Preparing for the Holidays with Your Dog
Yup!!! It is that time of year....we dress up the dog in antlers to take pictures (or is that just me?), turn our homes upside down with crazy decorations, and then we have more family and friends over than almost any other time of the year.
Ohhhh what our pets must think when we bring a tree (real or fake) into the house, and then we expect them to know not to pee on it (dog) or climb it (cat).
Yes, this is a thing....if you have not had to deal with this, then you have the exception to the rule, my hat is off to you!
Right now I keep finding ornaments from one of my trees (yes I have multiple...I know I have a problem...I only have 5 in my super tiny house!) in the middle of the living room floor, BUT the ornament is from the tree in my office. Can I blame the dogs or the cats...I honestly think they work together to drive me crazy.
With that said, our goal during the holidays is to keep our animals as "normal" as possible...yes, even though I put antlers on Reckon to take a picture for this post..LOL.
So what can you do to support your pets during the "crazy"? Here are some tips based on the "temperament" of your pet.
Timid / Worried / Scared
For dogs (and cats) that fall into this category, it is ever so important to give them a safe space that is normal for them, where they can get away from the crazy. I like to use my bedroom for this space. I will actually set up a space for both the dogs and cats where I have their favorite beds, some new chew toys, as well as a diffuser running with one of my favorite calming oils such as Vetiver, Balance, or Serenity.
Hyper / Crazy Dogs
For this category, it is just as important to do things that will help keep them calm, which will help keep them from taking out the Christmas tree, or Grandma for that matter. This is where the use of a crate can be priceless. Many will choose to put the dogs out in the yard, but if you are like me, and your dogs are indoor dogs, this can be hugely traumatic for them, creating even more stress. So for my hyper dogs, I set up a crate, also in my bedroom, for them to hang out. I don't like to leave them loose, as this could result in destructive behavior, which I REALLY don't want to reinforce. Yup, you guessed it...a diffuser is also running, the cool thing is, you can use the same calming oils...Vetiver, Balance, Serenity.
For those of you who noticed, the management for both of these issues is right along the same lines...which can happen when managing behavior issues. The key is to be aware of HOW your dog behaviors, and WHAT you can do to support him or her.
Wishing you all the best this Holiday Season!
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