Happy Howlidays: Prepping Your Pet for the Holiday Season
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of Signature Magazine. The digital edition can be found here.
As the holidays are approaching, people start making shopping lists for meals, and prepping their homes for guests. While the holidays are a great time to reconnect with friends and family, they can be stressful, and that can also be true for your pets. Some pets get really excited when guests come over which can result in people getting jumped on or the pet running out the door. Others, may be a little overwhelmed, or extremely fearful which can result in stress behaviors such as house soiling or even aggression. When prepping for the holidays, make sure to keep these things in mind for your pet.
Set ground rules
Determine what will be best for your pet, and make sure your family and guests are all on board with the rules. Whether it’s keeping the dog on leash or behind a baby gate until all the guests arrive, or making sure guests don’t give food to your pet. Be sure everyone knows the rules to prevent things such as the kids (or adults) slipping your pet food that could cause them harm or at least an upset stomach. If you already know you have a rule breaker who will be a guest, then go ahead and keep your pet either behind a baby gate or even in another room behind a door. By using this form of management, you can prevent any issues from happening.
Create a safe space
If your pet does not like guests, or maybe they like them but just need a break from them, having a safe space can be great. It can be another room far away from the noise, or just a baby gate where they can still see everyone, but can also move further away if they’d like. Have a comfortable bed for them, litter box or potty pads if they are trained to use those, toys, and a soothing activity such as a lick mat or chew toy. If they are in another room, you can also have some classical music, white noise machine, or a box fan going to help drown out the sound of guests. If your pet gets very stressed, you can even speak with your veterinarian about some medication or over the counter options to help reduce stress. Make sure you get the information from the veterinarian on when is the best time to give the medication. Some medications take longer to take effect and must be given an hour or so before in some instances. If your pet is already upset, and you then try to give the medication, many times it will not be as effective.
Board your pet
If having guests stresses your pet to the point where they are panicking even when they are in a different room, or if having to keep up with your pet along with all of your holiday hosting is just too much, you can always board your pet or have them stay with a sitter. There is no need to feel guilty in doing what is best for both you and your pet, and plenty of pets would rather stay in a quiet environment than be around the holiday chaos. If you have a trusted boarding facility or sitter, go ahead and reserve your reservation now as the holidays tend to book fast.
Start training now
If your pet does great with guests, but could use a little work on not jumping up or running out the door, start working now on training those skills! Behavior change takes time and practice. You can’t expect your pet to listen to you amidst the flurry of guests if you’ve never even practiced the behaviors you want without guests! Teaching new skills works best by using your pet’s favorite treat and keeping the training sessions very short, 5 minutes at the most. Both dogs and cats can learn to stay on a bed or mat away from the door to prevent them from running out, and dogs can learn not to jump up on guests over time. Not only can training help keep your pet safe, but it also helps build your bond.
By considering and incorporating these tips while you are planning your holidays, it can make them a lot less stressful for you and your furry family members. While we want to include them in all we do, we do need to make sure we are respecting how they feel. If the holiday cheer is just too much for them, then we need to advocate for them and do what is in their best interest. Helping your pet feel safe and comfortable is the best thing you can do as a pet parent.
