How to Keep Your Dog Away From the Christmas Tree: 10 Vet-Approved Tips
Setting up the Christmas tree is always a fun and exciting time. The tree helps set the tone for the holiday season and keeps everyone in the household in good spirits. However, it can be dangerous to have dogs around Christmas trees. Your dog may knock your tree over, ruining it and everything that it has been decorated with. They themselves could also be harmed by the tree. The tree may fall on top of them, causing injury, or the ornaments and pine needles can be eaten by your dog and damage their gastrointestinal tract.
Therefore, it’s important to take steps that will help keep your dog away from your Christmas tree throughout the holiday season. Here are a few different ways to do just that.
The 10 Tips to Keep Your Dog Away From the Christmas Tree
1. Avoid Glittery and Shiny Decorations
Many dogs, especially puppies, are attracted to shiny and glittery things, and many Christmas tree decorations tend to be both. It is a good idea to avoid using these types of decorations so your tree is less attractive to your dog overall, and they’ll be less likely to try messing with it. This is not to say that your tree has to be unattractive to the humans in the household. There are several types of ornaments that are beautiful yet lack the features that dogs like the most.
2. Take Focus Off the Bottom of the Tree
If your dog can reach ornaments and other goodies on the tree, they will likely try to do so and chomp down on whatever they can. By leaving the bottom quarter of the tree free of ornaments, your dog will be less likely to go nosing around. The lights on the tree can help keep the bottom of it from looking too empty compared to the rest of the tree, but make sure any cables and electric parts are out of reach when it comes to your pooch.
3. Keep the Base of the Tree Clean
Fallen pine needles, ornaments, and other tree items can quickly become interesting to your dog. Some dogs may grab the fallen items and take them away to a corner for closer inspection. Therefore, you should spend time cleaning up everything from underneath the tree each morning and keep an eye on rogue fallen needles and items throughout the day. If there is nothing on the floor for your dog to pick up, they and your tree will be safer until the season ends.
4. Create a Tinfoil Tree Skirt
Some dogs do not like tinfoil, especially if they walk on it, because it’s such a strange surface to them. It may feel weird to their paws, and the intense sheen of the foil can make some dogs reluctant. Therefore, some dogs may avoid walking on tinfoil when it is laid on the ground. Using tinfoil around the base of your tree may discourage some dogs from approaching it, but additional supervision or barriers may still be needed.
5. Utilize a Deterrent Spray
One way to discourage your dog from chewing on your Christmas tree is to use a pet-safe deterrent spray on areas they may be tempted to lick or chew. Many deterrent sprays have little or no noticeable odor to humans, although this varies by product. Deterrent sprays like Don’t Chew Dare! have a bitter taste, so one nibble on your tree should keep them from coming back again.
6. Set a Bell Trap
If you want to know when your dog is interacting with the Christmas tree, consider hanging bells along the lower branches so you can redirect them promptly. The bells should ring whenever your dog gets too close, so you can get into the room and respond quickly by redirecting your dog away from the tree and rewarding appropriate behavior. This option may not work if you have young kids in the house, as the kids will likely make the bells ring much more often!
7. Set Up a Dog Baby Gate
Setting up a dog or baby gate around your Christmas tree will inhibit your view of the tree but will ensure that your dog cannot get too close to it at any time. You may need to connect two or three gates to cover the distance from one wall to another while still leaving space for gifts under and around the tree.
8. Use Presents as Protection
If your dog is not interested in trying to rip presents open, you can use large gifts as a wall to protect your tree. If you don’t have any such presents, consider wrapping a few empty boxes in wrapping paper for a holiday effect and then lining the boxes around the tree for extra protection.
9. Keep Toys and Bedding Away From the Tree
If you expect your dog to stay away from your tree, you should make sure none of their bedding or toys are anywhere nearby. Anything of theirs that gets too close to the tree can encourage them to get underneath the tree or get so close that their tail bangs against it. Keep your dog’s belongings on the other side of the room or out of the area altogether.
10. Work on Training
You can always train your dog to stay away from the Christmas tree, so you don’t have to use any other tactics or sacrifice your favorite decorations. If your dog is obedience trained, the process shouldn’t be tough; it’s just a matter of teaching them not to go near the tree. Distracting your dog from the tree and rewarding them when they walk away is a great start to training. The idea is to ultimately create an invisible boundary around your tree that your dog respects and never crosses. You can use a clicker and/or treats to make the process easier.
Conclusion
Keeping your dog away from the Christmas tree is no small feat, but it isn’t impossible. Patience and creativity can go a long way. You may have to employ multiple tactics to get the results that you’re looking for, but don’t give up. Be prepared to lose a few ornaments along the way, though!
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Featured Image Credit: dezy, Shutterstock
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Rachael has been a freelance writer since 2000. In this time she has had an opportunity to research and write about many different topics while working to master the art of fusing high-quality content with effective content marketing strategies. She is an artist at heart and loves to read, paint, and make jewelry. As a vegan, Rachael is obsessed with helping animals in need, both in her community and anywhere in the world where she feels she can make a difference. Animals also happen to be her favorite topic to write about! She lives off the grid in Hawaii with her husband, her garden, and her rescue animals including 5 dogs, a cat, a goat, and flock of chickens.
