The Do’s and Don’ts: Thanksgiving Safety Tips for Dogs

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Here is a guide on how to safely include your dog on Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to celebrate each other and enjoy a grand feast. As with any holiday, it is important to keep in mind the safety concerns for your beloved canine friend.

It is important to understand and prepare your dog if you plan on having a lot of people over for Thanksgiving.
 
 Some dogs are friendly and happy to meet new strangers while others can be shy or even anxious around strangers or around a large group of people. Here are some ways that can help calm your anxious dog for a happier Thanksgiving!

During Thanksgiving, it may be especially hard to contain the urge to feed your dog food from the table.
 
 It is important to keep in mind that not every food on Thanksgiving is safe for your pet. Some foods that are completely harmless to humans can cause a huge variety of digestive problems and can even lead to death in dogs.

If your dog starts to get bored, you can also give them something to occupy their time.

Treat dispensing toys are especially helpful when preoccupying your dog’s time, stuff the toy with peanut butter and let it freeze, it will take a good hour or so for your dog to reach the tasty treat in the middle.

Dogs are part of the family, include them in your Thanksgiving activities!

Now that everyone is seated and ready to eat, consider adding a little bit of the Thanksgiving food into their doggy bowls.
 
 This makes your dog feel more included and also stops them from pestering your visitors for food! Keep in mind not to feed too much turkey to your dog, this can lead to health issues!

After digesting all the food from the Thanksgiving feast, take this chance to play fetch outside with your dog.
 
 Being surrounded by friends and family can make the game of fetching more exciting and fun for your canine friend.

 
 We hope you found this article helpful and hope you have a great Thanksgiving! For more information please visit www.mercicollective.com