Whether you are planning a well-deserved holiday or a chilled staycation at home, the festive period can be a little chaotic for our four-legged friends. On the plus side, we have a little more time to spend with them, but it can also be stressful with the changes in routine that accompany the holidays. So, we thought we would share some tips on how to make this time more fun and chilled for your fur-kids.
Management Setting the environment up ahead of time with some planning helps to keep things calmer for all. If you are having guests or visitors over, think of setting up calm and safe spaces where your dog can retreat to. Whether it’s a room in your home, or installing a baby gate or even teaching them to chill in a crate, these spaces are super important for dogs who find it a bit overwhelming having more people around than usual. Also, not all visitors are dog lovers (I know, who are these people?). Long-lasting chews, Lickimats, filled Kongs are all great ways to keep them occupied and calm in these calm zones.
This is also a good time to top up your boundary games. If your dog finds the boundary high value, you are winning! From then on, it gets easier for your dogs to stay within the area when you need them to.
Growing calmness and managing the stress bucket Apart from setting up a calm zone, understanding how your dog’s stress bucket can fill up and how you can help them manage this is also important. If you are planning something that you know will be fun and exciting, think of giving them a day or two in between just to relax and empty their bucket. Try not to over-schedule the fun stuff; most dogs need a lot of time in between to decompress. After a high-arousal event (both positive and negative), it can take up to 72 hours before the dogs’ stress hormone goes down to the base levels.
Ditching the bowl also gives you lots of ways to empty the stress bucket using their daily food allowance (think scatter feeding, noise box games, food puzzles, Kongs, Lickimats, etc.). These passive enrichment activities help grow calmness. The more time dogs spend in calm, the better they become.
Ditch the routine As we know, dogs are good at predicting things and when it doesn’t quite go according to their plan (expectation), it can cause a bit of uncertainty and frustration, which can be stressful. During the holiday period, dogs may encounter new situations out of their routine. There may be more visitors, children at home all day, spending time alone for a longer period, unusual noises and objects around the house, and more. So, we really love the idea of ditching the routine. Starting this ahead of the holidays will make it much easier.
For some nervous and anxious dogs, some types of routine are helpful as they can reduce surprise factors in many situations. However, generally not having a rigid routine can create more flexible and adaptable dogs to various situations they encounter.
Training games and enrichment activities Use the extra time you have with your dog to top up their training with 3-minute training games. You can involve your kids, too, to create enrichment activities and play games. It would be a great opportunity for cultivating even better relationships! Engaging their brain this way promotes calmness and confidence, which makes for a happy dog!
Wishing you a safe & peaceful festive season with your two and four-legged family!