The run up to Christmas day is one of the most exciting times: happily dragging the kids and hubby around the local market in the evening under the promise of a pretzel and hot chocolate (and perhaps a mulled wine or two!), setting up all the decorations around the house, realising you hate clutter and counting down the days until its back to normal again, and of course the many arguments around how best to style the tree…before proceeding to do it the same way as every single year for the past decade.
But, what we don’t often realise is that ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ can take its toll on our pooch. Dogs are creatures of habit, and generally are at their happiest when the routine is the same. So, a big change in your normal evening activities, going out more often to shop, visitors frequenting more often and, unfortunately, the reduction in attention they receive on the big day in favour of opening the pressies under the tree – when compared to the rest of the year – can sometimes create a sudden Mr. Cranky, craving your attention often in the wrong ways.
But all hope is not lost! And there are easy things you can do to make this time less stressful for yourself AND rover…
Pressies!
Remember to get them something nice – just like your kids, dogs LOVE new toys and smells and textures and things to bite. Too often here at TDEC, we speak to dog owners who never get their pups anything because ‘they don’t know that it’s Christmas!’. Don’t leave them out, how about you let them join in with Christmas dinner with this new bundle! (It would make for a super cute Instagram post too).
Enrichment for the soul
I know you’re probably already a lickimat fanatic, but you can’t have enough of this form of enrichment if you ask me. Perhaps you can increase the number of times you give Rex his food on his favourite one, or better yet, go take a look at our new Christmas Tree design! It’s flexible, so perfect for spreading their dinner on and popping in the freezer any-which-way (we know space is at a premium at this time of year. Better yet, a curved frozen mat would take longer to get through!
Hits the spot
Burrow toys are a relatively new thing, and have absolutely exploded in popularity – and for good reason! The digging behaviour can scratch an itch that is often left ignored (who wants holes all over their garden? Certainly not us...) but one that is super important to overall satisfaction and stress reduction. Our new range can help provide your beloved with a sense of security in times of stress or anxiety.
Fireplace antics
And while you’re at it, why not give Fido their very own Puppy stocking to open up on the big day this year?
As a final closing thought, all jokes aside, if you’re still a relatively new puppy parent and perhaps have only weathered one or two Christmases so far, let’s all ensure we make the extra conscious effort to give our ray of sunshine some extra attention and enrichment activities at a time where its usually lacking.
P.S. Wrapping paper and boxes are sooooo satisfying to rip apart (safely and under CAREFUL supervision) – just sayin’
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