How to Help Your Dog Get Through the Holiday Stress

The holiday season has arrived and everyone is getting ready for big celebrations and family gatherings. While this is an exciting time for you, it can be quite stressful for your dog. Most pet owners take animal socialization seriously, but a rowdy party can get even the friendliest dog excited. Spending the holidays with your dog requires a little extra effort to ensure its safety and good behavior. Preparing your pet for a meeting with a large group of people is very important, so do not ignore it. How to make this time as comfortable as possible for the animal? Here are a few steps to take into account if your dog is afraid of strangers.

The meeting should take place in a relaxed atmosphere.

While some dogs love making new friends, others can be a little overwhelmed when they see too many people at once. Control the process of introducing the dog to your guests. To do this, it is better to make sure that not all guests arrive at the same time. A sudden crowd of people can scare the animal, so you should try to make the acquaintance go smoothly on both sides. If you have an overly friendly dog, you will need to restrain it so that it does not jump on guests and knock them over. If she is shy, you should not let overly emotional people disturb her.

Vetstreet reports an interesting observation: dogs may be more afraid of low-pitched men than soft-voiced women. Many dogs prefer the company of adults to the company of children. Keeping this in mind, keep a close eye on the kids invited to your holiday party, and try asking your guests to keep their voices down.

A formal introduction that makes your puppy and guests feel safe and comfortable is the best way to prevent stress in the animal. Perhaps the dog should be kept in another room behind a fence until the guests have gathered. Each visitor can greet her separately from the other side of the fence to make the meeting less emotional and prevent any jumping on people.

Provide privacy

Socialization can tire your dog, even if he enjoys the company of people. Give her a familiar quiet place so she can rest. This is especially important for pets that do not have the habits of a secular lion. If your dog feels insecure around large groups of strangers, don’t force him to be around. If you force your pet to communicate more than she is ready and wants, she will become tense and shy. Without an opportunity to escape, she may show aggression to show that she is scared. It is important to prevent such a scenario.

A safe haven will help her feel safe and provide a way to get through the chaos if she gets nervous or overtired.

Control interaction

Once the dog is comfortable with all the guests, you should ensure its safety. Make sure all human food, drinks and jewelry are out of her reach. Holidays with pets can be fun for everyone, but be aware that table waste is bad for your dog’s health, and some foods can be very dangerous. Do not allow guests to feed your puppy human food and explain that this is best for his safety, health and well-being. You also need to keep an eye on the kids, because your crafty dog ​​will have no problem stealing candy from a child!

Don’t Forget Your Puppy

Playing the role of owner can be quite a stressful task, but the stress that all this can cause for your dog can make him withdraw into himself. Therefore, during the chaos associated with the reception of guests, try not to forget about your pet. Your guests will certainly give him the necessary attention, but most of all he will expect care from you, his beloved master. Spend a few minutes of every hour of the party rewarding him with treats for good behavior, scratching behind his ear, or petting his tummy. Knowing that you are there for him in this confusion will help calm the puppy and reduce his stress significantly.

The socialization of a dog during the holidays must be carefully considered. Even if you have a very sociable puppy who loves everyone in the world, you need to remember that being in a large group of people for a long time can overwork even the friendliest animal. Be sure to introduce your dog to guests in a calm and controlled environment. Make sure she has a suitable place where she can hide from any worries and discomforts. Establish and enforce rules that prohibit giving your pet human food and keeping jewelry and gifts out of her reach. Once everyone at the party has been properly introduced to each other, you and your guests will have a great time. So let’s enjoy our holidays with the dogs year after year!