By Heidi Clayton
Every year at about this time, my social media feed fills with posts about getting or giving a dog or puppy as a Christmas gift. In just about all of the warning messages, the gifted dog or puppy is eventually abandoned or doomed to a life in a shelter. While I am not a full-blown Scrooge on the topic, I do think as with any other time of the year getting a pet of any sort involves a great deal of thought and preparation. Here are a few considerations to mull over before committing to a Christmas puppy.
Bringing a puppy or dog into your house uproots the normal balance and routine under normal conditions. The holiday season usually involves everyone’s home being busier with increased social obligations. Before you commit to bringing home a pet during this time, consider what you are getting into.
A puppy will require a great deal more care than an older dog. Puppies need house-breaking training and feeding. They just flat-out take up more time than older dogs as they just need more attention. If you are getting a puppy for the kids, you must reasonably consider if your kids are the type of kids that can step up and offer real care to a puppy while you are busy wrapping gifts or baking. The novelty of a puppy can wear off once the kids realize how much work is involved during normal times. If you think the newest gaming system might one-up the excitement of the puppy with your kids, you might want to hold off on bringing home a dog until after the holidays.
If you and your family have hectic social calendars that involve long nights out at parties or traveling, think about whether you can realistically rush home to let a puppy out. If you can’t squeeze that in, hold off on committing to a puppy or dog.
Finally, remember that Christmas trees, decorations, and holiday decor can be very tempting for puppies to destroy. They will need constant supervision to prevent them from executing a path of destruction. Even a new older dog can be tempted to destroy your decor and will need management. Two years ago, clients with a new rescue dog felt bad that they were out for a few evenings in a row. Feeling guilty, they left their new rescue loose in the house while they went out. The subsequent trip to the emergency room to remove the Christmas tree lights that were consumed was not at all how they had planned on spending Christmas Eve.
Getting a dog or puppy should be a serious decision. It shouldn’t be a spur-of-the-moment or casual choice. I do frown upon surprising someone with a puppy or dog as a gift. The primary caretaker of the dog should also be an active participant in selecting the dog. If you and your family have all agreed that getting a dog or puppy will replace having a hectic holiday schedule and social life, then by all means bringing a dog or puppy into the house during the holiday season. It will create memories to last a lifetime.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
