Christmas 2019 appears to have reached ‘peak dog’ – with owners across the region embracing their dog’s inner reindeer and ensuring their four-legged friends are truly a part of all of the festivities.

This year, over 20 mainstream retailers, from Joules to New Look, are selling matching human and dog Christmas jumpers. Elsewhere Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Tesco are all counting down to a canine crazy Christmas with dog-friendly advent calendars.

While matching dog and human jumpers is festive and furry, the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to the health and welfare of dogs, the Kennel Club, is warning owners that dogs don’t always enjoy the same seasonal things as their two-legged counterparts. Bill Lambert, Senior Health and Welfare Manager at the Kennel Club, said:

“For dogs, Christmas is a time of year when unusual and exciting things are happening around the home. Often it means there are lots of new people to meet and greet, exciting things to smell and lick, and that makes it a very tempting time for them to get up to all sorts of mischief, or feel anxious or even lonely.

“Dogs are a part of the family and of course can be involved in the celebrations, but our four-legged friends don’t always enjoy the same festivities as humans do. We want to make sure that all of the nation’s much-loved dogs have a happy, stress-free and safe Christmas.”

Each Christmas there are thousands of cases of dogs needing veterinary treatment after stealthily stealing chocolate and other unsuitable festive treats like mince pies and stollen. With so much going on over the festive season it’s not always easy to keep an eye out, so the Kennel Club have released a number of tips, including trying to keep any chocolate or other treats out of reach.

Owners should be wary of feeding dogs Christmas dinner leftovers, as traditional turkey, goose and chicken bones can easily splinter, particularly when cooked, causing an obstruction and possibly even piercing your dog’s tummy.

Christmas can also be an overwhelming time, so avoid forcing festive fun by making sure their routine isn’t disrupted – take them out on their usual walks, keep dinner time the same and make sure they still have their usual space and bed so they can retreat and settle in their usual spot if and when they want to.

There is further advice on how to have a carefree canine Christmas on the Kennel Club website.