Christmas truly is the most magical time of the year! Personally, I rediscovered the magic of Christmas with the arrival of my daughter Molly. Seeing her curiosity and fascination with Santa and the Elves; her amazement at the beauty of the Christmas tree; her joy in seeing our house changing into a light fest; not to mention the presents; the delicious food and family and friends visiting more often than normal… made Christmas special all over again for me.

However, as a parent, Christmas certainly comes with a whole new level of challenges. Firstly, I have come to realize that, even if Christmas is effectively only one day out of the year, there is a reason why we talk about the 12 days of Christmas (6 before and 6 after), because this holiday is so powerful, it cannot be restricted to one single day.

Because, of course, things like the Elf on the shelf, the presents, ordering the food, putting up the decorations and the stress of it all start even earlier than that. I mention stress because, even if I love this time of the year, it does come with a lot of extra work and I often feel like I’m running around like a headless chicken (or a turkey, if you will).

And then I look at my dogs, Winnie and Wilco, and I wonder what they are thinking… do they know it’s Christmas? Can they see that I have to wrap a million presents? Do they realize that I need to order the right amount of food and the house needs to look festive, without looking like a circus? Do they worry, like me, about whether I’ll manage to finish all my work before taking some time off to spend with my family?

Do they feel my tension?

Well, I can tell you that, while I am sure they do not know that it’s Christmas, they sure can tell something is up and they can sense that our emotions have changed and, often, they mirror how we feel. Which means that, if I am stressed, it is very likely they might feel the same, even if they don’t know why.

When there are children in the family, the level of excitement during the Christmas time is even higher, which consequently, makes our dogs feel and possibly act in an agitated manner. Their behaviour can change from simply more panting and less resting, to more difficult things, like toileting in the house or/and even refusing to eat. 
The behaviour your dog might display over the holidays would depend on the kind of personality your dog has; how excited your children get; the level of attention (and possibly training) your dog gets during that time and, of course, the health of your dog and her age too.

Pet remedy has a wonderful range of products that can help your dog to cope during such stressful times, which can be of massive help to you too, as finding time to get to everyone and everything can be extremely challenging right now. 
My favourite way of using Pet Remedy is by getting my daughter Molly involved, not only because I need to keep her amused, but because I want her to interact with the dogs in a calming manner, without getting herself or our canine companions over excited.

So, by involving Molly in gently and calmly interacting with the dogs, I feel like I’m solving two problems in one activity… and it helps me to save some time for other things.
I like to use the Pet Remedy Calming Spray and I get Molly to spray some on a cloth or small towel, then she uses the towel to stroke the dogs gently. To do that, we also add the ‘1,2,3… stop the cuddles!’ game, which consists of stroking the dogs (individually) with the towel counting to 3, then stop and take your hands and towel off the dogs. If the dog wants more, he or she will move toward you, or lean on you, or showing other signs of wanting more interaction. If, however, the dog doesn’t want to be petted at that time, he or she will move away, or look away to let you know.

If Winnie wants more cuddles, her way of showing it is by leaning her body against Molly’s, so that she can carry on petting her. It really is very sweet to see.
If, however, Winnie isn’t up for a physical interaction, she would generally look away. In that case, Molly knows not to carry on with the cuddles.

This is where it could get tricky, as the child is left with nothing to do, but with a bit of creativity it’s easily solved!
 What I’m going to suggest might even be a blast from the past for some: towel folding!! 
My father-in-law, John, was forever making stuff from cotton napkins at restaurants, so much so that we bought him a book to learn to make more than just the classic chicken and bra. Funnily enough, that’s when he stopped doing it, perhaps I’ll remind him of that this year.

If you google ‘towel folding’ or ‘towel origami’, there will be lots of instructions to follow, from easier things, perfect for younger children; to more complicated ones, great for older kids! If you have very young children, why not impress them with your towel origami skills!
After making some interesting creations with the towel, leave it near the dog, so the Pet Remedy Calming scent will still be there for the dog to smell.
Moreover, both you and your child would have smelled the calming product throughout that whole time, which is really good, as it is helpful for us humans too.

Please remember that while Pet Remedy can help your dog to feel better and overcome the stress that the holidays bring, it should also be used with a behavioural plan assigned to each individual dog by a qualified dog behaviourist.

Article by Debby Lucken, Founder of Kids Around Dogs (KAD).
KAD is an association of professionals who work with children and dogs to live happily and safely together. Moreover, all KAD approved professionals are qualified to implement the KAD protocol to overcome the fear of dogs in kids.
For more information, or to get in touch with your local KAD approved professional, visit:
www.kidsarounddogs.co.uk