Holiday guests, decorations, travel and changing routines can be a lot for dogs. Use these practical tips to keep your dog safe, comfortable and included in the celebration.
The holidays change almost everything about a dog’s normal environment.
There may be visitors at the door, unfamiliar children in the house, new decorations, tempting food on the counter, different walking schedules and more noise than usual.
Some dogs take all of that in stride. Others become excited, overwhelmed or stressed.
A little preparation before guests arrive can make the holidays easier for both you and your dog.
Here are 10 ways to prepare your dog for a safer, calmer holiday season.
1. Keep Your Dog’s Routine as Normal as Possible
Holiday schedules get complicated, but your dog’s basic needs haven’t changed.
Try to maintain reasonably consistent times for:
Meals
Bathroom breaks
Walks
Exercise
Play
Training
Bedtime
You don’t have to follow the clock perfectly. The goal is to preserve enough of your dog’s normal routine that every part of the day doesn’t suddenly become unfamiliar.
Holiday Tip
If you know Christmas dinner will interfere with your dog’s normal evening walk, take the walk earlier rather than skipping it entirely.
2. Give Your Dog a Quiet Place Away From Guests
Your dog shouldn’t have to participate in every minute of a holiday gathering.
Set up a comfortable retreat before company arrives.
That might be a:
Quiet bedroom
Crate your dog
Gated section of the house
Favorite bed in a low-traffic room
Include familiar bedding, water and a favorite toy.
The ASPCA specifically recommends giving pets access to a quiet place when holiday guests and noise become overwhelming. ASPCA
Important
A safe space only works if people respect it.
Tell guests, and especially children to leave your dog alone when they retreat there.
3. Prepare for the Doorbell Before the Doorbell Starts Ringing
Doorbells, knocking and people repeatedly entering the house can trigger barking even in dogs that are normally fairly quiet.
Don’t wait until the holiday party to address it. Practice beforehand.
Have someone ring the bell or knock lightly. Reward your dog for moving away from the door, going to a designated spot or responding calmly to a cue.
Keep practice sessions short.
The goal isn’t necessarily to teach your dog never to bark. A bark or two at an unexpected visitor is normal communication.
The goal is to help your dog learn what to do after someone arrives.
4. Exercise Your Dog Before Guests Arrive
A dog with appropriate physical activity and mental stimulation may have an easier time settling while the house is busy.
Before guests arrive, consider:
A walk
Play in the yard
A short training session
A sniffing activity
An enrichment toy
Don’t exhaust your dog. Just give them an appropriate outlet before asking them to relax while the house fills with people.
Then give them time to settle before the doorbell starts ringing.
5. Let Your Dog Decide How Social They Want to Be
Not every dog wants to greet 15 relatives. And that’s okay.
Don’t force your dog to interact with visitors simply because everyone wants to pet them.
If your dog is relaxed and enjoys meeting people, allow calm introductions.
If they’re trying to move away, hiding, becoming stiff, growling or showing other signs of discomfort, give them space.
The ASPCA recommends providing pets with separation from visitors when needed, particularly around situations involving food or other potential conflict. ASPCA
Especially Around Children
Don’t leave young children and dogs together unsupervised.
Children may unintentionally overwhelm a dog by hugging, chasing, grabbing or disturbing it while it’s eating or resting.
6. Dog-Proof Your Holiday Decorations
Holiday decorations introduce hazards that aren’t normally in your dog’s environment:
Electrical Cords
Keep light cords and electrical wires out of reach when possible. Chewing a live electrical cord can cause serious injury. ASPCA
Ornaments
Keep breakable ornaments where curious dogs can’t knock them down or chew them.
Christmas Trees
Secure the tree so it can’t easily tip over.
If you have a live tree, prevent pets from drinking the tree water. ASPCA
Tinsel
I would avoid tinsel in pet-accessible areas. If swallowed, it can cause a gastrointestinal obstruction. ASPCA
Candles
Never leave an open flame where a curious nose, paw or wagging tail can reach it. ASPCA
Holiday Plants
Keep potentially hazardous holiday plants out of reach. ASPCA specifically identifies mistletoe and holly as concerns and notes that poinsettias can cause gastrointestinal irritation. ASPCA
7. Keep Holiday Food Away From Your Dog
The safest approach is to keep your dog’s normal diet consistent and make sure guests know not to feed the dog from their plates.
ASPCA recommends avoiding fatty, sweet and spicy foods, alcohol and turkey or chicken bones. ASPCA
Chocolate is another important holiday hazard.
And don’t forget the trash. Secure garbage containing leftovers, bones, wrappers and other food waste before your dog discovers it. ASPCA
A Simple Rule for Guests:
Please don’t feed the dog without asking us first.
That’s much easier than expecting every visitor to memorize a list of dangerous foods.
8. Don’t Forget Guests’ Bags and Medications
Your house may normally be dog-proofed, but your guests’ belongings aren’t.
Someone may leave a purse, backpack or suitcase on the floor containing:
Medication
Gum
Candy
Chocolate
Food
Other items your dog shouldn’t eat
ASPCA specifically advises asking holiday guests to store medications in a closed cabinet rather than leaving them accessible in bags or suitcases. ASPCA
9. Make Holiday Travel Feel More Familiar
If your dog is coming with you, bring some familiar pieces of home.
Pack:
Their regular food
Food and water bowls
Leash and harness
Identification
Medications
Bed or blanket
Favorite toy
Waste bags
Any other everyday supplies
Try to maintain familiar meal, bathroom and walking routines after you arrive.
If Your Dog Isn’t Coming
Choose a boarding facility or pet sitter appropriate for your particular dog. Check credentials, supervision practices, sleeping arrangements and emergency procedures ahead of time.
If your dog has never boarded before, don’t make a major holiday trip their first exposure without preparation if you can avoid it.
10. Know When Your Dog Has Had Enough
Watch the dog, not the clock.
If your dog is repeatedly trying to leave, hiding, pacing, panting when they aren’t hot, becoming unusually vocal or otherwise behaving differently, the gathering may simply be too much.
Give them a break in their quiet space.
Don’t force another greeting because a late-arriving relative “really wants to meet the dog.”
And if you notice significant or persistent behavioral changes, speak with your veterinarian rather than assuming it’s simply holiday excitement.
What About Holiday Barking?
Holiday barking commonly happens around:
Doorbells
Knocking
Guests arriving
People outside the window
Other dogs
Excitement
Changes in routine
Before trying to correct barking, determine why the dog is barking.
If the behavior appears connected to significant fear, distress or another behavioral or medical issue, address that underlying problem rather than simply trying to silence the bark.
For ordinary nuisance barking that has become a learned habit, consistent training can help.
Need Extra Help With Nuisance Barking?
BarkWise™ Complete
For dogs that already have a nuisance-barking habit, BarkWise Complete provides a no-shock training option.
BarkWise uses ultrasonic sound and vibration rather than electrical shock and can respond automatically when barking occurs. The included remote also lets the owner manually activate correction from a distance.
That combination can be useful during situations such as repeated doorbell barking or barking at activity around the home.
Why BarkWise?
No shock
Ultrasonic sound + vibration
Automatic bark response
Manual remote option
Rechargeable
Want More Hands-On Training?
The Happy Tails Training Collar is a better fit when the owner wants to actively control when a training cue occurs.
Happy Tails uses 8 warning tones and 3 vibration levels without shock, and one remote can control two collars. Good Life Inc
That makes the distinction simple:
BarkWise: automatic bark response + manual remote.
Happy Tails: owner-controlled tone and vibration training.
Sources:
PBS – Dogs have special ability to react to human speech, study shows
Animal Health Foundation – Dangerous Foods for Dogs
