Ah! Christmas And Dogs! So much excitement and fun. With dogs being like toddlers/preschoolers for life, Christmas with them can always be loads of fun. It can also be somewhat dangerous for them so lets go over some ways to have some fun with your dogs, and some things to look out for.
Lets start with FOOD- I love to give my dogs a special dinner on Christmas. They are smelling all the same wonderful smells I am, but to an even higher degree. This is causing them to drool, pant, run around excitedly, jump and just generally be as excited about Christmas as, well, ME! They also get under foot while I am cooking(also while setting up decorations, and wrapping presents of course). While it is tempting to give them many yummy treats, as I am partaking in these yummy treats, it is important to remember I don’t enjoy cleaning up dog vomit, diarrhea or trips to the ER Vet.
Here is a list of things I love to give my dogs at Christmas, and they love to receive, without hurting their stomachs.
- Cooked Chicken OFF the bone– While making a turkey or ham for the family, I will get a small chicken separate for the dogs and either boil it or roast it with NO seasonings. I will then let it cool and take all the meat off the bones and put it in a tupperware for storing. This is now a topper I will add to their food for Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning and Christmas dinner.
- Canned Pumpkin– Why shouldn’t they have pie too? Seasonings can be quite bad for dogs and I don’t really know the full list of do’s and don’ts in this area, so to be safe I stick with just the straight plain canned (or fresh cooked) pumpkin. I add a dollop of this to the same things I listed for chicken.
- Apples– cooked or raw but unsweetened and absolutely NO seeds. I will usually add 1 or two slices a day as a treat for my dogs. They LOVE apples! *not for puppies
- Carrots– Another wonderful treat for my dogs. Bucky is the funniest with carrots as he likes to nibble them with his front teeth like a bunny.
- Peanut Butter Christmas Cookies– Peanut butter is a great treat for dogs. Opt for all natural peanut butter with honey to sweeten and no sugar, or make your own. You can use regular flour, or coconut flour or Oat flour. Omit the sugar as they don’t care, they love the peanut butter taste! Roll them out and cut into fun shapes. Dogs can eat this as baked cookies OR even a yummy raw dough treat!
* As with humans, dogs can have allergies too, so make sure to give small amounts and see how your dogs do before diving in.
*I cut back the kibble when I give toppers to make sure their calorie intake isn’t increased dramatically for them.
* If you are ever unsure of something, ask your veterinarian.
*Please never give the bones to the dogs. No one wants a trip to the ER on Christmas.
Presents and Dogs
I absolutely enjoy giving my dogs new toys. They love it too. It’s novel and that makes it special. I actually give my dogs a combination of things at Christmas- smart toys we can use for enrichment and training, fluffy toys they don’t normally get as they rip the stuffing out within minutes to find the squeaker, and chew toys that will last much longer.
Christmas is a time I go through the house and throw out the old favorites that are completely demolished. I find their rope toys in pieces, nylabones they have chewed down to a nub, flat disembowled stuffed toys missing their ears and noses have been ripped off. I find any toys that are so broken they aren’t even recognizable anymore. YES, I do let my dogs get their toys to this state, we find so much joy and fun getting the most use out of every toy. There are specific toys I don’t let my dogs have unless I am present with them. For example-
- Stuffed toys- My dogs rip the stuffing out (as many dogs do) and then sometimes they eat that stuffing! So we play with these together, like fetch or tug or just me being in the room while they destroy it. I am also looking for that squeaker they are so excited to find as one of my dogs will take it and carry it around forever and possibly choke on it.
- Interactive Toys- I don’t want these destroyed so I try to make sure they are a special toy we play together. We like puzzles where they move pieces around to find treats, or puzzles where they have to search through to pull out a toy or treat. Flirt Poles where we go play chase together. Balls where we go play fetch together, and also Nose Games where they learn to pick out specific scents with me, and find it or search as a game we do together.
- I also put up the highly desired toys (whatever they designate) as I am uninterested in them fighting.
We don’t have kids at home anymore so Christmas really is about us and our dogs. Things we always watched out for, especially with young dogs, was making sure they didn’t get ahold of ribbons or bows as they could swallow these. We would let them run into piles of boxes and wrapping paper, but always watching that they didn’t eat it. We also made sure to keep the new toys for us and the kids away from the dogs! Set them up for success, using gates or rooms find a space for your dogs to enjoy their new toys that is separate from your kids and their new toys!
I hope you find this helpful and interesting. Share with me your ideas for fun with dogs during the holidays. Meanwhile, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Wonderful Winter Solstice, and Happy Holidays!