Christmas is a magical time filled with joy, decorations, and family gatherings, but it can also present hidden dangers for dog owners. Your furry friend’s natural curiosity is heightened during the holidays, with all the new smells, shiny ornaments, and tempting treats within reach. While the sparkling Christmas tree may be the centerpiece of your holiday décor, it can also pose serious risks to your dog if not managed carefully.
The holiday setup can quickly become dangerous, from toxic tree water and fallen pine needles to dangling ornaments and hazardous tinsel. You might not notice a problem until your dog begins feeling sick or gets into trouble, such as chewing electrical wires or ingesting harmful decorations.
To help you keep your dog safe and enjoy a worry-free holiday, we’ve compiled essential tips to identify and minimize the risks Christmas trees and decorations pose to your pup. These precautions allow you and your dog to share a joyful, safe, and mishap-free Christmas season!
Picking The Right Tree
Christmas is a magical time filled with sparkling lights and festive decorations, but for dog owners, the Christmas tree can pose unexpected dangers. From loose pine needles and toxic tree water to dangling ornaments and electrical wires, the risks to your dog’s safety are numerous. Add the temptation of edible ornaments or the chance of the tree tipping over, and the potential for mishaps grows. By choosing the right tree and taking a few precautions, you can ensure a safe and joyful holiday season for your pup while enjoying the magic of Christmas.
Are Real Christmas Trees Safe For Dogs?
Real Christmas trees, while not inherently dangerous, can still pose risks to dogs. Ensuring your tree is safe starts with choosing the right type. Pine and fir trees produce oils that may irritate a dog’s stomach, so opting for a spruce tree can minimize harm if your dog ingests a fallen needle.
Beyond the type of tree, there are other safety factors to consider. Tree water often contains fertilizers, bacteria, and other substances toxic to dogs, so covering the water reservoir is essential. To prevent accidents, anchor the tree securely to avoid tipping and consider using a pet gate to block access. This keeps your dog away from decorations and other potential hazards, creating a safer holiday environment for your furry friend.
Are Fake Christmas Trees Safe For Dogs?
Fake Christmas trees are often a safer choice for dog owners, as they eliminate hazards like toxic tree water and sharp, unsafe needles. However, they’re not entirely risk-free, and precautions are still necessary to protect your furry friend.
Artificial trees are typically made from materials like plastic and PVC, which can be harmful if ingested. Additionally, decorations such as ornaments and electrical wires can still pose choking, blockage, or shock risks if your dog has access to them. To ensure safety, anchor your tree securely to prevent tipping and use a barrier or fence to keep your dog away from decorations and wires.
How To Make Your Christmas Tree Dog-Safe
To ensure your Christmas tree is safe for your dog, consider taking a few key precautions, such as:
- Choose the Right Location
Keep your tree out of a heavy traffic area or place where your dog can have easy access to any harmful materials or accidentally knock it over. Consider using barriers or gates if it is hard to keep it out of their reach.
- Secure the Tree Properly
Anchor your Christmas tree securely to the wall, so your pup doesn’t have access to it. Make sure the stand is sturdy and can’t easily be tipped over.
- Keep Tree Water Out of Reach
The water in your Christmas tree stand is stagnant, and it can contain bacteria. Keep the water sealed off so that your dog can’t drink out of it.
- Dog-Safe Decorations
Instead of using fragile ornaments, opt for shatterproof options. Avoid decor like tinsel, ribbons, or edible decor like popcorn garlands.
- Manage Electrical Hazards
Use cord protectors and hide wires or choose battery-operated lights if possible to prevent them from chewing on the wires.
Is Wrapping Paper Toxic To Dogs?
Wrapping paper can be toxic to dogs depending on the type and amount they ingest. If the wrapping paper you use are coated with inks, dyes, or metallic finishes, these can be harmful to your dog if ingested in large amounts. Glitter, foil, and plastic wrapping can also cause irritation, blockages, or other hazards if swallowed.
To prevent any potential harm, be sure to monitor your dog while unwrapping gifts so they don’t get into anything. It’s best to throw the paper immediately after unwrapping so it’s out of reach. You can also opt for dog-safe wrapping alternatives like plain kraft paper or recycled paper without ink, glitter, or harmful additives.
Additional Holiday Safety Tips
Christmas is a fun time for you and your family, but for your furry friend, this is the time with a lot of temptations around. He is filled with curiosity; the unfamiliar scents of people visiting your home and new things lying around, the enticing shiny decorations, a lot of sweets and candies that he can access while you are blissfully ignorant about his escapades.
Ultimately, you realize something is wrong when he starts feeling sick or when a conspicuous accident around the house that involves your dog grabs your attention. The things you have been thinking are harmless can really cause a lot of harm to your dog, whether it’s the mistletoe, a piece of chocolate, or a tinsel decoration!
We have listed 39 important tips that will give you information as to what is harmful to your dog so that you can avert any major pet accidents this Christmas. Our motto is to help dog parents to have a wonderful and safe Christmas this year without any mishaps or misfortunes touching you or your dog.
Please go through this detailed infographic from TopDogTips which will guide you to avoid the usage of certain things that can prevent dog accidents. Both you and your dog can enjoy the holidays in a fun and jolly way as the season intends.
Decor and Decorations
- Avoid using Candles: Use flameless LED Candles instead. Lit candles can easily be knocked over by pets, causing burns or fires
- Don’t use holly, poinsettia, or mistletoe: These are all poisonous to your dog if ingested. It’s safest to stick with artificial plants instead!
- Anchor Your Christmas Tree: Anchor your Christmas tree securely, so your pup doesn’t have access to it.
- Get A Faux Tree: An artificial Christmas tree is much safer for your dog.
- Don’t decorate the bottom part of the tree: This will prevent your dog from being enticed by easy-to-reach lights or decorations
- Avoid Silver Icicle Strands or Tinsels: Dogs are attracted to playing with and eating them, but they can cause vomiting and obstructions.
- No Glass Ornaments: When ornaments fall or break, your dog can easily eat the pieces.
- Block off the Christmas tree: Consider blocking it off by using a pet gate.
- No Edible Decorations: Edible decorations like popcorn garlands encourage dogs to jump and climb to get tasty snacks.
- Be careful about water in the tree stand: The water in your Christmas tree stand is stagnant, and it can contain bacteria.
- Keep wiring and extension cords out of reach: Pups can get tangled in wiring or bite into wires and pull items off.
- Don’t overwhelm your dog with festive decorations: Too many loud and obnoxious decorations can put your dog on edge.
- Keep wrapped gifts and wrapping paper out of reach: Wrapping paper can attract dogs, and when eaten it can cause blockages and stomach upset.
Food and Cooking
- Chocolate is everywhere: Chocolate is a very popular stocking stuffer and Christmas treat, but it’s extremely toxic to dogs.
- Watch your alcohol: Alcohol and pets don’t mix, so keep all alcoholic drinks out of reach of your pets.
- Say no to table scraps: Table scraps may be dangerous to dogs and can cause a condition called pancreatitis.
- Only safe doggy meals: White meat without skin, dog-safe veggies, and plain rice are a wonderful place to start.
- Don’t give your dog bones: Cooked bones are easily splintered and can cause dental damage and internal perforations.
- Keep an eye on that dough: If you’re going to be baking, make sure to keep that dough out of your pip’s reach.
- Wash pans right away: Post-cooking pans are tempting and can invite your dog to jump up to lick them clean.
Presents and Gifting
- Choose edible gifts wisely: Buy safe treats that are made in reputable countries with healthy ingredients.
- Your dog’s habits for toys: If you have a chewer, don’t choose a toy that they will tear apart and have him swallow pieces.
- Stick with toys made for dogs: Kids’ toys can contain substances that are toxic to dogs, and not designed for chewing.
- Don’t gift pets: Never assume someone else loves dogs as much as you or can commit to a dog.
- Choose size-appropriate toys: Toys that you pick up for your dog must be appropriate for their size and breed.
- Research those present: Some products have serious flaws that can cause illness, physical damage, or even death in dogs.
- Keep an eye on dogs interacting: Even dogs that love each other dearly can become territorial or aggressive over “special” items.
Gatherings and Parties
- Educate your guests: Ensure everyone knows that you have a dog, and how they should interact with your pet.
- Dogs love to room: So be sure that everyone at your party is aware that your dog is roaming the house at all times.
- Isolate your dog if drinking heavily: Drunk people lack the judgment and ability to interact with animals, which may lead to trouble.
- Know when to keep your dog away: If you are holding a gathering and your dog is afraid of strangers, keep your dog away from guests.
- Temper noise: If your dog doesn’t do well with loud noises, consider boarding him on the night of your party.
- Don’t serve dangerous party snacks: Undoubtedly someone will try to sneak a snack to your dog during the party.
- Prepare for accidents: You may want to put down some potty pee pads just for this occasion.
- Introduce other dogs outdoors: If unfamiliar dogs will be at your party, have them both meet outside first to avoid territorial issues.
- Keep senior dogs comfortable: A dog that was very sociable in his youth isn’t always as sociable in his senior years.
- Monitor entrances in snowy weather: Ice-melting chemicals can be tracked into the house on guests’ shoes; they’re toxic to dogs.
- Be wary of children: Ensure kids are familiar with dogs and how to interact with them safely.
- Keep to your normal schedule: Dogs thrive on routine, so try to maintain their regular feeding walking, and sleeping schedule.
Keeping Your Dog Safe This Christmas
As you prepare for the most wonderful time of the year, don’t forget to keep your dog’s safety at the top of your holiday checklist. By being mindful of the potential hazards posed by Christmas trees, decorations, and holiday treats, you can ensure your furry companion stays happy and healthy throughout the season.
At The Dog Kennel Collection, we make the safety of your dog our top priority. As the winter season approaches, we’re here to ensure your dog stays healthy and warm. Check out our blog on 10 Tips for Keeping Your Dog Warm to defend them against the cold weather. To help your dog stay warm during this chilly winter season, we offer climate control features for all our kennels. You can learn more about how these features help your dog by reading our Insulated Dog Kennels and Runs guide.
