Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season can be dangerous for dogs. Cooked bones, especially turkey & chicken, can splinter and cause choking or intestinal problems, even death. While most of us know not to feed it to the dog on purpose, your guests may not know this or your dog may get bones out of the trash.
Secure your trash can – use one with a lid during any holiday parties, or better yet, use the trash under the sink. Teach your dog a Leave It cue. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I don’t imagine much training to happen between now and then. But if you do have Leave It already trained, brush up on it between now and any holiday parties.
Other things to watch for are extra fatty or spicy foods, which may cause diarrhea or vomiting in your dog. I just read an article in the Seattle Times that recommends no people food at all. I think it’s very important not to feed fatty, spiced, sweet, or spoiled foods, and that you look on the list of toxic foods.
But if you’re serving turkey at Thanksgiving and have some leftover lean meat that you just don’t want, it’s ok to feed it to the dog. I would put any leftovers meant for the dog in the fridge and bring it out later for a training session with your dog. That way you don’t encourage begging at the table. What better way to reward coming when called than some Human Food! (p.s. have you looked at dog ingredient bags? There’s really no such thing as Human Food, just food packaged for humans and foods packaged for dogs).
Do make sure that any new food is a small portion of their daily calories, or you’ll be dealing with a messy dog with an upset stomach!
Big Picture: Author and animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell encourages you to think about the following questions during Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate at your home.
- What are the holidays like for your dog?
- Is your house noisier and busier than usual?
- Are you going to be traveling with your dog to places he’s not used to visiting?
- Do you have lots of company that your dog has never met before?
I would also add:
- Does your dog already know the dogs that he’ll meet during the holidays?
- Will you be leaving your dog alone during the holidays? (Did you already book a place for her to stay? If not look now, because dog boarding places fill up over the holidays!)
- Do you have more time for training because you’re on vacation? (If you have a week or more off, now is a fabulous time to focus on Separation Anxiety. For serious cases of Separation Anxiety, we recommend medications plus behavior training. Meds take 2 weeks to take effect, and you can get them from your vet.)
- Will your dog be exposed to fireworks on New Year’s Eve?
Think about preventing problems now, through management and training. Dr. McConnell has some great books that we sell in the Ahimsa Dog Training online store, including “Cautious Canine,” “Feisty Fido,” and for dogs with Separation Anxiety, “I’ll Be Home Soon!”
Other holiday tips: If you’re having a party and your dog is a jumper or food thief, you might consider putting up a baby gate between your dog and the guests. Or better yet, pre-stuff a few Kongs or other food puzzles. A frozen Kong (you can put in pumpkin or mashed sweet potato, mixed with a few stinky treats, for a healthy holiday spin) can last your dog 15-30 minutes. Mashed sweet potato is good for digestion, so even a whole Kong-full shouldn’t upset your dog’s diet. Or you can use the wet food version of their regular dog food. For dogs with allergies, you could even use their regular food with some water or broth mixed in, then freeze it.
A time-saver would be something like a Bully Stick (lasts a while) or a vegan and tasty Yam chew (lasts a few minutes), which you wouldn’t need to prep in advance.
[Tofurky is a registered Trademark of Turtle Island Foods.]
