Give your dog a relaxing Christmas holiday

It's the eason to be merry, whether you celebrate christmas, Hanukka or not really anything at all, it is a season for celebration for many of us.

It's easy to assume that our dogs appreciates the holidays as much as we do, but that might just not be the case. Wagging dogs, enthusiastically barking dogs, dogs licking our faces and jumping on us may not be as happy as we think. They might just be stressed and need a safe place to stay, shielded for the loud Christmas music, unfamiliar children running around the house, loud voices and new impressions.

Note!: Never leave kids and dogs alone in a room. If the grown-ups leave the room, take either the kids or the dogs with you. No matter how kind and nice your dogs and kids are, things can go wrong very quickly. If your dog gets spooked, pulled on the ear, stepped on or used as a mini horse, the dog might feel pain, fear og get startled and can bite on reflex - these are redirected behaviours and has nothing to do with aggression or previous behaviour patterns - it can happen to all dogs and unfortunately all kids can be bitten in a situation like this.

How do you know if your dog is stressed and needs a shielded space?

Anything that deviated from your dog's normal behavioural patterns can indicate that your dog is feeling stressed:

• Cautions wagging tale waving back and forth (helicopter tail 360 degrees means happy, for sure)
• Your dog is licking their mouth and/or yawning
• Can't settle, paces back and forth and won't lie down
• panting or drooling
• exaggerated licking on guests (or your) arms, faces or otherwise (this is called appeasement)
• Leaning in on your guests doesn't necessarily mean that your dog likes your guests - it might also be that they need to control the guests and anticipate movement
• Goofy play moves out of context or other things that seems strange and out of character (this is displacement behaviours)
• Licking around the mouth, holding one front paw up in the air, shaking in other situations than normal
• More or less appetite than usual
• Pulling on the leash (if they nomally don't pull)

These are just a few of many things you can look for to see if your dog is stressed. You know your dog the best, so look for all unusual behaviours that are exaggerated or not normal for your dog . All these behaviours may be your dog trying to tell you that they need a quiet getaway during the holidays:-)

What does a safe place look like for your dog?

A place where your dog can rest and thrive, without much traffic. Some dogs like a place where they can observe and look at what's going on, whereas other dogs might prefer less visual stimuli and less interaction. Through observation you can see what's best for your dog. The most important thing is for us to remember that our fourlegged family members also have their own thoughts, feelings and preferences when it comes to celebrating Christmas or any other seasonal holiday.

Make sure your dog doesn't eat any food it's not supposed to - Christmas might change into a scary and hazardous place!