Many homes I visit this time of year are decorated with beautiful, festive, welcoming visions. I just love holiday time. It brings out so many warm feelings inside. It also reminds me that it can also create lots of tempting ways for a puppy or active dog to practice behaviors that are unappreciated by people; and lots of opportunities for danger.
I thought I’d share some tips for holiday puppy proofing your home and minimizing the dangers for your dog or puppy. 
(Note that I will get to the Christmas tree dog safety tips at the end.)
Holiday Dog Safety Tips
- Secure your electrical wires. At any time of year these can be very attractive to teething puppies. During the holidays people tend to have more wires than usual. Not only can your pet get tangled up in them (and create a choking hazard), chewed wires can also cause burn, electric shock or even death. You can secure or hide wires with electrical tape, cable wrap, or other means.
- Beware of flames. Keep candles that could be knocked over out of reach. An open fireplace is tempting for your dog, who may just get too close and a tail swish could have a disastrous outcome. Never leave your dog unsupervised in an area with an open flame and be ready to redirect your dog if he gets too close. As an added layer of safety, you can put a temporary gate up around the area.
- Keep in mind, many holiday plants are toxic to dogs. Included in this list are lilies, poinsettias, holly berries and pine tree needles.
- Beware of fairy lights. These are the tiny colored lightbulbs strung together that are hung. If your dog gets tangled in them, he could break a bulb (and possibly digest shards or cut himself) or cause electrical shock. Keep these out of reach, and also use an extension cord that shuts off automatically if damaged.
- Keep holiday food out of reach. There are many kinds of festive drinks and foods that can be toxic to pets. Among them – chocolate, macadamia nuts, alcohol, blue cheese, cooked bones, artificial sweeteners, onions, and Christmas pudding (including grapes, raisins, currants, and sultanas).
- Give your puppy (or dog) a place of safety and rest from the holiday happenings. During COVID, you may not be having lots of people over but you may still be doing celebrating with your family at home. That can get to be stressful. Giving your puppy a quiet space to retreat or take a rest break is important. Ideally that place will be in another room away from the bustle with dog’s crate, bed, maybe a chew toy, and possibly white noise if necessary. (Note that teaching your puppy to feel comfortable in that space AHEAD of the holiday is important so that being alone is not a source of stress.)
Minimizing The Pet Dangers Around A Christmas Tree
Christmas trees can pose the biggest danger as they are often the focal point of holiday decorations and holiday activities. There is a lot of attractiveness of that tree for a puppy or dog.
Dog Dangers of The Christmas Tree
- Pine needles. These are not digestible and are mildly toxic. Fir tree oils can be irritable to a dog’s stomach and mouth which can lead to excessive drooling and vomiting. Eating them can also cause cuts in the mouth or even perforation in the intestine. Beware that artificial trees often have small pieces of aluminum or plastic that can break off and become brittle with age.
- The water that is used to keep a tree fresh is toxic to pets. It usually includes pesticides, fertilizers and other additives. To keep your dog safe, use a covered tree water dish.
- Dogs are very attractive to tinsel and apt to put it in their mouth. Swallowing it can lead to blockages or even worse.
- Glass ornaments. These tend to break in shards and that can cause perforation, blockage, or irritation, and may cut a paw or mouth.
- Other tree ornaments. It really just depends on what is in each ornament as to its danger, not to mention, people often decorate trees with heirlooms with great personal meaning.
To keep your dog away from your tree:
- Never allow your dog in the room with the tree unsupervised by an adult or responsible teen. Keep your dog’s attention away from the tree with other activities while you are in there.
- Prevent direct access by placing a gate around the tree. Let’s face it, supervision can sometimes fail. Having another safety net in place is always a good thing.
- Secure your tree to a wall or the ceiling so that it can not be tipped over. Standing it in a corner of the room is a better idea than in the middle of a space with lots of activity.
