Holiday pet-safe guide: Tips to keep your furry friends festive and out of trouble

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The holiday season is full of festive cheer, but it also brings unique risks for pets, especially curious dogs who love to chew.

Josh Lopez, owner of Dog Training Elite Greater Cleveland and a former U.S. Navy canine handler, shared advice with cleveland.com to help pet owners keep their furry friends safe during Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.

Christmas tips for pet owners

“This time of year, you want to watch out for poinsettias,” Lopez said. “Poinsettias will be mildly toxic to dogs, and it’s a very popular plant at this time of year. Some other common occurrences you want to watch out for, especially this time of year, people get in that Christmas spirit. They want to have candles in the house. Some dogs will see candles up on a ledge they want to investigate and knock the candle over. Also, the wax is terrible for their digestive system.”

Lopez also cautioned about Christmas lights, extension cords, and fragile glass ornaments, especially for dogs experiencing their first Christmas.

“Homemade salted dough ornaments are very enticing to dogs but unsafe, particularly with the metal hooks often used to hang them,” he said.

Lopez recommends replacing glass or metal decorations with plastic ornaments and avoiding hooks altogether.

Additional holiday hazards for dogs include fire starter logs, cooked chicken or turkey bones, rising bread dough, garlic and onion-based spices, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners like xylitol.

“If this is your dog’s first Christmas, it’s all new to them,” Lopez said. “They’re basically like a little kid, so they’re going to investigate everything and see if it tastes good. There’s a ton of stuff, though, this time of year that will end up in an emergency vet appointment that you don’t want to be at.”

For pet owners looking to include their dogs in the holiday feast, Lopez suggests offering plain protein, such as turkey or ham, or baking dog-friendly treats.

“Things with pumpkin or other plain ingredients and no artificial sweeteners can help include dogs, and kids love giving the dog a special treat,” he said.

New Year’s Eve tips for pet owners

The loud celebrations of New Year’s Eve can be stressful for dogs, but Lopez says pet owners can take simple steps to reduce anxiety.

“How do we turn the idea of a firework going off, or the noise of a firework or the trembling of a house and take the mindset of a dog and make that positive? What we do is something called counter-conditioning,” he explained.

Counter-conditioning involves giving dogs a high-value treat during loud noises like fireworks to shift their focus.

“Their mindset shifts from ‘Oh no, what is that?’ to ‘Can I hear that again because I want a piece of food,’” Lopez said, adding that this process takes time and practice.

For dogs who are overwhelmed by large gatherings or loud noises, Lopez recommends creating a quiet space.

“Put the dog in a crate with a blanket over it or in a quiet room to help them relax,” he said.

Socializing dogs in short intervals, about 20-30 minutes at a time, with breaks in between can also prevent stress.

Lopez advises pet owners to watch for signs of discomfort, such as lip licking, tucked tails, darting eyes, or hunching their backs.

“If it’s overwhelming for them, you might want to get them out of the situation,” he said.

For dogs unfamiliar with children, Lopez warns that the holidays are not the time to introduce them.

“The last thing anyone wants at a holiday event is a dog bite,” he said. “If your dog isn’t well-versed around kids, you should start training them well before the holidays.”