Gatherings, events and less time at home OH MY! ‘Tis the season for calendars to fill up and telling your furry friends ‘we’ll be back in a little’ a lot more than usual. Things can get pretty hectic once the holidays roll around, which means it can also be very overwhelming for your pets during this time of year. Stress and anxiety are common emotions felt by all during the holidays, but have you thought about how the holidays can bring about these emotions in your dog?

Your dog’s body language is a huge clue as to how they’re feeling, which will be the best indicator for pet parents to know whether your dog wants to be in a certain situation or needs to be left alone. The most common symptoms of anxiety in dogs are behavioral: backing away, aggression, destructive behavior, barking or even relieving themselves inside. Even the friendliest of dogs can have too much holiday cheer and need to retreat for a minute to relax. Here are four ways your dog's anxiety could be tested when it comes to the holidays.

The Unfamiliar

When your dog is used to the normal and those decorations are pulled out and put up, the normal for them now becomes unfamiliar. Decorating for the holidays means new decor, new furniture arrangements and possibly a whole new environment for your dog. With these changes, your dog can become unsettled with the new scents and objects but here are a few ideas on how to help with that:

• Decorate in stages to allow your dog to become familiar with small amounts of objects.

• If you have a very anxious dog that really enjoys their routine, don’t rearrange the room to accommodate decorations or a tree.

• Have a safe place for your dog to retreat to whenever they need a break. Keep this as a specific location and don’t change it.

Extra Visitors and Noise

Many dogs are put under the pressure to be social with new guests visiting during the holidays and sometimes it’s not in their nature to be super social. Some dogs can get nervous around new people (or even too many people) and can act out or engage in inappropriate behaviors. The holidays also fill your house with extra noises such as visitors’ voices, music, doorbells, children and sometimes fireworks. If you have a dog that is sensitive to noises, this can also put stress onto your dog. Try these ideas on how to keep your dog less stressful with guests and noise:

• Don’t allow guests to pet a dog that is nervous or backing away. It’s best to let the guest ignore them until they are ready to approach.

• Never force your dog to greet a guest or hold them down for someone to pet them if they don’t want to be there. Let them retreat to a safe space and come back when they are ready.

• Try to control the noises that you can (i.e. voice and music levels) and anticipate and prepare for the noises that you cannot (i.e. fireworks or outdoor noises).

Being Left Alone

With so many activities and events happening during the holidays, some dogs will be forced to spend more time alone. The days go by quickly as our schedules fill up and we find ourselves busy all of the time, which leaves less attention for our dogs as well. Less time and being left alone means less exercise, leaving your dog with more energy to expend inside the house through destructive behaviors. Carve out some time to spend playing or taking a walk with your dog to help with the disruption in their routine, especially if your dog is used to being outside everyday. Use these ideas to help when leaving your dog alone:

• Spread out your long trips away from home so they don’t happen all at once or all in the same day.

• Leave a TV on when you're gone for some background noise for your dog.

• Leave lights on whenever you’re away so your dog isn’t left in the dark.

• Before leaving, give your dog a good walk so they will be tired and want to sleep while you’re away.
  

Over-Stimulation

Just like little kids get overly excited with the holidays, so too does your dog! And just like children, this over excitement can lead to not so appropriate behaviors. New toys, new people and changes in routine can all lead to a dog becoming over-stimulated and sometimes an over-stimulated dog can lose its self-control. Receiving new interactive toys or visitors engaging in rough play can have them bouncing through the house. An over excited dog isn’t a bad dog, they just need time to calm down from everything. Here are some ideas to help with your over-stimulated pup:

• Limit how many new things happen to your dog at once. 

• Take your dog for their regular walks to help them unwind.

• Make sure your dog gets time to rest in a quiet place where no one can disturb them.

‘Tis the season to be thankful for what you have and to spend time with the ones you love, especially the ones with fur. The holidays can be a rush for us all, but let’s remember that our pets still need attention and daily exercise with routine and weather changes. Having an anxious pet can be an added stress on you, but knowing what causes it and how to avoid some of that stress during the holidays can help to keep everyone's spirits merry and bright!

Finding your to do list building as the holidays approach? Let Going Mutts Pet Services take something off of that list for you - daily walks and exercise for your dog! We know the calendars can get filled this season, so let us help with your pet care needs so no one has to miss out on fun. We can customize walks, playtime and check-ins to meet your specific needs, so contact us today to see how we can help make your holidays that much more merry and bright.

Sources:

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/10-Reasons-Dogs-Get-Stressed-During-the-Holidays

https://www.cbdmd.com/blogs/posts/8-ways-the-holidays-can-stress-out-your-pet