Busy homes, decorations, visitors and unusual routines can create new risks. Discover simple ways to keep your dog safe and comfortable throughout the holidays.
Christmas changes almost everything about the home from a dog’s perspective.
Furniture moves. A tree suddenly appears indoors. Food is everywhere. Presents arrive. Visitors come and go, doors open more frequently and normal routines are replaced by parties, travelling and long family gatherings.
For many dogs, Christmas is exciting. For others, all that change can be confusing or overwhelming.
There are also genuine safety risks. Chocolate, raisins, Christmas decorations, electrical cables, cooked bones, batteries, alcohol and unsecured doors can all turn an otherwise enjoyable celebration into an emergency.
Good Christmas dog safety is not about excluding your dog from the festivities. It is about recognising what has changed in their environment and preventing avoidable problems before they happen.
This guide covers the most important Christmas hazards for dogs, including food, decorations, Christmas trees, presents, visitors, children, parties, fireworks and changes to your dog’s normal routine.
Dogs generally cope well when life is predictable.
Christmas can remove much of that predictability in a very short period.
Your dog may suddenly experience:
A confident, sociable dog may enjoy much of this.
A nervous, reactive, elderly or very young dog may find exactly the same environment exhausting.
The best approach is to consider the individual dog rather than assuming every dog wants to participate in every part of Christmas.
Food is one of the biggest festive risks because Christmas places unusually large quantities of rich and potentially dangerous food around the home.
Important foods to keep away from dogs include:
We cover these substances, poisoning symptoms and exactly what to do after accidental ingestion in our complete guide to foods toxic to dogs.
If you know or suspect that your dog has eaten something toxic, contact your vet rather than waiting for them to become visibly unwell.
Most owners know chocolate is dangerous to dogs. The problem at Christmas is how many unusual places it appears.
Watch for:
A wrapped box beneath the Christmas tree is not secure storage to a dog with a good nose.
If a present contains food, keep it somewhere the dog genuinely cannot reach.
These traditional Christmas foods commonly contain raisins, sultanas or currants.
Dried grapes can cause serious kidney injury in dogs, and individual sensitivity is unpredictable.
This means Christmas cake and mince pies should never simply be left on a low table while everyone moves into another room.
Also remember that crumbs, dropped pieces and unattended plates can be enough for a determined scavenger.
It can be tempting to make your dog a plate from Christmas dinner.
The problem is not necessarily plain cooked meat. It is everything surrounding it.
Christmas dinner may contain:
A sudden large quantity of rich or fatty food can cause digestive problems and may contribute to pancreatitis.
If you want your dog included in Christmas dinner, prepare a small suitable portion separately rather than handing over assorted leftovers from everybody’s plate.
The turkey or chicken carcass may look like the ultimate Christmas present for a dog, but cooked bones can create serious problems.
Potential risks include:
Dispose of carcasses and bones in a secure bin rather than leaving them in an accessible kitchen rubbish bag overnight.
Christmas bins can contain almost every food hazard in one place.
There may be:
Use a secure bin and take particularly tempting food waste outside promptly.
A Christmas tree is a completely new object appearing in the middle of the dog’s normal living space.
Most dogs ignore it surprisingly quickly. Puppies and curious dogs may investigate considerably more enthusiastically.
A large tree can cause injury if it falls.
Use a stable base and consider additional securing if you have a large dog, a puppy or another pet likely to collide with or climb around the tree.
Water around a real Christmas tree should not become an alternative drinking bowl.
Tree water may become stagnant or contain products added to preserve the tree.
Cover access to the stand and make sure your dog always has clean drinking water elsewhere.
Regularly clear fallen needles and discourage dogs from chewing branches.
Maintaining the area beneath a real tree also makes it much easier to notice dropped decorations, hooks or pieces of wrapping material before your dog finds them.
A shiny object swinging from a low branch can look remarkably similar to a toy.
Be particularly careful with:
Broken ornaments can create sharp fragments while swallowed decorations can cause choking or intestinal obstruction.
Keep fragile and small decorations higher on the tree if your dog is likely to investigate them.
Tinsel, ribbon and gift string may look harmless, but swallowing long thin objects can create serious digestive problems.
Dogs may encounter these around:
Clear wrapping materials promptly after presents are opened rather than leaving a mountain of ribbon, tape and packaging on the floor.
Christmas introduces additional electrical cables around the home.
This is particularly relevant for puppies and dogs that chew.
Keep cables organised and inaccessible where possible, and regularly check that nothing has been damaged.
Do not run electrical wires through areas where your dog routinely sleeps or plays if they can be safely routed elsewhere.
A wagging tail can clear a coffee table remarkably efficiently.
Keep candles away from the edges of furniture and never leave open flames unattended around pets.
If you have an open fireplace, use an appropriate fireguard.
Also be aware that unfamiliar visitors may not automatically think about where the dog can reach when placing candles, drinks or hot plates around the home.
Seasonal plants and decorations can introduce plants your dog does not normally encounter.
Examples often found around Christmas include:
The risks and severity vary between plants, but none of these need to be positioned somewhere a curious dog can chew them.
If your dog eats an unfamiliar plant and you are unsure whether it is safe, identify the plant where possible and contact your vet for advice.
The dog does not know which presents belong to them.
Packages under the tree may contain:
If a present contains anything potentially dangerous, do not leave it under the tree simply because it is wrapped.
Christmas morning can create a sudden explosion of batteries around the house as toys, gadgets and decorations are opened.
Keep loose batteries away from dogs and clear packaging immediately.
Chewed or swallowed batteries can cause serious injury and require urgent veterinary advice.
Button batteries are particularly easy to lose among wrapping paper and small toy components, so check the floor carefully after presents are opened.
A dog’s idea of ownership may become slightly confused when dozens of exciting new objects appear on the floor.
Children’s toys may contain:
Supervise play areas and make sure your dog has their own appropriate toys rather than expecting them to understand the difference automatically.
Dog toys themselves should also suit the individual dog.
A toy suitable for a small gentle dog may not withstand a powerful chewer.
Check toys regularly and remove them if they become damaged enough for pieces to be swallowed.
Be particularly careful with toys containing easily accessible stuffing, squeakers or small internal parts if your dog routinely destroys toys.
Visitors are one of the most overlooked parts of dog safety during the holidays.
People who do not live with your dog may not know your normal rules.
They may:
Do not assume guests automatically know what is safe for your dog.
A simple explanation at the beginning can prevent problems later.
Your dog should have somewhere they can retreat when the house becomes busy.
This could be:
Provide fresh water and make sure other people understand that the dog’s resting area should be left alone.
The purpose is to give the dog a genuine option to disengage rather than forcing them to spend six hours interacting with everybody because it is Christmas.
A dog does not have to bark or growl before telling you that they need space.
Earlier signs of discomfort may include:
If your dog is clearly trying to get away from a situation, allow them to do so.
Christmas often brings dogs and children together for longer periods than normal.
Even a dog that lives happily with children can become tired or overwhelmed in a noisy environment.
Children should understand that dogs need to be left alone when they are:
Do not allow children to climb on dogs, pull them around, hug them tightly or continually follow a dog that is trying to leave.
Children and dogs should be actively supervised rather than simply assumed to be fine because an adult is somewhere in the room.
Christmas creates repeated opportunities for dogs to escape.
There may be:
If your dog is likely to bolt through an open door, manage the situation.
Use another room, an internal gate, a lead or another appropriate barrier during busy arrivals rather than relying entirely on somebody remembering to close the door quickly enough.
Make sure your dog’s identification details are current before the festive period.
If they do escape from an unfamiliar house, during a visit to family or because somebody leaves a gate open, accurate contact information makes it much easier for you to be reunited.
Do not wait until your dog is missing before discovering that the phone number attached to their microchip is several years out of date.
Christmas Day does not need to run like an ordinary Wednesday, but maintaining parts of your dog’s normal routine can make the festive period easier.
Try to keep reasonably consistent:
Dogs Trust similarly advises maintaining normal meals and exercise as much as possible during busy festive periods.
A dog that has spent all morning walking, greeting visitors, opening presents, following children and investigating Christmas dinner may be exhausted by mid-afternoon.
Overtired dogs can become more excitable, irritable and less tolerant.
Build quiet time into busy days rather than assuming the dog wants to remain involved from morning until midnight.
Christmas walks can be one of the best parts of the day, particularly after everyone has eaten far too much.
But winter introduces its own considerations.
Be aware of:
If somebody else walks your dog, make sure they understand your normal rules around recall, other dogs, livestock and lead use.
If your dog normally struggles when left alone, Christmas is not the ideal time to suddenly leave them for an unusually long evening.
Plan ahead.
If you are attending events your dog cannot join, make sure their care arrangements genuinely suit them rather than simply assuming they will cope because it is one night.
If you are spending Christmas away from home, remember that your dog is entering an unfamiliar environment at an unusually busy time.
Take familiar items such as:
On arrival, check the property before letting your dog roam freely.
A garden described as enclosed may not be secure enough for your individual dog, and unfamiliar doors, gates and balconies require additional care.
The festive period does not end on Boxing Day.
New Year’s Eve can be particularly difficult for dogs that are frightened by fireworks.
On days fireworks are expected:
Dogs Trust advises keeping frightened dogs safely indoors, remaining with them where possible and blocking out external flashes and bangs.
You do not need to make your dog participate.
A dog that spends part of Christmas Day asleep in another room has not missed Christmas.
They may simply be making a sensible decision.
Allow your dog to move away from social situations rather than constantly returning them to the centre of the gathering.
This is particularly important for nervous dogs, reactive dogs, senior dogs and puppies experiencing their first Christmas.
A puppy’s first Christmas can provide useful new experiences, but it can also be overwhelming.
Puppies need considerable sleep and may struggle with an entire day of visitors, handling, children and excitement.
Keep their normal routine reasonably consistent and supervise them closely around decorations, wrapping paper, food and electrical cables.
Do not use Christmas as an excuse for everybody in the extended family to repeatedly pick up, chase or overwhelm the puppy.
Older dogs may appreciate the disruption even less.
Ageing dogs can have reduced mobility, hearing or vision and may need considerably more uninterrupted rest.
Make sure they can access their normal bed without navigating piles of presents or excitable visitors.
Be particularly careful about children approaching a sleeping senior dog that may be startled more easily than in previous years.
Medication can become easier for dogs to access when visitors leave handbags, overnight bags and washbags on floors or spare-room beds.
Human medications should be kept securely away from dogs.
If your dog consumes any medication that was not prescribed for them, contact a vet and provide the packaging where possible.
More visitors and more cooking often means more cleaning.
Keep household cleaning chemicals and other potentially harmful products securely stored rather than leaving bottles around the kitchen or bathroom during the rush of preparing for guests.
Christmas accidents happen quickly.
If your dog has eaten potentially toxic food, medication, a battery or another dangerous substance:
Do not attempt to make your dog vomit unless a veterinary professional specifically tells you to.
Before Christmas celebrations begin, run through this quick checklist.
Common Christmas hazards include chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions, alcohol, xylitol, cooked bones, rich food, Christmas decorations, electrical cables, batteries, open doors and stressful interactions with visitors or children.
A small amount of suitable plain food may be safe for many dogs, but Christmas dinner commonly contains onion, garlic, rich gravy, fatty food, seasoning and cooked bones. Preparing a separate dog-safe portion is safer than sharing mixed leftovers from the table.
Plain cooked turkey meat without bones, excessive fat, seasoning, gravy or unsuitable ingredients can be given to many dogs in small amounts. Avoid cooked turkey bones and large quantities of skin or fatty meat.
The main risks include dogs chewing branches or fallen needles, drinking water from a real tree stand, pulling decorations down or causing an unstable tree to fall. Secure the tree and supervise dogs that are likely to investigate it closely.
It depends on the dog. Sociable dogs may happily greet visitors, while nervous or excitable dogs may cope better with some distance during arrivals. Every dog should have access to somewhere quiet where they can rest without being disturbed.
Maintain familiar meals and walks where possible, provide plenty of rest, create a quiet safe space and do not force your dog to interact with visitors. Watch their body language and allow them to leave social situations when they have had enough.
Contact your vet and keep the packaging if possible. Tell them what type of chocolate was eaten, approximately how much, when it happened and your dog’s weight. Do not wait for your dog to show symptoms before seeking advice.
Mince pies commonly contain raisins, sultanas or currants, which can be toxic to dogs. Contact your vet promptly and provide information about the product and amount eaten rather than waiting to see whether your dog becomes unwell.
Supervision is sensible because presents can contain chocolate, batteries, medication or small toy components. Food gifts should not be left beneath the tree within reach simply because they are wrapped.
Most dogs can be part of Christmas without any problem at all.
They can enjoy their walk, investigate new presents, spend time with family and perhaps receive a few carefully chosen treats of their own.
Good Christmas dog safety simply means remembering that the environment has changed considerably from the dog’s normal day.
Keep toxic and dangerous food away from them. Secure decorations and presents. Explain the rules to guests. Prevent accidental escapes and give your dog enough sleep and space away from the celebrations when they want it.
Above all, watch the individual dog in front of you.
Some dogs will happily spend Christmas in the middle of everything.
Others will enjoy the morning walk, investigate a new toy and then decide that sleeping somewhere quiet while twenty relatives argue over a board game is the far better option.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Give them the choice, remove the avoidable hazards and Christmas can remain enjoyable for every member of the family — including the dog.
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