Navigating Holidays with your dog

The holidays are stressful for people and dogs. Whether you’re going to visit family by plane or car, or you’re the one hosting your family this Christmas season, or maybe you’re already hosting your retired mother-in-law like a Christmas Vacation movie. Dogs don’t travel very well sometimes, but not all dogs also are quick to change with an ever-changing environment either. Still, there are ways to decrease stress in your pup and in yourself with a little bit of pre-planning, mental stimulation, anxiety helpers (holistic and medicinal), and a little bit of trial and error.

• Pre-Holiday Prep
• Managing a hectic environment
• Mental Stimulation and Exercise
• Safety Measure for the Holiday
• Post-Holiday Recovery
• Conclusion

Disclosure Notice

Parts of these may have affiliate links. By choosing to buy through my link I’ll get a small commission and there’s no extra cost to you! Best of all, these products are tested and approved by Bear and his furry friends! All links will be embedded as text.

Pre-Holiday Prep

Before you look at any options for your dog, whether it’s traveling or staying in the city they know and love, and especially if they’ll be boarding with other dogs, make sure you get a wellness checkup, and talk to your vet about travel plans. If you plan on driving or flying, talk to your vet about anxiety medication and anti-nausea medication.

Anxiety medication, sometimes called a sedative, can be kind of scary for a lot of people, and not all dogs will need it, but it’s always better to have it on hand and never using it than not having it and having your dog cry the whole 12-hour journey (or more).

I used to travel between Tuscon, Arizona and Phoenix, Arizona when I was in my last year of University. Bear, a Golden Retriever mix, hates car rides like I’ve never seen in any other dog. He never got sick, but I always gave him holistic options because a sedative for a 2-hour car ride seemed like a lot. I made a lot of mistakes when traveling with him but I always gave him the Hempz calming treats when we traveled. Just like with people, not all dogs will respond to holistic alternatives differently, and sometimes they may not work at all or work very little. In Bear’s case, I think it worked very little, but it was just enough for him to nap rather than pant the entire ride. There are better options than Hempz, but some are very strong and should be used in small doses.

Sentry has calming collars and calming treats that work very well but should be used in small doses and in short spans of time.

Whether you decide to go the holistic route or medicinal route, always give it a test run before you go on your trip, so you know what behavior to expect from your dog.

If you decide to fly, make sure to check out the airline’s requirements for pets. Most airlines no longer allow you to travel with Emotional Support Animals, as much as YouTube commercials would want you to believe this. Emotional Support Animals in the USA are NOT protected by law except in the case of housing, and even that may differ state-to-state. ESAs are NOT the same as Service Animals, which are protected by Americans with Disabilities Act. Check the airline’s requirements to safely transport your pet, and if you do have a service dog, then check their requirement for your service dog. (Some airlines may require the purchase of an additional ticket depending on the size of the dog.)

Finally, if you plan on bringing your pet but you are not staying at a family member’s house, you’ll need to find pet-friendly Airbnb’s or hotels. This is easy enough through a quick google search or a search through Airbnb’s website.

Staying home?

About half of all American adults plan to travel during the holiday season, and we can safely conclude that about half of that half need to plan for their pup this season as well. Dogs don’t always travel well, and it’s important to understand that long travels and air travels aren’t always ideal. Sometimes, what’s best for your dog is to stay home. If you have friends that are well acquainted with your dog, ask them to watch your beloved companion for however long you’ll be gone. Paying them appropriately will help as well as giving them a little extra cash for food if they need it. Give detailed directions on how to feed and when, how strictly they need to stick to the feeding schedule or if it needs to be strict at all and load their house with enough toys and treats to last, as well as a new bag of dog food. If your dog is used to walks, leave directions for when and how long to do that for, if it’s doable for your friend.

Even if you don’t have a friend that your dog can stay with, a quick google search can help you find the best doggy hotels near you! Before you bring your beloved companion, call and ask if they do tours so you can see what kind of place your pup will be staying in and ask important questions like:

• How often will your dog be out of the kennels to play?
• How long will each play session be?
• Is there always staff on premises 24/7? (If there’s not, look elsewhere!)
• Can they give you updates via text or email about how your pup is doing?
• How far in advance will you need to book for the holiday season?
• What are their steps in case of an emergency? (Do they call you on the way to an animal hospital? Which animal hospital is it? How much power over decision-making will they have until you can reach your pet?)

This was a lot of information in one go, so let’s recap the important bits:

• Take your dog to a vet
  • Get some anti-nausea medication and anxiety meds
• Look up pet-friendly airlines/airbnbs or ask your friends to watch your pup for you or look up doggy hotels
• Get some calming chews or a calming collar.
• Leave lots of food and toys for your friends, if they’re staying at your friends place.

Managing a hectic home environment

Your house is going to be a very busy place soon. Your dog will become very overwhelmed by the noise, the smells, and may, overall, suddenly become like a human teenager: never wanting to leave their “room”. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless you take the party into their space or if you deny them the space they need to relax. This may cause your dog to become defensive or exhibit other signs of stress like diarrhea and vomiting.

Creating a safe environment for your dog is easier than you might think, even if you live in an apartment. Is there a room your dog already is prone to hanging out in during the day or a room your pup sleeps in? It could be a crate or a bed too. It could be a place in the house where your dog will disappear to when you have company over. That’s your dog’s safe space. You should make sure this space is easily accessible to your dog, fill the space with chews and his favorite toys, and maybe turn on some music or something to drown out the noise.

If you live in a house, you may have a backyard that your dog escapes to. This works just as well, and the same rules apply. Just like in the above section, you may have to explore holistic calming options (which should always be tested weeks in advance) or ask your vet for some sedatives like Trazodone or anxiety medications. The goal should always be not to knock out your pup but to simply calm them down.

Leading up to and during the big holiday event, you should try to keep your dog’s routines the same as much as humanely possible. This is especially hard the day of the event, but if you go on early morning walks, there’s no reason to continue that early morning walk, even if the rest of the day isn’t going to be the same.

Mental Stimulation and Exercising

Scheduled walks and play, interactive toys and games: Dog exercise routine, pet playtime during holidays, interactive toys for dogs, mental stimulation for pets

Whether you’re at home or at a family member’s house, bored dogs will always cause destruction. If your family has small children, always keep an eye on them around your pup. You may say “but my dog is sooo nice!” and I believe you, I am sure that Fido is the sweetest, dumbest dog on the planet, but children have absolutely no inkling of boundaries. Small children may pull on the dog’s ear or nose or may bite their tail. Their intention will never be to harm your family, but in trying to teach them to back off they may accidentally harm them in the process. Know your dog’s signs of annoyance (such as trying to get away, lip curling, and growling) and intervene before your dog lashes out by taking your dog into another room and distracting the children with other games.

Meanwhile, you may find that you want your pup isolated from the fun, and that’s perfectly find too. Interactive toys such as snuffle mats and puzzle toys will keep your dog entertained. If your dog is a heavy chewer, getting them a chewing toy will keep them mentally stimulated. To keep them calm in the face of loud chatter, you can drown it out with certain kinds of music! For some reason, classical, reggae, and soft rock music can help dogs relax.

Before all that fun starts, though, make sure you take your dog out on a longer-than-normal walk. Most dogs seem to become tired after 5-10 miles, depending on energy level, fitness level, and other factors such as arthritis and age. A long walk will make your dog tired.

Safety measure for the holiday

As always, no matter whether you’re traveling to a family member’s home, keeping them with someone else, or keeping them with you at home, always make sure to take appropriate safety measures.

Don’t leave breakable ornaments at your dog’s tail-height or counter-surfing height. Anything that can break should either not be put up this year or be put up higher than even you can reach. Ornaments closer to the ground should be made of something that doesn’t shatter as easily, like plastic.

Cords are a puppies worst enemy, but they don’t know that and may chew through the wires when you aren’t looking causing electrocution. Keep the cords out of reach and when you can’t, watch your dog closely around the tree. Tinsel is dangerous for any animal, whether in your hair or on the tree, make sure your pup doesn’t try to eat these as they can get wrapped around their tongue.

Holiday flowers, particularly Mistletoe, Holly, Poinsettias, and other flowers are harmful to humans and dogs if ingested and shouldn’t be kept around. (You should opt for the craft store version of these items instead.) If you have a live tree, keep the needles swept up and keep the tree water out of your dog’s reach, as these can cause gastrointestinal upsets. Opt for a faux tree instead, which will last you longer anyways and is well worth the investment.

I’ll make a post about popular Christmas foods that aren’t safe for your pup, because there’s a lot out there, but the optimal idea is to keep the small children from feeding your pup in the first place.

You may think Fido has great recall, but when your dog gets scared and anxious, I could bet that all of that training will leave their head pretty quickly. If your dog isn’t microchipped, consider investing the small bit of money it takes to get microchipped. If you aren’t sure, ask your vet to double check. If you got your pup from a rescue, I bet your dog is microchipped and you just haven’t filled out the forms yet. You should do that.

Unfortunately, the sad truth is that anyone who finds Fido running in the wild may not check for a microchip, especially if your dog is a breed that is very popular at the moment. Make sure your dog’s tag is up to date and consider investing in a type of GPS tracker or an apple airtag. My favorite one is by YIP, and it’s the one I have on Bear currently. Very accurate and doubles as a tag where you can put your phone number. They make ones compatible with Samsung and Apple so make sure you get the right type for your phone. This way, if your dog somehow takes off and you lose sight of them you can easily track their whereabouts.

Post-Holiday recovery

Relaxation won’t begin until the people have left and you’re back at home. Your dog may stay attached to you for a while so you should make sure you aren’t going anywhere for the next few days. Post-holiday relaxation for your dog can include walking them, or just snuggling on the couch together. The New-Year’s fireworks may cause them some anxiety, but this is easily remedied with some music to drown out the celebrations. After a few days, your pup will begin to get back in the groove of your normal routine.

During this time, it’s important to reflect on what you did and how your dog reacted to everything. Did things go as planned? What worked really well and what didn’t? What can you do to make sure the holidays go smoother for your dog? This kind of reflection will help you plan for next years holiday season!

Conclusion

The holidays are stressful for you and your dog but with a bit of preplanning, you can mitigate your dog’s anxiety. Intervening where you need to and making sure your pup can’t destroy your Christmas decorations will ensure a happy and healthy holiday. Don’t forget to microchip your pup in case they get lost in a new city!

Share in the comments your own experience with traveling with your dog!