The Christmas Survival Guide. Helping to keep humans & hounds happy over the festive season.

The Christmas Survival Guide Helping to keep humans & hounds happy over the festive season.

Contents 1. 2. Introduction Christmas Decorations 3. Deck the Halls... 4. Good Enough to Eat? 5. Food, Glorious Food... 6. Christmas Celebrations 7. Celebrate Good Times 8. Preventing a Fireworks Fiasco 9. New Year's Eve Fireworks 10. Enjoy the Break 11. Enjoy Time with your Dog 12. Resources 13. Handy Resources & Links 14. Contact us

Introduction Planning the 'paw-fect' Christmas Christmas is an exciting time of year with parties, presents, plenty of food and festive frolics. It can appear to be even more exciting if you have a dog, with thoughts of long walks, a content canine dozing by the re and, of course, a Christmas present from Santa Paws. However, the reality can be somewhat different, with poorly pets and emergency vet visits. Beneath the tree and around the house there are some things that we take for granted and which, unfortunately, are dangerous to our dogs. My Christmas Survival Guide is packed full of advice and resources to help keep humans happy and canines content over the festive period. With a little planning, you can ensure that you and your dog enjoy the festivities together. Wishing you and your dog(s) a fabulous and safe Christmas! Susan McKeon Owner, Happy Hounds Dog Training & Behaviour

Christmas Decorations Christmas decorations to keep out of the reach of curious canines

Deck the Halls... Christmas decorations add festive cheer, but if eaten by your dog could lead to a Christmas calamity Christmas tree and decorations Twinkling lights, tinsel and baubles adorn many Christmas trees and can prove irresistible to playful pooches. With all those temptations it is a good idea to make sure that baubles, tinsel and any edible decorations (such as chocolate) are out of reach and that the tree can t be pulled over! If you have a real tree, which stands in water, don t let your dog drink from the water reserve. The water can quickly become stagnant and harbour bacteria which could make your dog quite poorly.

Christmas plants Many traditional Christmas plants and foliage are poisonous for our pets and should be kept well out of the reach of curious canines. Plants to keep well out of the way include: - Amaryllis - Poinsettia - Ivy - Mistletoe - Holly - Lilies If ingested, many of these plants can cause serious stomach upsets and a visit to the vets. Mistletoe berries can be particularly dangerous - a few can be fatal for puppies.

Good Enough to Eat? Avoiding culinary calamities

Food, Glorious Food... there's nothing quite like it! The glorious smells of Christmas food may prove to be a temptation for our canine companions. At Christmas we tend to stock up on all sorts of culinary delights from Christmas cake, crisps and chocolate to candy. The temptation to nibble is everywhere, not only for us but for our dogs too. Although we all like to treat our pets to some special food treats, many of the delicious Christmas foods and treats can cause upset stomachs in our dogs or in some cases poison them. Don t be tempted to give your dog lots of rich food, the left-overs from the Christmas dinner or any of the foods below. Alcohol Dogs are far more sensitive to alcohol than we are. Even consuming a small amount can cause signi cant intoxication and at Christmas time, drinks like eggnog, or milk based drinks such as a White Russian can be particularly appealing. So, make sure any alcoholic drinks are out of reach. Avocado We may enjoy avocado and seafood as a starter but for dogs, avocados are an Avoca-DON'T! They contain a substance called persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs. Chocolate Lurking in all those lovely boxes of Christmas chocolates is a substance called theobromine, which can be lethal to dogs. The darker the chocolate, the higher the levels of deadly theobromine. As little as 50g of plain chocolate can be fatal in small dogs.

Christmas Cake, Mince Pies & Christmas Pudding These fruit-laden goodies are a de nite No-No for our dogs, due to the amount of raisins they contain (see grapes and raisins). Christmas Dinner Never give your dog any of the bones left from cooked turkey, goose, duck or chicken. These bones are very brittle and could splinter and lodge in your dog's throat or cause an obstruction in the gut. Gravy can be quite high in salt and isn t necessarily very good for our dogs either, so please don t be tempted to give your dog a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings! Grapes and Raisins Onions, Chives and Garlic Should be kept away from dogs; studies have shown that eating them can cause kidney damage. So that means keeping the fruit bowl out of reach and making sure that your dog can't help themselves to any mince pies, slices of Christmas cake or Christmas pudding. These vegetables and herbs can cause gastrointestinal irritation and could lead to red blood cell damage. However, an occasional low dose of garlic, such as that which may be found in pet foods or treats, will not cause a problem. Xylitol This rather exotic sounding foodstuff is an arti cial sweetener that s found in lots of sweets and sugary snacks. Unfortunately, if eaten by our dogs it can cause insulin release, which in turn can lead to liver failure so please don t leave your dog unattended in a room where sweets and candy are within easy reach.

Christmas Celebrations How to help your dog cope with celebrations

Celebrate Good Times a houseful of guests, parties, loud music and crackers can be a bit much for some dogs. Our tips will help keep things calm Party time - No Room at the Inn Christmas can often mean a houseful of friends, family and guests, not to mention impromptu parties, which can sometimes be overwhelming for humans, let alone our dogs! Do make sure that your dog has a quiet place that they can escape to away from the hubbub. Dogs can get overwhelmed, overexcited and overtired just like us and sometimes need a quiet place to escape to where they can have forty winks. A room with some soft bedding, a few toys, supply of fresh water and treats is ideal.

Preventing a Fireworks Fiasco How to avoid a New Year's Eve rework asco

New Year's Eve Fireworks Here are our top tips to help your dog cope with any New Year ework celebrations For many dogs rework celebrations are a frightening and stressful event that they can t escape from. However, there are several things you can do to help your dog and lessen the stress that reworks can cause. Veterinary help If you know that your dog is sensitive to noise and is afraid of reworks, do speak to your vet about treatments that can help. If your vet prescribes a medication, it is often useful to have a practice run, before New Year's Eve, to see how your dog responds. It is also worth considering that some medications only deal with the symptoms of anxiety, and although your dog may appear outwardly calm the fear itself has not gone away. Don t be afraid to discuss the medication with your vet. Create a safe-haven It s a great idea to create a safe-haven/den before any rework celebrations and allow your dog to get used to settling in their den in the run up to New Year's Eve. The den should be in an area where your dog feels happy and most comfortable, such as by the side of your bed, in their crate, under a table, under the stairs, or wherever your dog feels safe. It should not be located by a window or an outside wall, as any sounds and vibrations are likely to be heard and felt more. To create the safe-haven, drape some blankets over the area, provide soft bedding and a range of chews and stuffed chew toys, and encourage your dog to relax in their den.

Calming aids The use of ADAPTIL - a synthetic version of the dog appeasing pheromone has proven to be bene cial in lessening anxiety for some dogs. It is available as a collar, plug in diffuser and spray, and ideally should be used in the weeks running up to any rework celebrations, as well as the night itself. A tight tting, calming coat may help too and, again, should be gradually introduced to the dog in the weeks before any reworks this helps to ensure that the dog does not just associate its use with the sudden appearance of reworks. Avoid night time frights If you can, walk your dog before it becomes dark (particularly on New Year s Eve); a long lunchtime walk will provide them with some good mental and physical stimulation and may help them relax a little more. If you can t take them for a walk in the daytime, consider employing a dog walker during the rework season. To avoid night time toilet breaks, you can always feed your dog earlier in the day and ensure that they toilet before dusk. If, however, your dog does need to toilet after dark, do accompany them into the garden, particularly if reworks are likely to go off. It only takes one frightening experience, such as a loud bang from a rework, when your dog is outside alone, to make them not want to go out in the dark.

Tips for New Year s Eve itself On the night itself, make sure that all doors, windows and curtains are shut, and that your dog is safely within the house. Turn the TV or radio up, and provide your dog with a stuffed chew toy in their den before the reworks start. Make sure that your dog cannot accidentally escape cat aps and dog aps should be closed and locked too. It s important to make sure that your dog is wearing a suitable identi cation tag, in case they escape during the reworks. If your dog does escape, they are more likely to be identi ed if they are wearing a collar and identity tag and are microchipped. Don t be afraid to provide reassurance Don t be afraid to reassure your dog. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot reinforce fear by reassuring your dog with a gentle massage and talking in a soft voice. Just leaving your dog to go cold turkey with something they re afraid of is more like to reinforce their fear, and increase their anxiety. If your dog decides to hide under the bed, in the bath or any other place in the house, let them. Provide them with gentle reassurance and do not drag them out from their hiding place. Prevention is better than cure As with most things in life prevention is better than cure. To help your dog cope with distressing events like New Year's Eve reworks, you can help habituate them to loud unusual noises and other situations before fear and other phobias set in. By following a planned desensitisation programme - which safely and gradually exposes your dog to different experiences, including loud noises - you can help your dog to cope more effectively with novel, frightening sounds like reworks and avoid the distress that reworks can cause.

Enjoy the Break Remember to have fun with your dog

Enjoy Time with your Dog Christmas is an ideal time to relax and enjoy spending more time with your dog Try out fun dog activities Christmas is a great time to try out fun activities like trick training, brain games and food puzzles - such as the muf n tin game - and 'treasure hunts' for hidden (dog-friendly) food or toys. The muffin tin game The muf n tin game is a cheap and fun way for your dog to use their brain. To play the game, you will need: A 6-well muf n tin and 6 tennis balls Some tasty food rewards (click photo for video of the game in action) To play the game: First get your dog used to getting a food treat from the muf n tin, by dropping in a food reward into each well and then allowing your dog to eat the reward. Do this several times, to make sure your dog is happy with placing their nose in the tin. Then, cover 2 or 3 of the food rewards with a tennis ball or a piece of scrunched up paper Encourage your dog to use their nose and paws to dislodge the balls to reveal and eat the food rewards When your dog is readily removing 2-3 tennis balls, then cover all the wells with a tennis ball. Training tip: To help ensure that your dog doesn t get frustrated, make sure that you keep hold of the muf n tin, or put it on a non-slip surface.

Create a 'lucky dip' box Put all those cardboard present boxes and brown packing paper to good use and create a lucky dip box for your dog to enjoy. If your dog likes to destroy items, providing them with a number of items that they can safely destroy and have fun destroying - such as the cardboard boxes (with any staples removed), the cardboard inside of kitchen roll/toilet roll, old newspapers etc will help preserve your belongings. Making a lucky dip box is easy and provides a great outlet for your dog. Take a suitable box and within it, place a stuffed Kong, a few chews, a favourite toy, and bits of kibble, raw carrot whatever your dog likes to eat. Putting a chew inside the inside of an old kitchen roll tube, wrapping a toy in several sheets of newspaper the contents are only limited by your imagination and what is safe to destroy. Your dog will then have to use both mental and physical energy to empty the box and should enjoy (calmly) eating a chew or Kong at the end of it. You will have some clearing up to do, but it is better to clean up items you have provided your dog to destroy, rather than those you haven t! Training tip: If you're worried that your dog may eat the cardboard or paper, do supervise them while they're enjoying their lucky dip box.

Resources Handy resources to have on hand

Handy Resources & Links Sound sensitivities For help desensitising* your dog to sounds: Dog's Trust - Sound Therapy for Dogs Sound Proof Puppy Training App -Available for iphone & Android *Please remember to follow instructions carefully when undertaking desensitising and counter conditioning exercises with your dog. If in doubt, consult a quali ed behaviourist or dog trainer. Calming aids Find out more about calming aids for your dog: ADAPTIL - Dog appeasing pheromone ThunderShirt - Tight- tting calming coat Dorwest - Herbal medicines and supplements Brain games & interactive food puzzles To see the muf n tin game in action - click here Kong Company - Kongs and more Nina Ottosson puzzle games Training & behaviour advice To nd a suitably quali ed trainer or behaviour counsellor, we recommend you visit: ABTC - Animal Behaviour & Training Council APBC - Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors APDT, UK - Association of Pet Dog Trainers, UK