Christmas Dog Tips: 6 Practical Ways to Keep Dogs Calm, Safe and Happy Over the Festive Period
- Marc Edwards
- Dec 14, 2025
- 6 min read
Christmas is a joyful time for most people. For dogs, it can be confusing, overwhelming and — at times — downright stressful.
Routines change. Visitors arrive. Food appears everywhere. Walks get squeezed in between commitments. Expectations rise, often without us realising it, and suddenly the dog who was “doing really well” feels harder to live with.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
The good news is that most dog behaviour issues at Christmas are not training failures. They are predictable responses to disruption, over-stimulation and a lack of recovery.
This article shares six practical Christmas dog tips we use with clients every year to help dogs stay calm, safe and settled over the festive period. These aren’t about perfection or drilling obedience — they’re about management, prevention and realistic expectations, which is what dogs need most at this time of year.
We've created a downloadable cheat-sheet with the key Christmas survival tips and tricks so you'll always have then at arms-length.
Why Christmas Is Difficult for Dogs
Dogs thrive on predictability. Christmas removes much of it.
Common festive challenges for dogs include:
Disrupted routines (walks, meals, sleep)
Increased noise and activity
Unfamiliar visitors
Over-handling and attention
Easy access to food
Higher emotional energy in the household
When several of these happen at once, even well-trained dogs can struggle. Stress accumulates quietly before it shows itself in barking, jumping, pacing, reactivity or shutdown behaviour.
Understanding this context helps us respond with support and structure, rather than frustration.
Christmas Dog Tip #1 – Protect Your Dog’s Routine (Even If You Bend It)
One of the most important things you can do for your dog over Christmas is to protect a few key routine anchors.
This doesn’t mean Christmas has to be rigid or joyless. It means identifying what really matters and keeping those things consistent.
For most dogs, the essentials are:
A morning walk
Meals at roughly the same time
A predictable bedtime or wind-down routine
Everything else can flex around those anchors.
Think of routine as a load-bearing wall. You can decorate around it, but if you remove it entirely, the structure starts to wobble. Dogs who know what’s coming cope better with everything else that changes.
Christmas Dog Tip #2 – Create a Safe Space Your Dog Can Opt Out To
One of the simplest and most effective festive dog management tools is also one of the most overlooked: a no-access safe zone.
This might be:
A crate
A bed in a quiet room
Behind a baby gate
An upstairs space away from guests
This space should be somewhere your dog is allowed to disengage, not a place they are sent as punishment.
Christmas brings noise, movement, reaching hands and unpredictable energy. Even sociable dogs can reach saturation point. Without a clear exit strategy, stress builds - and eventually leaks out as unwanted behaviour.
A safe space works best when:
It’s introduced calmly, not mid-chaos
Guests are told not to interact with the dog there
The dog isn’t constantly pulled back into the action
Dogs that can choose calm cope far better than dogs that are forced to endure everything. A stuffed Kong, LickiMat, or long-lasting chew provided in this space reinforces the dog's choice to settle and makes the safe space a positive resource.
Christmas Dog Tip #3 – Use Sniffing Walks to Reduce Festive Stress
Not all walks meet the same needs.
Over the festive period, many dogs get shorter, more rushed walks. What they often need instead is decompression.
Sniffing is one of the most effective ways to lower a dog’s stress levels. It helps regulate heart rate, reduce stress hormones and process stimulation from the day.
A good decompression walk:
Is slow
Allows free sniffing
Has minimal direction or pressure
Prioritises calm over distance
One quality sniff-heavy walk can do more for behaviour than several overstimulating ones. It’s time well spent, especially during busy days.
Christmas Dog Tip #4 – Manage Food, Don’t Test Willpower
Festive food is one of the biggest causes of Christmas dog problems.
Dropped turkey, unattended plates, guests feeding “just a little bit” - all while expecting dogs to show exceptional self-control in an unusually stimulating environment.
That’s not fair on the dog.
Good management beats willpower every time. Practical options include:
Using leads indoors during food prep
Baby gates or closed doors
Sending dogs to a bed or safe space
Clearing plates promptly
Briefing guests clearly and early
If something matters, manage it. Training can come later, when life is calmer.
Christmas Dog Tip #5 – Balance Busy Days With Recovery Days
Dogs don’t experience Christmas as isolated events. They experience the cumulative effect of busy days stacked together.
If today is full of visitors, excitement and noise, tomorrow should be deliberately quieter:
Shorter walks
Fewer demands
More rest
Progress comes from stress followed by recovery. Many owners worry they are “doing too little” on calm days, but those days are what allow dogs to reset and regulate again.
Alternating busy days with easy days is one of the most effective ways to prevent festive burnout.
Christmas Dog Tip #6 – Lower Training Expectations Over the Festive Period
This is an important one.
Christmas is not the time to:
Introduce major new skills
Push impulse control to its limits
Expect perfect behaviour in chaotic environments
Maintenance beats progress.
Short sessions. Familiar cues. High success rates. That’s enough.
If behaviour slips slightly, that’s information — not failure. It tells you where management needs tightening, not that your training has gone backwards.
Other Things to Keep in Mind When Managing Dogs at Christmas
A few additional considerations that make a big difference:
Brief visitors in advance — ignoring the dog is often kinder than over-engaging
Watch early stress signals like lip licking, pacing and disengagement
Stick to familiar rewards rather than exciting new treats
End the day calmly with a slow walk or settle session
Supervise children and dogs closely during busy moments
Christmas Foods Dogs Must Not Eat | Safe Christmas Foods for Dogs |
Chocolate (contains theobromine) | Plain cooked turkey or chicken (no seasoning or skin) |
Christmas pudding and mince pies (raisins, currants, alcohol) | Carrots, parsnips or green beans |
Grapes and raisins (can cause kidney failure) | Plain scrambled or boiled egg |
Onions, garlic and leeks (including stuffing and gravy) | A stuffed Kong with familiar fillings |
Alcohol, even in small amounts | Your dog’s normal food served via enrichment (snuffle mat, scatter feeding) |
Cooked bones, especially poultry | |
Xylitol (found in some sugar-free foods) | |
Fatty trimmings (can trigger pancreatitis) |
Although inclusion doesn’t have to mean leftovers, if you’re unsure, don’t risk it.
When Christmas Behaviour Issues Signal a Need for Training
If Christmas highlights cracks in behaviour, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means real life showed up.
The festive period is intense, compressed and artificial. Training is long-term. Management is what keeps everyone safe and sane right now.
Once things settle, those same challenges often point clearly to where structured training can help - better boundaries, clearer communication and calmer responses under pressure.
At Much Ado About Dogs, we focus on practical, realistic solutions that work in real homes, not just ideal conditions. Whether that’s a short in-home reset, behaviour support or longer-term training, we meet you where you are.
For now, protect the routine, manage the environment, lower the bar - and enjoy Christmas with your dog, not despite them.
Frequently Asked Questions: Dogs and Christmas
Is it normal for dogs to behave worse at Christmas?
Yes — it’s extremely common.Christmas disrupts almost every part of a dog’s routine: walks, sleep, feeding times, household noise and the number of people in the home. Behaviour changes at Christmas are usually a response to stress and overstimulation, not a loss of training. In most cases, tightening management and restoring routine reduces issues quickly.
Should I continue training my dog over the festive period?
Yes, but adjust your expectations.Christmas isn’t the time for major new skills or testing impulse control in busy environments. Focus on maintenance, short sessions and familiar cues. Keeping things simple prevents regression and avoids adding pressure when your dog is already coping with change.
How can I keep my dog calm when we have visitors?
Preparation and management matter more than training here.Create a safe space your dog can retreat to, brief visitors in advance (ignoring the dog is often best), manage food carefully and don’t expect your dog to socialise constantly. Calm, structured breaks away from guests help dogs stay regulated.
What should I do if my dog gets overwhelmed on Christmas Day?
Reduce stimulation as early as possible.This might mean moving your dog to their safe space, skipping interaction, taking a short decompression walk, or ending the day quietly. Early intervention prevents stress from escalating into reactive or shutdown behaviour.
When should I consider professional help after Christmas?
If festive behaviour issues don’t settle once routines return, that’s often a sign that structured support would help.Christmas can highlight gaps in boundaries, confidence or coping skills that are worth addressing properly. Working with a trainer allows you to move from short-term management to long-term, sustainable behaviour change.
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