How to Give Your Dog The Best Thanksgiving Day!
Olivia & Zion’s Red Toy Poodle Girls
Who said Thanksgiving had to be just for the Humans? Our dogs can enjoy Holiday celebrations too, and they’re eager to be an integral part of our families amidst any holiday! While the Holidays can be so enjoyable, they can also be very stressful. It’s important to realize what we, as dog owners, can do for our pets to make this the pawfect Thanksgiving ever!
Preparing for Thanksgiving
First up, it’s time to make sure that your dog has a safe and comfortable place to decompress or escape from the chaos of the Holiday Season. Especially if you’re hosting and your dog’s living space is being invaded, it’s important for them to feel like they are a part of the family, without being too overwhelmed or stressed by all the new and different people, smells, and sounds.
As fun as it is to decorate, it’s also important to make sure your furbaby is trained not to mess with the decor! It’s essential to make sure that they know not to chomp down on those Holiday Decorations, so that when they may be unsupervised during a family visit, they won’t accidentally ingest something hazardous!
Julie with Bek’s Yorkie “Pebbles”
Make sure to plan dog-friendly activities before Thanksgiving Day comes! It’s important that your dog is able to entertain themselves and feel happy amongst this family-centered Holiday! While it can be tempting to dive head-first into your human-celebrations, our dogs also deserve to feel included! After all, they’re just as much a part of the family as anyone else!
Wobble Before You Gobble
Our furry friends thrive off of bonding and special time with their humans. It’s important to start the day out with them as much as possible before you start your human festivities. It’s a great idea to start the day with a morning walk in the park, taking a hike if you’re more athletic, or even just a nice play session at home. Allowing this time before any festivities begin, lets your dog burn off any energy they might have during mealtime. It also gives you an extra opportunity to reinforce good behavior before things start to get overwhelming!
Even after that initial play time, it’s very important to engage in games with your furry family member throughout the day! This should be a happy Holiday for them, not a stressful one! Play games they love, like Fetch or maybe even Hide-and-Seek! Provide them more mental stimulation through new toys and interactive enrichment puzzles! We are so thankful that we are able to spend all this time with our dogs, so why not show them that?
Bring on the Grub
Olivia & Zion’s Red Toy Poodle Girl “Honey Bunch” Now Owned by Dee Dee in CA
As tempting as it may be to feed your pet table scraps, it’s important to realize that they are already getting all of the nourishments and meeting all the caloric needs they have through their dog food. That doesn’t mean they can’t celebrate with us at all during mealtime though. It’s definitely possible to include healthy dog treats throughout the day and reward good behavior during the festivities.
If you do plan to feed your pets table scraps, make sure not to do too much. It could make them sick. All of the following things are good in moderation:
plain turkey
sweet potato
pumpkin
plain, unseasoned veggies
small amounts of cheese
Bek with Canary & Snickers’ Brown/ Cafe Au Lait Phantom Mini Poodle Girl “Kelce,” Now Owned by Greg in CA
Avoiding Fowl Behavior During Turkey Day
A dog’s training is never over. Our pets are always looking for ways to improve. They’re eager to please, and happy to make us happy! You know that saying “You can’t teach an old dog a new trick?” I don’t believe in that saying one bit. If you make training and trick-learning fun, they will continue to surprise you by accomplishing new commands and tricks as they get older! Just as we try our best to teach our dogs new tricks, they continue to teach us new lessons about life every day, and what it’s like to love someone unconditionally!
Aside from teaching old dogs new tricks, you can use Thanksgiving as a great opportunity to reinforce training commands in new scenarios. Amidst the chaos of the Holiday, it may be difficult for them to concentrate, so be patient with them as they get the hang of both old tricks and new ones.
Thanksgiving is also a great opportunity to socialize and practice good behavior with new people. If you encourage positive interactions with new people, your dog is going to be more friendly and more eager to meet new friends in the future! It can certainly be scary at first, especially if they haven’t already gotten used to their environment, but if you just give them time, they will come around to it, and Thanksgiving can be more exciting for them than stressful!
Elle & Rover’s “Niko” and Sugar & Blue’s “Rosie” Now owned by Tammy in IA
The Turkey Coma
All jokes aside, Thanksgiving can be exhausting for dogs just as much as it can be for people! If we are able to prepare for the chaos, it makes for a much more relaxing and fulfilling experience for everyone! Be sure to monitor your dogs this Holiday, make sure to prioritize their rest and relaxation just as much as your own! It’s all a part of dog ownership. Snuggle close to your dog this Holiday Season, and maybe even take a nap together after that post-turkey exhaustion hits.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The true meaning of Thanksgiving is in the name of the Holiday— Giving Thanks. How do you give your dog the best Thanksgiving? Say thank you!
“Thank you for being here in my life.”
“Thank you for being by my side even when everyone else thinks I’m kind of lame.”
“Thank you for loving me unconditionally.”
“Thank you for waking me up in the morning with a kiss and a smile!”
“Thank you for playing fetch with me when I need a break from people!”
The best way to give your dog a Thanksgiving they’ll always remember is to show them just how much they mean to you. Through gratitude, we’re able to bond so much closer to our furry family members, and it’s easy to forget that we’re their entire world. Their lifetime is spent with us, so let’s not waste that opportunity to say Thank you.
