Keeping dogs safe at New Year
The aftermath of Christmas and run up to New Years Eve can usually be a manic one, so make sure you take the time to keep your dog safe...
Create a safe space
As much as we understand that the holidays mean celebrations, dogs see it as an ordinary day. With the arrival and departure of different friends and family, and also loud celebrations inside and outside, it's good to have some tricks up your sleeves if your dogs feel overwhelmed.
Dog trainer Rosie from @pawskillsdogtraining advises that preparation is key, including:
- Creating a safe area your dog can hide in
- Use gates to help keep your dogs away from people/children or loud noises
- Keep them entertained with treats or toys
- Give them space away from commotion, especially if you expect to have a house full
- Keep greetings calm to help keep your dog from getting overexcited or nervous
See how to put these in practice with our full blog >
Keep dangerous food out of reach
You should never feed these foods as they are highly toxic for dogs! Ensure all of the below are always out of reach of your four-legged friends for the entirety of the festivities:
- Stuffing
- Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies
- Chocolate
- Cooked bones
- Walnut and other nuts
- Onions & Garlic
- Highly salty foods
Distractions for fireworks and loud noises
There are many dogs out there that are fearful and anxious of fireworks so to keep our dogs safe it’s good to skip the evening walk and use brain games instead.
Dogs love walks, there’s no denying that. But did you know that using brain power can often use as much, if not more energy than a walk and tire them out just like a walk.
Dog trainer Rosie from @pawskillsdogtraining gives her distraction suggestions, including:
- Licking can help soothe the dog and use up excess energy, Kongs or Mats can be a great way to do this
- Sniffing can be a great way to use your dog's brains as they process smells around 40 times more than we do and they have millions more receptors than we do
- Practice your training to keep them occupied