8 Tips to Dog-Proof your Christmas Tree (and Tree-Proof your Dog)

Nothing makes a cuter vacation image than your canine posed in entrance of the Christmas tree. But canine and Christmas timber aren’t all the time the very best combine. Decorated timber pose hazards to canine, like breakable adorns and electrical lighting, and curious canine will also be hazardous to the tree.

Don’t concern: you’ll be able to nonetheless have a Christmas tree! You simply want to take some precautions. Read on to learn the way to stay your canine secure across the Christmas tree (and vice versa).

1. Go synthetic

Christmas films use tipped-over timber as a comedic tool, however there’s not anything humorous a few falling tree indoors. Invest in a high quality stand to protected the bottom of the tree. To save you conceivable damage to curious pets, position the Christmas tree in a nook and securely anchor it to the celing or wall.

To anchor your tree, loop some fishing line across the trunk and tie it to an anchor, reminiscent of a molly bolt, within the wall in the back of it. You too can tie the road across the most sensible of the tree and tie it to a screw within the ceiling. This will stay the tree from tipping over if a rambunctious canine offers it a bump.

You too can create an “alarm” to provide you with a warning if the tree is at risk: merely position aluminum foil or a can full of beans at the tree’s backside limbs. If your canine begins nosing across the tree, you’ll pay attention it in time to interfere.

2. Start with a naked tree

Before you beautify the tree, go away it up for a couple of days. This will assist your canine get used to having a tree in the home, so that they’ll be much more likely to go away it on my own as soon as it’s lined in lighting and baubles.

After a couple of days with a naked tree, chances are high that your canine will become bored solely!

three. Be cautious of electric cords

Bright, glossy lighting are laborious to face up to, however they are able to be bad to your canine. Not handiest can your canine get tangled within the wires, but when she’s a chewer, there’s a chance surprise. If you place lighting on your Christmas tree, go away the ground branches naked.

You will have to additionally protected cords main to and from the tree. Hide cords with the tree skirt or ornamental package deal, or use adhesive-backed wire clips to stay them off the ground and out of succeed in.

four. Put fragile adorns on upper branches

Your large, glad canine along with her large, wagging tail will also be deadly to subtle Christmas decorations. Broken decorations could also be a choking danger, or purpose paw or mouth accidents.

To stay your circle of relatives heirlooms secure, and offer protection to your canine from damaged glass, put fragile adorns against the highest of the tree, or transfer to plastic altogether. Depending on how rambunctious and curious your canine is, you might have considered trying to go away the ground 3rd of the tree naked.

five. No meals at the tree

Popcorn garlands, cookie adorns, and sweet canes, oh my! Holiday treats make gorgeous decorations, however they’re a no-no for canine. Leave the popcorn for consuming, and check out a dog-friendly paper garland at the tree as an alternative.

Put the chocolate away, too; it’s a number of the maximum bad meals for canine. During the vacation season, it’s essential to stay sweet totally out of succeed in of your canine—which would possibly imply leaving it off the tree.

6. Keep poisonous vegetation out of succeed in (or pretend)

Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias: those not unusual vacation houseplants are probably poisonous to canine. If you beautify with any of them, stay them means out of succeed in of your pets. Better but, search for pet-safe choices. Artificial variations will also be simply as pretty, and so much more secure for your canine.

While pine needles aren’t specifically poisonous, they’re small and sharp, and will purpose damage in your canine’s mouth and intestines. If you may have a herbal Christmas tree, be sure that to sweep up fallen needles each day.

7. Candles? Keep ’em up prime and rancid the tree

Candlelight makes the vacations comfortable and vivid, however open flames and canine don’t combine. Aside from the fireplace danger of getting a candle shut to the Christmas tree, flickering candlelight is difficult to face up to.

If you’re adorning with candles, position them on protected cabinets neatly out of succeed in of your canine. To get that flickering glow impact at the Christmas tree, check out clip-on LED candles.

8. Save the gifts for Christmas morning

Sometimes it’s now not an issue of canine and Christmas timber, however canine and what’s underneath the tree. My circle of relatives has had multiple incident by which a canine ate a gift.

To stay your Christmas presents secure, and offer protection to your canine from drinking one thing she shouldn’t, don’t go away gifts underneath the tree. Wait for Santa to come on Christmas Eve, and get up to presents that the canine hasn’t licked.

Christmastime is extra-special with a canine. By following our guidelines for Christmas tree protection, you’ll be able to be sure that the vacation is worked up and vivid for you and your very best pal!