CANINE BEHAVIOUR
Parlez Vous POOCH?! Blogger and ualified ‘ og istener’ ulia Collins helps us to consider the needs of our canine chums this festive season
T
his hristmas, before you go up to bed awaiting Santa’s visit , do make sure that in addition to your stockings being securely attached to the mantelpiece, the following are safely and entirely out of canine reach grapes, dried fruit, nuts, mince pies and chocolates. These festive items rank highly amongst to ic canine foodstuffs. on’t just think toddler height, factor in the altitude attainability of a potential pet pyramid plus accessories, chairs, tables, piles of presents and so on. Holiday time veterinary attention does not come cheap and imagine the shadow a sickly pet would caste over your celebrations On a far lighter no ote, many dogs enjoy the festive season mightily, and it’s well worth giving a little thoughtt to how our sensitive and loyal com mpanions might comprehend Christmas. A general increase in hustle and bustle accompanies the arrivval
of interesting packages, with plenty to investigate and carefully log in the canine mind. ays are much shorter and fre uently cold and wet but, no matter how busy you are, don’t stint on your dog walks. If it’s really inclement, one heroic outing could su ce with some indoor play and attention to replace the afternoon outing. See October November ‘ arlez ous ooch’ . Walks and meals mean everything to your dog. We set a lot of store by Christmas and e pect our dogs to behave well, even faced with a range of visitors and activities. The least we can do is lovingly preserve their routine with plenty of e ercise and down time, if the house is noisy with boisterous visitors. on’t let good habits be sabotaged by supposedly well meaning guests feeding your dog from the table, encouraging them to sit on furniture if this is something you don’t allow and letting visiting children whip them into a frenzy. In fact, if your dog is used to an adult household, better not to leave them alone with children, no matter how gentle and placid they are the dog I mean .
Not too many leftovers a few by all means, but cut back on the kibble. reserve his sleeping area as a sanctuary. eet up with unfamiliar canine visitors outside first, their coming straight into the house is a mistake. Give plenty of thought to a ‘strange’ dog actually staying over. on’t be all over your dog during the day and then go out, leaving them alone in a silent house. ake sure they’re well e ercised, fed as appropriate, have fresh water and a chance to nip into the garden before you go. eave a radio, lights and the heating on. ook up ‘foods to ic for dogs’, some of the items will surprise you.
arlez ous OOCH? articles are also availaable on the Oracle, an audio info ormation magazine for visually im mpaired listeners, which is partt of Wymondham and Attleborough h Talking Newspapers. To access all the Talking Newspaper re ecordings, go to ww www ww watn orrg uk
Julia Collinss @walkso oflifessuffolk www.walkso oflife.co.uk 45
