Christmas and New Years are quickly creeping up, and for many the next few months are full of endless Christmas parties, work shows and hosting of family and friends. When you add a four-legged friend to the mix, it can be an even busy time and many dog owners find themselves overwhelmed and wondering if you are taking enough care of their pooch.

At Drool Pet Co, we have the tips and tricks to help you navigate this festive time of year, while also showering your dog with love.

Christmas leftovers

It can be tempting to give your pup leftovers from your plate, especially if they have been biting your ankles under the table the whole meal. However, many of the foods we love to eat over the Christmas and New Year period are too rich for dog tummies.

Foods to avoid:

  • Onion, garlic and any bulb vegetable
  • Chocolate
  • Skin from meat
  • Bones
  • Gravy
  • Christmas ham
  • Nuts and raisins
  • Cherries
  • Fatty food
  • Lactose

While there are lots of foods to avoid, your pup can still enjoy a small selection of Christmas treats from the table.

Safe foods:

  • Plain boiled or steamed vegetables
  • Mash potatoes
  • Boneless, skinless white meat
  • Prawns

Simply make sure vegetables are prepared with no garlic, only small amounts of butter and that prawns are prepared properly, with head, shell, tail and veins removed.

Garbage out of reach

As we’ve covered, there are lots of foods that can upset a dogs digestive system, and a sick dog needing veterinary attention is the last thing you want to be worrying about. While it is super easy to control what food scraps you feed your own dog, it’s often when you aren’t around that they become nosy and sniff out the bin, often full of all the yummy stuff they aren’t supposed to have. Make sure you are storing your bin out of reach of your dog and even consider emptying your inside bin each night to further eliminate risk.

Anxious pets

Is your dog anxious around lots of peoples? Maybe you are hosting Christmas lunch this year and are concerned about your dog’s wellbeing and whether they can handle the chaos? The simplest thing to do is to designate a safe area for your pet, and to train them to know that this area is theirs to go to if they are feeling overwhelmed. This could be their bed, a silent room or even outside. Giving your dog a space of its own, where it knows it won’t be disturbed, is an easy way to alleviate anxiety in your four-legged friend.

Cleaning dog hair

Almost all dog owners understand the struggle of getting rid of pet hair. Shedding is one of the downsides to owning a pup, and if you’re hosting a party during the silly season, you don’t really want your guests to leave covered in dog hair. So here we have a super simple hack to help get rid of stubborn pet hair that’s stuck in carpet!

All you need is a squeegee. Yep, the tool used to clean windows is super good at collecting pet hair off the floor, all you need to do is run it over the carpet and watch as all the pet hair comes off.

So there you go, lots of helpful tips and tricks to help make sure you, your family and your four-legged friend have a stress free and enjoyable Christmas together!