Thanksgiving Yes’s & No’s
Preparing for the holiday experiences to come!
Everyone is gathering for Thanksgiving and we cannot wait to see those familiar faces and play with our furry friends! There's so much excitement going on, foods to sniff and taste, family to play with, and lots of relaxing! We are watching those plates fill up and it seems like the perfect time to share with one another. Hosting or being a guest with a dog can always be a little stressful. Between wanting to sniff all the delicious dishes, giving puppy eyes to everyone at the dinner table, and wanting to run around and play while so many people are hanging out in the kitchen! We hope by sharing some tips it may help make your holidays safe and less stressful!
Foods that you dog can enjoy
I LOVE the holidays. Not only is there plenty of excitement and activities for me to be involved in, but there are plenty for opportunities to help taste test a new recipe or finish off a plate. However, a trip to the vet on Thanksgiving is something we definitely want to avoid!
Everyone is relatively aware that there are several foods that are known to be bad for dogs, with reactions that make for a mess or even a trip to the vet. Thanksgiving foods are full of GREAT dog friendly options, but also have A LOT of big NO’s for us doggos! Here’s a quick list you can reference when deciding what to share with your pup this Thanksgiving.
With the menu out of the way, let’s focus on the rest of your preparation!
Hosting Tips
So you're hosting the big day and you are all so excited. ME TOO! I LOVE being a host, but having everyone in my space can sometimes be a little overwhelming.
Or maybe you're heading over to your family or friends home for Thanksgiving? I LOVE going to visit family, there are so many new smells and familiar faces that I haven't seen in awhile, but I can get anxious and act out when in an unfamiliar space.
Let’s make sure we are prepared for any occasion, so both doggo and our humans can enjoy this wonderful holiday.
Before the activities begin, let’s make sure we burn some energy before hand
Greeting your guests can be overwhelming, finding a open space to do so will minimize anxiety for all involved
As we get closer to dinner time, make sure we are out of the way and behaving
Before the gathering
First things first, make sure we get out first thing in the morning to get some exercise. We can call it our Turkey Trot! Get some of that extra energy out with fresh air and a long walk or a play session at the park. This early activity will set the stage for activities and lead to better behavior throughout the eventful day.
Greeting your guests
The most exciting part of the day, besides tasting that turkey, is going to be greeting all of those guests! This is a great time to work on our training and not allow any jumping to happen. Our guests are all VERY familiar with my greeting tendencies so they do not walk in unprepared! Luckily as long as I get to greet my guests with my security blanket in tow, I am very well behaved.
If you are new to hosting, you can always greet your guests outside of the house with your doggo on a leash and walk your guests in to ensure less anxiety than strangers walking through the door.
Dinner Time!
What's that smell? One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is all the good smells coming from the kitchen. There also seems to be a lot of people hanging out in there! I know that’s where mom will be and I enjoy shadowing her, but she’s probably going to need me out of the way. That’s where dad is in charge! Head out to the backyard or off to the park with some of the kids to play while dinner is being prepped!
During the Thanksgiving feast if you think your pup may try to hang around the dinner table and beg for food, there are several options to ensure a nice peaceful meal where puppy eyes and sniffs under the table are avoided. My mom likes to make me an enrichment meal or treat ahead of time that your dog can enjoy during the meal that will take them about the same amount of time the meal will last. If that is not enough or I enjoy the treat too quickly, have them take a little break in their crate or behind the “baby gates”. After a day full of activities and experiences, I could use a few minutes to myself anyway.
BONUS RECIPE!
While everyone is having their pumpkin pie for dessert, you can enjoy your pumpkin pie parfait and not feel left out! Best part is, these can be made the morning of Thanksgiving so it’s all ready to go at dessert time.
INGREDIENTS:
Pure Pumpkin
Greek Yogurt
Whipped Cream
DIRECTIONS:
In a small container layer your parfait, first with pumpkin, then a layer of yogurt, then one more layer of pumpkin, and topped with whipped cream! ENJOY!
Every holiday comes with a level of excitement and anxiety, Thanksgiving is no different. From new experience, to new faces and new foods, preparation is the key to making sure that everyone has a great time.
With that, I ‘m going to wipe the whipped cream off of my nose. Talk to you next week and as always, stay friendly!
Graham