How to plan for a stress-free, dog-friendly Christmas
Whether you’re hosting Christmas or taking your dog with you to your family Christmas function this year, plan ahead for a stress-free, dog-friendly holiday.
Getting your family on board
Your dog is your responsibility and sometimes you need to get firm with family members who don’t think the rules apply to them.
To make it easier for your dog and you this Christmas, be sure to tell your family how to behave around your dog.
For example, please don’t:
Annoy my dog when they’re sleeping.
Take my dog off the property without telling me.
Leave the gate open.
Feed my dog. Their begging face is just an act. They’re not actually hungry right now and I don’t want to be up all night toileting them because they’ve eaten something they shouldn’t have.
Now speaking of family, do you have a family member who always gets you riled up?
Maybe they drink too much and get obnoxious, maybe they’re always asking you the one question you don’t want to answer, maybe they always get offended when you don’t stuff your face with all the delicious things they’ve ‘spent hours slaving over a hot stove creating for you’ because it would blow your eating plan.
Whoever the person and whatever the reason, if they always manage to upset you at Christmas, use your dog’s potty breaks or walks as a legitimate excuse to get away from them.
Set an alarm on your phone if you need to.
How do you want to feel and think on Christmas day?
Getting together with family and friends for Christmas can be a mixed blessing.
There’s usually an incident or two (or three) that remind you why you don’t spend every day with these people.
I find it helpful to plan my thoughts and feelings ahead of time so I don’t get derailed.
Grab a pen and paper and write out how you want to feel this Christmas. Do you want to feel calm, relaxed, joyful?
Now write out who or what will likely get in the way of that happening.
And now, plan out some thoughts you can use to get you back into the bliss zone.
And back to your dog again
Here are some more blogs to help keep your dog safe and happy this holiday season.
Top tips for keeping your puppy safe this Christmas
How to stop your dog from eating things they shouldn’t
For more puppy raising tactics, save your seat in my free masterclass
“3 Simple Tactics for Raising a Well-Behaved Dog”
