12 Days of Pedigree
Now that it’s officially December I think it’s a totally acceptable time talk Christmas, right? The tree is up, the house is decorated, the presents are stashed and I have four very excited children just counting down the days. Not one to leave out our dog, Oscar, I thought I would share with you my top twelve tips for getting your dog ready for the holiday season. After all, dogs love Christmas too!!
1. Treat your dog to a Christmas stocking! You can either buy one ready made from most pet stores, or create one yourself including all of their favourite treats and toys.
2. Accustom your dog to the tree, before it goes up! Dogs can find it quite daunting to suddenly find a tree in their house so it’s always a good idea to allow them to see you bringing in the tree if it’s a real one, or building it if it’s artificial. We always have Oscar in the room when we are decorating the tree so he can see what we are doing and doesn’t feel overwhelmed by this six foot monstrosity which has taken over his favourite spot in the lounge!
3. Involve your dog in the Christmas countdown with their very own advent calendar. Most stores have pet advent calendars now where each day hides a different treat. Make sure you store it where they can’t reach it in case they get a little peckish when you aren’t home!
4. Buy a special Christmas dog bowl so that your pet can join you for Christmas dinner. In just the same way that we use special crockery for Christmas, we always make sure that Oscar has a new festive bowl.
5. Make sure that you buy dog chocolate for your pet as real chocolate is highly dangerous if consumed by a dog. There are so many different chocolate options for dogs now so they really don’t have to miss out!
6. Treat your dog to a spot of dog grooming so that they are feeling fresh and clean for Christmas! Oscar loves having a good old pamper session, especially when it comes to a blow-dry!
7. There can be a lot of fireworks around through the holiday season which can be upsetting to some dogs. Try not to leave your dog alone if you know of any planned firework displays if this is the case
8. Make sure you find the perfect gift for your dog. Some of Oscars favourites are a squeaky toy, a new ball or some tasty dog treats!
9. Buy your dog a new dog bed ready for a good nights sleep on Christmas Eve.
10. If you’re going to be having guests to stay over Christmas make sure that your dog has somewhere quiet and calm to retreat to, perhaps moving their bed or food out of the main entertaining area into a quieter utility room.
11. Take your dog on an extra long walk on Christmas eve to tire them out as you may not get the opportunity on Christmas Day.
12. Tip off your dog about a night time intruder so that he doesn’t bark and give the game away!!
This post is a collaboration with Pedigree, but all thoughts are my own. For additional dental care information you can read the following Pedigree Reviews article for tips and advice
Your beautiful pet is so lucky to have you! I agree that we should treat our pets too. They are part of our family already and they deserve to be treated like this.
Thank you Anosa, he’s such a lovely dog and deserves to be treated! xx
Some great advice and we miss having our four legged friend around us now for Christmas..he used to have his own advent calendar and a red ribbon for Christmas day
Ahh sorry he is no longer with you, I’m sure he enjoyed Christmas with you! xx
Awww Oscar is gorgeous and totally rocks his Christmas jumper! He isn’t sure about the hair dryer though – my dog pulls the exact same expression! A fabulous post and don’t forget the pooch at Christmas 🙂 xx Sim
Thank you Sim! He loves his new Christmas jumper!! xx
Such a lovely post and pictures Laura. I have that dog bowl for Mollie. I put it away last year and had completely forgotten about it. I am logging off now and going to find it for her :):)
Haha how funny! Hope you find it! xx
Pets are such an important part of the family, it is almost impossible to not include them in the holiday fun. Your dog is beautiful and I am sure these tips will be useful to everyone who has a pet!
Ahh thank you! He loves joining in with our celebrations, he definitely thinks he is human that’s for sure! x x
Awww this is so adorable. You’ve made me want a dog. Well yoI’ve made me want Oscar lol. He’s such a cutie. We already have our hands full with three cats though. Merry chrimbo to ya.
Hahah Cassie, he is very adorable but he barks….all the time!! xx
What a gorgeous dog. He looks super cute in that jumper as well!
Thanks Lyndsey! He loved it bless him! xx
The cheetah was impressed that Oscar got the ugly Christmas sweater down straight away….and that tip about sweets and chocolate is a timely one as well. We did stockings for Derek Jeter and Ginger…and I give the cheetah his favorite treats as well on Christmas Day.
Haha I think the cheetah would look amazing in a Christmas sweater! xx
Oh my! This is cutest post I ever read! As puppy owner this is our first year and I’m thinking to do little treats this year Christmas. I think new bed and dog chocolate sounds great to us!
Ahh thank you, enjoy your first Christmas together! xx
How adorable, though I don’t have a pet dog, but I really loved the way you thought of treating dog’s for this Christmas be it with their fav food or other toppings!
Thank you! He loves being a part of our Christmas! xx
Such a lovely dog you have in Oscar. Good idea to include pets in the tree decorating process so they become used to it.
Thank you Elinor, he’s a really lovely dog. xx
Pets are a part of the family, it wouldn’t be Christmas if they didn’t get a present too! Pet shops do some great Christmas stockings for pets, but I like the idea of getting a fancy new bowl or bed as a ‘main present’ too.
Thanks Emma, we always do Oscar a little stocking with a squeaky toy and a new ball, he loves it! xx
Oh look at that jumper awwww! 10 is such and important point. I don’t think people take pet anxiety seriously enough when it comes to having a full house of guests.
Thank you. I totally agree, it can be so overwhelming for them to have a huge change to their routine or a home filled with guests. xx
Thanks for these tips. We take our dog for a grooming session a few days before Christmas so he would also look great in our family photographs. I wish our dog would learn to wear doggie clothes. He hates them and every time we try to put one on him, he goes crazy and rips it to pieces!
Ahh bless him, Oscar has just had a haircut so the jumper keeps him nice and warm when we are off out! When his hair grows he turns into a yeti! xx
Your dog is such a cutie. He is lucky to have you.
Ahh thank you, we love him very much. xx
This is such a cute idea, my puppy used to love Christmas too! It’s important to honor all of our family member, ever the furry ones <3
I totally agree, they are just as much a part of the family as the kids! xx
Cute children AND a cute dog? Time to unfollow I think! Haha, love tip number 11!
Hahah that made me laugh Katy. He is rather cute! Thank you. xx
Lovely post, my dog has his own stocking and advent calendar!! Lovely to spoil them too isn’t it
Ahh it really is, they deserve it! xx
I have a cat, but she will be as equally spoiled as your dog. I hope Oscar has a good Christmas!
Thank you Justine! Happy Christmas to you and yours! xx
Your dog is so cute. He is really lucky to be a part of your family. You treat him well.:-)
Ahh thank you Irena, we are lucky to have him. xx
We won’t be getting any decorations out until Sunday, when Advent starts. The kids are already bugging me about a tree – if it were up to me, it wouldn’t go up until Christmas Eve, but I have a feeling I may be outruled.
Hahah Yes I gave in to peer pressure! xx
Oh yeah! I love this post. I would definitely have mu furbabies a treat this season.. I am planning their costumes and thinking about their cake too. But thanks for all the ideas, I will add some on my list.
Ahh that’s so cute! I never thought of a doggy cake, off to investigate! x
Ooh this is really useful – my brother is coming to us for Christmas and is bringing his puppy with him! I had considered that he might find the tree interesting, but I didn’t imagine he’d be scared of it. More things to think about 🙂
Thanks Helen. Our dog was terrified the first year but he soon got over it. Now he doesn’t bat an eyelid! xx
This post would be super helpful for any dog owners! I’m looking at getting a dog in the next couple of years and this will definitely help to look back on! Adorable dog by the way x
Thanks Nina. I think we all need to remember that Christmas is pretty overwhelming for our pets! xx
What a lovely dog. I am bringing a dog into my home next year so this is something to think about for Christmas 2018 x
Oh how exciting for you! I hope this helped! xx
Cute dog. I initially thought it’s a doll! ha ha
I love pets and they are a great companion for us. So I like Oscar too. Wishing all the best to him and your family.
Happy X’mas.
Hahah that’s so funny! He is very photogenic! Thank you Manoj! xx
Some great tips here some people forget that a large tree can over whelm a dog
Thanks Katrina, yes I think we sometimes overlook our pets at Christmas. It can be so unsettling for them! xx
How cute is Oscar. I am a big pet lover, now that we have Milo the cat, officially a year old. I too treat him for Christmas.
Ahh thank you, I love making him a part of our Christmas! xx
So I am not the only one who treats her pets for Christmas too. I don’t have a dog but I have two cats and I always buy them something for Christmas, they are part of the family 🙂
Ahh and rightly so! Animals deserve to be spoilt at Christmas too! xx
great tips for the pups. I can only imagine how strange it must that a tree with baubles suddenly appears that they aren’t allowed to touch or play with!
Yes! The first year we put it up he didn’t know what to make of it! Now he doesn’t bat an eyelid! xx
A very lovely read with adorable photographs of Oscar! All the tips are great and I particularly loved the festive food bowl. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you! He is super excited for Christmas as we are too! xx
Some really great tips here, and your dog totally steals the show. So beautiful x
Ah thank you Amanda, he’s a real cutie! xx
Oh my goodness, how adorable is Oscar?! I love your ideas for spoiling him and involving him in the Christmas celebrations. I wouldn’t mind a pampering session myself this Christmas 😉
Thank you Emma, he is super cute!! xx
Ohh your Oscar is so super cute, my girls would love to have a dog but sadly we are not allowed, where we live. My Mum has one though and he is coming here for Christmas so we have some gifts for him and he’ll get his own nice Christmas turkey dinner. I’ve never heard of an advent calendar for a dog though! lol Mich x
Ahh that’s a shame, it’s great you can borrow your mums dog though! A doggy Christmas dinner sounds perfect! xx
We always spoil our two at Christmas. We are like children shopping for their presents. And we love giving them Christmas dinner! Such a lovely post. Thank you x
Ahh they are lucky dogs! Thank you for reading! xx
What great tip to have your dog in the room when the tree is being decorated. Not sure what our kitten will think of our tree – He is forever climbing up everything so I’m expecting the same with the tree x
Haha no cats here but I do have a three year old who keeps climbing the tree! xx
No pets for us but such a great round up of ideas. I love your photographs on this post!
Ahh thank you Cathryn! Oscar is very photogenic! xx
He is so very cute. My dog used to have a sweater something like that. Was cute on him. Didn’t last though. I wish we could have done Pedigree with my dog but he has such a sensitive stomach.
Ahh Oscar is fully grown now, he’s usually a bundle of fur but has had his Christmas hair cut early! xx
How cute does your dog look in that jumper! We don’t have any pets but you have lots of great tips for pet owners here.
Thank you Claire! xx
awwww what a cutie! We actually just bought our next door neighbours doggies a cute stocking each because they are so friendly and always playing with our kids 🙂
Ahh that’s so kind of you! xx
awww your dog is so adorable! My mums dog has got plenty of presents sorted this year he even has a stocking lol
Thank you! That’s so sweet, I’m sure he will have a lovely Christmas! xx
There’s so many Christmas posts going live just now, it was refreshing to read one a little different and dog related! Our chocolate lab Bailey has his own personalised Pluto stocking we hang every year. He has the best stocking in our family!
Thank you! Haha that’s so cute, I need to get Oscars stocking ready! xx
That is the cutest outfit! We used to buy our dog a nice big bone for Christmas Day and that would keep him busy while we enjoyed our dinner and he didn’t feel left out! And his present was always a new bed. I miss him 🙁 x
Ahh Laura, I’d love to see a photo of him! We’ve got Oscar a nice new bed, he will probably spend all day hiding in it from the madness! xx
This reminds me so much of my dog, Riley. He was amazing. I think these are awesome ways to make Christmas special for your fur baby.
Ahh thank you Carol, Christmas is all about family and Oscar is a big part of our family! xx
Aww! All pets should be included in occasions like this- they’re family after all! So I love your little list X
Thank you Rani, I totally agree! xx
Nice dog. This is the true meaning of carrying your whole family and household along in the celebration of Christmas.
Thank you Victoria, we love to include Oscar in our celebrations! xx
Awwh what a cutie. We don’t have a dog, but we always get our cats a Christmas stocking. It’s nice to spoil your pets too.
Thank you Dannii. I agree, they deserve to enjoy Christmas too! xx
How is it that I did not even realise that you had a dog lol but what a sweetie! Seeing a dog dressed up in a Christmas outfit makes me want to cry happy tears and your dog is adorable. I’m cooing at my screen and worried for my sanity lol. If anyone wants to be me a pug that would be nice!
hehe thank you Ana, he is adorable isn’t he?! Oh I can totally picture you with a pug, I wonder if I could mail you one….! xx
My boyfriends cat’s get spoilt at Christmas and I know when I get cats they’ll have stockings and Christmas gifts x
Ahh pets should always have a Christmas stocking! xx
Your pooch is just adorable. My Mum always spoils her dog at Christmas too
Thank you Kara! xx
I had never even thought that a tree suddenly appearing in a room might totally freak a dog out. Completely understandable though. Great tips and I love your photographs of your little furry friend, he’s very cute!! 🙂 x
Thank you Emma, he is rather adorable! xx
Aw bless him what a cutie!! What sort of dog is he? My boys are desprete for a dog
He is a cavapoochon! He is part king Charles spaniel, part poodle and part bichon! The result is a fluffy little teddy bear, he is the best! xx
I hadn’t really thought about the effect all the Christmas celebrations can have on a dog. There’s some great tips here for keeping pooch safe and happy
Thanks Zena, it’s good to be prepared when it comes to pets! xx
aww lovely ways to get dogs involved in a family Christmas 🙂
That Christmas dinner bowl is absolutely AWESOME! I really want to get that for my bichon frise this Christmas xxx
It’s fab isn’t it?! xx
We always used to give our dog a special pre-Christmas pamper session x
Well dogs should be pampered too! xx
Such adorable dog!