With Christmas having just passed us by, we now look to the New Year. New Years Eve, a night where the country comes alive with celebration, parties & fireworks. I bet many of you see the New Year as an opportunity to make some changes to your lifestyle – try a new diet, take up a new hobby? It’s an exciting time, and we want our pooches to get in on the excitement. Here at Postman Pooch, we’re going to help you celebrate the New Year right, with your dogs!
Frightful Night
First off, let’s help our dogs get through the night itself. It’s estimated that over 5 million dogs across the country will experience some form of anxiety on New Years Eve. As such, the Dogs Trust has urged owners to keep their pets away from fireworks, with director of canine behaviour & research, Dr Rachel Casey, explaining that “for our dogs, it’s often a terrifying and confusing experience” and “dogs have approximately four times more sensitive hearing than humans…so just imagine how loud a firework bang is for a dog”.
Not only that, but the commotion that comes with New Years parties can also cause a lot of stress for our four-legged friends. These can be caused by both loud noises and also lots of people. We’ve put together a list of things for you to do, to help your pooch deal with the stress that comes with New Years Eve:
- Make the most of your time and take your dog for a long walk before the celebrations begin, as well as feeding them before leaving/others to arrive.
- Prepare a den or hiding place for your dog to retreat to if they become startled or overwhelmed by the celebrations.
- Try to mask firework bangs, with the use of background noise such as music or TV, and close curtains/windows.
- If they become anxious, try to remain calm and attempt to distract them from what’s going on.
- Make sure your house and garden are secure.
New Year, New You?
As the New Year begins, perhaps, like many, you see it as an opportunity to changes to your lifestyle. Here at Postman Pooch, we don’t think there’s any reason for our pooch to miss out on the Resolutions! We’ve come up with a few ideas that you can try in 2018:
Improve Diet
A change to a diet can be just as effective for our canine companions! You could try introducing a more age-appropriate diet for your pooch. Younger, growing pups require nutrients that’ll help their bodies to grow healthy and strong, while senior dogs may have lower energy requirements. It may also prove beneficial to start measuring your dog’s food – to avoid overfeeding and weight gain!
Try A New Activity
Nowadays, it’s very easy for people to undertake new activities with their dogs. It helps to get both you and your dog out of the house more often while promoting healthy physical activity. Putting aside time for these activities allows you more opportunities to bond with your pooch. There are plenty of meet-up groups for you to find like-minded owners to join in on the fun!
Visit The Vet
A quick visit to the vet can help you keep on top of your dog’s health. It gives you a good opportunity for you to ask for advice on diet and behavioural issues that may be concerning you.
Groom Your Pooch
Grooming your dog regularly has a number of benefits. Brushing removes excess fur from the coat, which also means less excess fur on clothes and furniture! It also helps to distribute oils from skin to fur, keeping the coat shiny and healthy.
Update Contact Information
Make sure any ID or contact information on your dog’s tag is up to date. It’s easy to forget to update the phone number or address on your dog’s tag when you change your number or move house. Take this opportunity to update all the information associated with your dog – it can only have benefits in the unfortunate circumstance if your dog becomes lost.
