Apart from the food, Thanksgiving poses an issue with the increase of people in your house. You don’t want to put your dog in a room for the whole evening, but you may want to designate a quiet space for them in case they get scared.
You know your dog better than anyone, and you’ll know whether your dog gets anxious around a lot of people. If your dog has anxiety around strangers, you may want to talk to your vet about natural sedatives.
Before your guests arrive on Thanksgiving, take your dog out for a long walk or a trip to the dog park so they can get some of their energy out.
While you’re cooking, do your best to keep your dog out of the kitchen. Because you’ll be concentrating on following recipes or removing hot items from the oven, you don’t want to worry about tripping over your pup. Have someone play with the dog, or get them a puzzle toy or something to gnaw on in the other room while you’re in the kitchen.
And when it’s time to sit down for the meal, be sure to remind your guests not to give your pup table scraps, no matter how much they beg.
If you want to get your dog extra puppared for the holidays, you can enroll them in one of our training classes at Ruffgers.