It’s the Christmas season and it seems to get busier and busier - there are presents to be unwrapped, visitors to entertain, very excited children, meals to be prepared, shopping and Christmas decorations to do.

It can get a bit fraught over the Christmas period and for some of our dogs all this hustle and bustle and noise can be a bit overwhelming at times. Christmas Day and Boxing Day can mean a change of routine as Christmas lunch is prepared, family arrive, presents are opened, and games are played.

Recently, I saw a couple of visuals by the American trainer Kathy Kawalec that I thought were brilliant, helping the owner to understand how some dogs can get completely overwhelmed with all this sensory overload. I have included them below so you can keep them as a reference.

For me, one of the most important things you can provide for your dog over Christmas is a safe, warm, and comfortable private place where your dog can relax and sleep without disturbance from adults or children.

Your dog will be thankful to have some down time if the household gets busy and it will give you peace of mind when you are preoccupied with the Christmas dinner!

Your dog may find it hard after having so long without visitors coming to the home due to the pandemic, so be mindful that they may not want to be fussed as much and might appreciate that safe space to go to.

Most of us like to decorate our homes at Christmas, so from the dog’s point of view it must be weird when furniture starts being moved, a big tree is bought into the home (that smells like the outside, unless you have an artificial tree!) and decorations are hung in places that aren’t normally there.

If you have a very young pup or inquisitive dog, make sure that you hang decorations up out of reach and put a safety barrier around your tree to prevent the dog from taking and chewing things, which could be potentially dangerous at worst and downright annoying at best! Please remember not to put any chocolate decorations on the tree as chocolate is toxic to dogs as it contains theobromine.

I am sure you wonderful owners are already aware of food that can be dangerous to dogs over the Christmas season, but here’s a reminder, chocolate, particularly dark, mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, macadamia nuts, onion, garlic and leeks (think stuffing), alcohol, cooked meat bones, xylitol -an artificial sweetener found in human sweets. If you want to give them a treat, then buy them a special tasty dog treat or give them some of the white meat from your turkey or chicken.

I really hope that we can celebrate safely with loved ones again this year. From me and Tiny Timmy, here’s wishing you and your lovely furry companions a very peaceful and safe Christmas this year, see you all in 2023.

Check out training your dog with Tracey Prall on www.canineconnection.co.uk