Christmas is one of the most awaited days of the year for many people. The streets are decorated with sparkling lights, the trees and the Christmas decorations enrich the atmosphere of our homes and the scent of freshly baked biscuits is in the air.
The atmosphere of joy, celebration and sharing gathers friends and family to joyfully celebrate together. But how are our four-legged friends doing during this period?
Let’s find out what Christmas means for dogs, to make sure that it is a moment to be enjoyed for them as well.
Dogs and Christmas: new smells and new flavours
Dogs are known for their incredibly developed sense of smell, so much that they can smell odors that we, humans, don’t even perceive.
During the Christmas period we may have different smells than the usual ones in our homes, perhaps because we use room essences typical of this period or scented candles.
In these cases, let’s always remember to observe our dog’s behavior: new smells, in fact, could destabilize and confuse him in a safe environment such as home. Vice versa, he might even like them and possibly they are not cause of discomfort for him. It will therefore be our task to try to best interpret his mood and to adapt accordingly, to ensure that he can feel good even during the Christmas holidays where stimuli and new things will certainly not lack.
But it’s not just candle essences and scents… a good, and perhaps unexpected, Christmas menu scent comes from the oven. How can you resist the delicious temptation of a taste?
We will also have to pay close attention to this aspect. Christmas often matches with blowouts and yummy dishes, but perhaps not always suitable for our furry friends. In fact, the holiday table is often laden with delicacies and tasty foods really attractive for our trusted companions, who promptly get close to our legs waiting for a random accidental fall of delicious food… Precisely for this reason, we should especially pay attention to our Fido and his diet during the Christmas holidays.
Chocolate, for example, widely common in Christmas desserts, can be a source of intoxication for dogs, as well as grapes and raisins which can cause kidney disease and failure. It will therefore be important to keep food out of reach of our dog during these days, asking guests to kindly do the same, resisting the temptation to surrender to those sweet and persevering eyes asking for a piece of food from our plate.
“Time to show off my secret weapon: sweet eyes and Santa hat!”
If we decide to give our dog a different lunch than usual (after all, it’s Christmas for him too!) we could plan to prepare some safe and above all succulent dishes, just for his taste. Need some culinary ideas for our four-legged friend? Meatballs, stew, rice with vegetables, of course everything without spices and seasonings… let’s turn on the stove and get ready with pots and pans for everyone.
Dogs at Christmas: lights and decorations
Decorated trees certainly can’t miss at Christmas, iconic elements of the holidays: with sparkling lights, colored decorations, glittery balls and dangling velvet bows… everything perfectly Christmas themed but these are details that can attract, perhaps a little too much, the attention of our Fido. Although beautiful and fundamental, Christmas decorations, unfortunately, can represent a risk. For example, let’s imagine (without much effort) that our dog manages to reach a ball from the Christmas tree and then breaks it while playing with it… it could threaten his health.
Our advice to best deal with the situation and not renounce Christmas decorations is to place them in strategic points that are difficult to reach, or to use decorations suitable for our furry friends, such as fabric balls. Eventually, he will enjoy chewing them, but without getting injured.
A new toy? Oops… it was a Christmas tree ball!
Anche in questo caso, però, sarà doveroso considerare che alcuni cani potrebbero essere timorosi o sospettosi dell’albero, specialmente qualora fossero cuccioli e lo vedessero per la prima volta. L’insieme delle luci lampeggianti, dei suoni provenienti dalla decorazione e della struttura imponente dell’albero potrebbero spaventare il nostro amico a quattro zampe, portandolo a manifestare alcuni segni di disagio che sarebbe bene sempre monitorare con attenzione.
The sounds of Christmas for dogs
During the Christmas period, one of the mainly factors that can cause problems to dogs is noise. This holiday involves a series of loud and sudden sounds, such as fireworks, night celebrations and church bells ringing at midnight. These sounds can be particularly impactful for our pets, who have a much more developed and sensitive hearing sense than ours.
What might seem like moderate noise to us can be annoying to them, leading them to react with yelps of fear or a chaotic search for a safe place to take refuge.
A useful solution to counteract the sounds coming from outside could be to create a quiet corner in the area of his kennel, reassuring our Fido by remaining at his side.
“What are these strange sounds? Luckily I feel safe under my blanket.”
The joy of Christmas for our dogs
Luckily, the Christmas holidays also bring with them a series of positive experiences that can be really pleasant for our dogs, and this often depends on the attention and love they receive from their owners, perhaps on vacation for the Christmas holidays.
During this period, many families spend more time at home, away from the usual daily commitments such as work and school, allowing dogs to benefit from greater interaction with their owners. They can share moments of joy and warmth, relaxing together on the couch and also during outdoor winter walks.
Furthermore, our furry friends are often part of family celebrations, especially on public holidays and taking Christmas photos with them will allow you to create special long-lasting memories.
These traditions help strengthen the bond between us and our little four-legged friends, creating a relationship based on trust and sharing.
Like humans, dogs love receiving gifts as well. Their enthusiasm while unwrapping a gift to curiously discover what’s inside is truly contagious!
Our online shop offers a great catalog of products to give as gift to our pet, to keep his hygiene and beauty always shining even during the Christmas period.
Have fun discovering some tips and gift ideas in the latest posts on our Instagram page.
Let’s enjoy a well-deserved rest after a long day of celebration!
Christmas time is joyful and full of happiness for us and for our faithful four-legged friends. All we need to do is take a few simple precautions to ensure that our furry friend can enjoy it, without suffering the confusion and potentially stressful moments of the holidays.
With the right attention, love and care, we can ensure that Christmas is a perfect time of sharing and joy for the whole family, including our beloved four-legged companions.
Merry Christmas from Yuup! to you and your furry friends!
