{"id":7711,"date":"2021-12-09T17:27:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T17:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/?p=7711"},"modified":"2021-12-09T17:27:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T17:27:41","slug":"christmas-is-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tails.com\/blog\/christmas-is-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas is Coming!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Carolyn Menteith is a behaviourist with over 20 years of experience<\/em> working with and training dogs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt that after the year that we have all had, and the new challenges that seem set to lie ahead, the thought of the holiday season is even more exciting than usual. Despite all the talk of shortages, rising costs and another impending wave of covid, everyone I talk to just can\u2019t wait for a very well-deserved break to spend with family and loved ones to eat, drink and be merry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many dogs however – especially the lockdown puppies – this will be their first Christmas, and for them and many others, the holiday season can bring far more stress and anxiety than it does festive cheer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is no coincidence that this is the time of the year when the majority of dog bites in the home occur – with children the most frequent victims – but with a bit of preparation and understanding, you can make sure everyone has a happy Christmas – and that includes your canine family members as well as the human ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas from your dog\u2019s point of view<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First of all, the children are home from school \u2013 and, in many cases, are wildly excited. They might well have their friends visiting that your dog doesn\u2019t know, and as it is getting colder and the nights are darker earlier, they are likely to be spending much more time in the house and more time around the dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, the temptation for them to put a Christmas hat or antlers on the dog can be overwhelming – especially for that Instagramable selfie (which tends to bring faces close to teeth\u2026!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about the house, your dog\u2019s usually predictable environment has become a scene of upheaval. There are decorations everywhere, lights and tinsel cover everything, and to cap it all, there is a tree in the living room! Suddenly there are lots of new things that the dog has never experienced that they aren\u2019t allowed to sniff, play with, chew or wee on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The run up to the big day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then as Christmas draws closer, everyone seems busy and rushing around, and often the dog seems to get forgotten in the whirlwind of preparations. The usually predictable routine is totally different, there are unexpected visitors to the house (including deliveries and couriers at all hours) and to cap it all, the weather isn\u2019t great and the days are short, so the dog is probably getting far less exercise than normal. And much as you try, you can\u2019t be everywhere at once and so it is easy to lose track of where the dog is and what they are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the dog, their environment has changed, their routine has changed and the people they know are behaving strangely. – and that\u2019s before you add alcohol into the mix!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most well-socialised family dogs can cope with the temporary craziness of Christmas and the holidays – and many actually enjoy it – but for a surprisingly large number, it\u2019s stressful and worrying. Dogs like predictability and routine and at this time of year it is easy for the dog to become under-exercised, over-stimulated, under-supervised and over stressed. It\u2019s easy to see how this is a potential Christmas accident waiting just to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully this is easy to prevent – as long as you include your dog in the Christmas considerations, and think about what they really want for Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n