December 13th, 2012
Is Your Dog Ready for Holiday Guests?
There’s a great article in the November issue of Whole Dog Journal about preparing your dog for guests who may visit during the holidays. Because of the change in routine and how busy people get during the holidays, accidents and illness can happen much more frequently. This article recommends steps that will help keep your dog safe and help keep your dog from hurting others. Here’s a breakdown of the article.
- Watch how your dog greets others. If you have a rambunctious dog who gets excited mixed with elderly visitors, that’s a recipe for disaster. Teach your dog “place” or give them some sort of job when visitors arrive.
- Watch for poisoning hazards if guests leave medications on the nightstand. Make sure your guests put any medications away, and keep their purses, backpacks and luggage out of your dog’s reach. Also, don’t let your dog snack on any of the holiday plants you have around your home.
- Ensure your dog is wearing a collar with an ID tag, or better yet, is microchipped. With extra visitors in the home, escape chances go way up. Teach your dog to wait at the door for permission to go through it.
- If your dog gets anxious around the food bowl or around toys, find a more quiet place to feed your dog. And pick up the toys. Ask our guests to give your dog a bit of space. And if you’re not certain how your dog will interact with other dogs, ask your guests to leave their dogs at home.
- Have the emergency vet’s contact information handy, just in case.
Follow these simple steps, and you’ll go a long way in ensuring that you, your dog, and your guests have a happy and safe holiday.
Happy Holidays!
