How to Create a Safe and Comfortable Christmas for Your Dog
Updated: 4 days ago
Christmas changes almost everything at home for your dog. A tree appears in the living room, the house smells different, visitors come and go and the routine shifts from one day to the next. Many dogs take it in their stride. Others find it confusing or worrying, and even confident dogs can get over-excited. A bit of planning makes a huge difference. Management is always going to be your friend at this time of year, and so is a quiet space your dog can take themselves off to. Here's how to prepare your home, keep decorations and food safe, handle visitors and travel and keep your dog calm and included through the whole festive season.
THE SHORT ANSWER
To give your dog a safe, comfortable Christmas, keep their routine as normal as you can, with the usual walks, meals and bedtime. Give them a quiet safe space that stays the same all season. Bring the tree and decorations in gradually, secure the tree, and keep tinsel, glass baubles, edible decorations and cables out of reach. Keep strong scents and loud noise to a sensible level. Let your dog choose whether to greet visitors, and ask guests not to feed them. Keep chocolate, raisins, onions, garlic, cooked bones, rich food and alcohol away. If you're travelling, pack familiar things. And watch for signs of stress, so your dog can take a break before it all gets too much.
IN THIS POST
ā How Christmas looks to your dog
ā Prepare before the decorations go up
ā Keep the routine
ā Include your dog in the fun
ā FAQs
How Christmas looks to your dog
Dogs feel safest when life is predictable. Christmas changes their surroundings, their routine and the people around them, often all at once.
A large tree suddenly in the living room can surprise even a confident dog. A sensitive dog may struggle when relatives stay for several days or when walks move around. Planning ahead doesn't mean less fun. It just means making changes in a way your dog can cope with.
Prepare before the decorations go up
Start with a safe space that won't change all December. It might be a crate with the door open, a bed in a quiet corner or a room that stays calm.
Then bring changes in slowly. Put the tree stand in the room a few days early and let your dog sniff it. Add decorations over a couple of days rather than all at once. If you use scented candles or wax melts, introduce them gradually too. Dogs don't need you to hide Christmas. They just need a bit of time to get used to it.
Keep decorations safe
The tree is the big one. Secure it so it can't tip if your dog bumps it, and think about a pen or guard around the base for the first few days. A few more things to check:
keep tinsel, ribbon and glass baubles off the lower branches
use wooden or fabric decorations within your dog's reach
keep chocolate decorations and dried fruit garlands well out of reach
tuck cables away or use cable covers, and switch lights off when you go out
keep the tree water covered if you have a real tree
Most dogs lose interest in the tree within a few days, once they've had a good sniff. Read Christmas tree safety tips.
Scents and sounds
Strong smells from candles, diffusers and cooking can be a lot for a dog's nose. Use mild scents, don't run several at once and keep them away from your dog's resting spot. Avoid essential oils near your dog.
Loud music, films and party noise can worry some dogs. Keep the volume sensible and mix louder times with quieter ones. If fireworks are common where you live over the holidays, close the curtains, put on background noise and stay close if your dog is worried. Read how to keep your dog calm during fireworks.
Keep the routine
Walks, meals and bedtime are your dog's anchor. Try to keep them as close to normal as possible, even on the busiest days.
If your diary is packed, walk earlier in the day or set a reminder for meal times. Missed exercise often turns into restlessness, which is harder to manage around decorations and guests. A dog who has had a good sniffy walk is far more likely to settle.
Visitors and gatherings
The doorbell rings more, voices get louder and there's movement everywhere. Some dogs love it. Others want to get away.
Let your dog decide how much they want to say hello, and never force a greeting. Ask guests not to call your dog over when they're resting and not to feed them from their plate. If you're hosting a big gathering, set up your dog's safe space with water, a bed and a chew, and make it off limits to guests. Read how to prepare your dog for holiday visitors.
Festive food to keep away
Lots of Christmas food is risky for dogs, even in small amounts. Some of it is toxic, and some just causes upset stomachs or worse. Keep these off the menu:
chocolate, including chocolate tree decorations
raisins, grapes, mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake
onions, garlic, stuffing and gravy
cooked bones and fatty meat or skin
alcohol and anything soaked in it
anything sweetened with xylitol
Have dog-safe treats ready so guests can still reward your dog. A simple line helps too, like "please don't give him anything, some of it makes him poorly". Read what not to feed your dog at Christmas dinner.
Travelling at Christmas
If you're visiting family, pack your dog's bed, bowls, usual food, a favourite toy and some long-lasting chews. Familiar smells help them settle somewhere new.
Find a quiet spot for your dog as soon as you arrive. Keep an eye on doors and gates in an unfamiliar house, and check for hazards like low-level food or other pets' toys. Make sure your dog's ID tag and microchip details are up to date before you go.
Watch for signs of stress
Your dog will tell you when it's getting too much. Watch for lip licking, yawning, turning away, hiding, panting, pacing or not settling.
When you see those signs, give your dog a break in their safe space or a quiet sniff in the garden. Little breaks through the day stop stress building up. Read calming signals in dogs.
Include your dog in the fun
Your dog can still be part of Christmas. Wrap a toy for them to open, make a dog-safe Christmas dinner from plain turkey and vegetables, or go on a festive walk together.
The best gift for most dogs is simply time with you, a calm home and a good long sniff. Read how to include your dog in Christmas traditions.
RENEE'S TIP
Make a "Christmas plan" for your dog at the start of December. Write down walk times, meal times, where the safe space is, which foods guests mustn't share and your vet's out-of-hours number. Stick it on the fridge so everyone in the house, and every visitor, knows the plan.
QUICK CHECK
ā Keep walks, meals and bedtime as normal as you can
ā Set up a safe space that stays the same all season
ā Secure the tree and keep risky decorations up high
ā Keep festive food and alcohol out of reach
ā Let your dog choose whether to greet visitors
FREE DOWNLOAD FROM RENEE
Christmas with Your Dog
A free guide with the Christmas dangers to know about, a plan for the busy days and who to ring if your dog needs a vet on Christmas Day.
ONE-TO-ONE HELP
Help with a dog who struggles at Christmas
If your dog is worried by visitors, struggles with noise or gets over-excited when the house is busy, I can help you plan for the festive season in an online Dog Behaviour Consultation from wherever you are.
Online on Teams, wherever you are. 30 or 60 minutes.
FAQs
How do I keep my dog calm at Christmas?
Keep their routine normal, give them a quiet safe space and let them take breaks from busy rooms.
What Christmas decorations are dangerous for dogs?
Tinsel, glass baubles, edible decorations, ribbon and light cables within reach.
What Christmas food can't dogs eat?
Chocolate, raisins, mince pies, Christmas pudding, onions, garlic, cooked bones and alcohol.
Should my dog meet visitors at Christmas?
Only if they want to. Let your dog choose, and give them a quiet place to go.
What should I pack if we travel with our dog at Christmas?
Their bed, bowls, usual food, a favourite toy, chews and up-to-date ID.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Renee Patience Ā· National Dog Trainer of the Year 2025
Founder and head trainer of Paws Academy, with more than 30 years training dogs and a Level 6 Diploma in Applied Canine Behaviour. Renee has competed in agility, obedience and heelwork to music across the UK, including at Crufts and Olympia, has appeared on CBBC, and is the author of the Modern Training Guides and the Modern Breed Handbook series. Pictured with her boxer, Kookie.
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