The holiday season is a hectic time for everyone. Keep the following tips in mind to help your furry family members stay happy and healthy during the festivities this fall and winter:

• During the holiday season, keep your pets in a quiet, relaxing environment to avoid unneeded stress and any attempts to escape outside when guests arrive.
• Never feed any chocolate to your pet since it can act as a poison if ingested.
• Keep your pets inside, especially when the temperature falls below 0 Celsius.
• Avoid feeding your pet any table scraps, and caution guests from giving your pet any “special treats.”
• Thoroughly wipe off your pet’s paws after he comes inside from snow, sleet or ice. If not, your furry friend may ingest salt, antifreeze or other chemicals when licking his paws. Also, your pet’s paw pads may bleed from encrusted snow or ice.
• Keep holiday decorations, such as tinsel and Christmas lights, out of reach for your pets, as they can be dangerous if chewed or swallowed.

The holidays are especially stressful for dogs due to changes in routine and the comings and going of visitors. Many dog bites happen at this time of year. When visiting a house with a dog, children should be taught not to approach the dog (even if the dog has been friendly on other occasions). If the dog comes to them they should stand still like a tree and let the dog sniff. Only if the the dog is wagging and panting and coming to them for attention, and parent and dog owners are supervising and have given permission, should a child touch the dog. Dog owners should gauge their dog’s reaction to visitors. If the dog is overly excited, barking or growling, cowering away, trying to hide or otherwise showing signs of anxiety or aggression, the dog should be kept separate from visiting children for the entire duration of the child’s visit.

The dog should have its own place in a crate or another room with toys, a bone to chew on and its special bed or blanket so that it can be happy and comfortable and away from guests. Even dogs who seem happy with visitors should never be alone in the room with visiting children. No preschooler, toddler or baby should be allowed to be near your dog unless you personally also have your hands on the dog and can prevent face to face contact between child and dog and can prevent the child from hugging or otherwise bothering the dog.

Dogs should not be allowed to greet visitors at the door. This is for the safety of the dog and the visitors. Keep the dogs in separate room or crate until the visitors are settled and then allow the dog to say hello if appropriate. If you are not sure about your dog, then leave him confined or keep him on a leash. Make sure that the dog associates visitors with something good for the dog, such as special treats or a stuffed bone.

If you do perceive a problem between your dog and visiting children – this is not the time to work on it. It is not reasonable to use visiting children to help train your dog. Take preventative measures to ensure that your dog does not have the opportunity to bite and once the holiday season is over seek the help of a dog behaviour specialist who uses positive reinforcement methods to solve the dog’s problem.

Here is a summary of Doggone Safe’s family gathering tips:

Family gatherings at a relative’s house are the source of fond memories for many. The relative’s dog may not enjoy these events as much as the rest of the family. Noise, confusion and changes in routine are stressful for dogs. Even a normally calm and docile pet may become agitated enough to bite under the extreme circumstances of a boisterous family celebration. Supervision may be lax if each adult thinks that another is watching the children. Children are the most likely victims of dog bites in this situation.

• Put the dog in his crate with a bone or favourite chew toy, at least during the most hectic times – guests arriving and leaving as well as dinner preparation and serving.
• Assign one adult to be in charge of the dog, to watch for signs of stress and protect from unwanted attention from children.
• Assign one adult to supervise each baby or toddler with no other tasks expected.
• If you have multiple dogs, consider kennelling them, crating them or keeping them in another room during large gatherings.
• Supervise at all times.

With permission from the Kentucky Humane Society, 2009.