicken and Beef is for humans, not for the dog!

So, here are a few tips when it comes to keeping your young pup as non-destructive as possible over the Christmas period:

• Nip in the bud straightaway the bad etiquette practices of Christmas tree “diving"
• Try and keep decorations out of reach; otherwise it’s like inviting the dog to have a go at handling the decorations.
• Take the dog for walks. With merriment in abundance, followed by the mellowing fatigue, the last thing you want is the dog playing up and barking at you to be entertained. A long walk may allow the dog to follow a similar trajectory to you; cosying up by the fire in the cool evening. 
• With presents under the tree, it really needs to be stressed early that she isn’t allowed to play with the presents. Also, we should do our best to avoid the temptation she may feel, by placing the big presents at the front and the small presents behind them; escaping her gaze.
• We should also not let any small objects/presents/food be left lying around. Once the dog misbehaves in this respect, it’s very difficult to amend this bad behaviour.
• With everyone getting presents for each other, keep the spotlight off the attention-seeking dog, and get her a bone or a toy of some kind that will keep her occupied while the rest of the family can give their undivided attention to feigning joy at the gifts they receive. 
• When it comes to succumbing to the dog’s begging, if we give her meat, we should make sure if it’s chicken that the meat has been stripped off the bone. Cooked chicken’s bones are small and brittle, and can cause problems if the dog eats one. 

A Dog is For Life…

If this is your puppy’s first Christmas, they will be faced with many new situations, smells and people. Make sure they are vaccinated, your local vet will be able to advise you on what is best for you dog. By having pet insurance too, any accidents or unexpected visits to the vets means you could be covered.