Crashing through your home,

Skidding down the hall,

Unable to halt,

 Pets now bowling balls. 

Whether or not this is your first holiday with your dog or cat, you may be wondering how to keep all of your decorations (and sanity) in one piece. Here are some tips for sharing your seasonally decorated home with your pets. 

Safety First

• Put unbreakable ornaments (such as felt, paper, or plastic) on the lower part or on the entire Christmas tree.  Picture below.

• Anchor your tree to the wall so that it doesn't fall over. 

• Spray bitter apple on branches to discourage chewing. Video below.

• Replace real candle flames with LED candles.

Temptation

• Calmly supervise your pets as they initially investigate your decorations. Allow them to safely explore. Oftentimes, they'll lose interest after a few sniffs. If you make it exciting, they may want to interact with the decorations. 

• If your pets won't leave the decorations alone, use baby gates and x-pens for blocking access to these areas. 

• Give your pets new toys to play with. 

• If your pet lacks impulse control, keep the family heirlooms and favorite decorations stored until next year. 

• Use metal bells that make noise so that you know when your pet is near the tree. Picture below.

Train

• Find a force-free professional dog trainer to help you train "Leave It" and "Drop it" with distractions. Behavior United is offering a Holiday Prep Package for such behaviors and more!

• Give your pets treats for looking at the decorations and leaving them alone. 

• Increase your pet's mental and physical exercise so they have less energy for destroying decorations. 

We hope these tips help your pets stay off the naughty list. Need more advice? Schedule a fireside chat!