How to Host Thanksgiving with Pets
Hosting Thanksgiving is a daunting task! When you add pets to the mix it can be even more stressful. Thinking about planning the food, having the dogs near the kids, where is the cat going to go, etc is a lot to deal with. However, we’ve got five tips for how to host thanksgiving with pets that we think will help ease your mind and keep your pets calm.
First, think about your pet’s personalities. Are they able to handle large crowds without getting stressed? Do they enjoy providing comfort to everyone in the room? If so, you’re in luck! Hosting Thanksgiving with pets won’t be that stressful for you! Provide your pup or cat with a new toy, one you know they’ll love, as guests arrive. This will keep them from bombarding the doorway and those carrying food. Feed your pet just before everyone else eats. Make sure your friends and family know your rules when it comes to feeding Fido scraps.
Consider CBD products.
If your dog isn’t as gentle and loving around large groups, or gets stressed easily, you might consider some CBD products. We have a huge variety in our store, from Kradle to Colorado Hemp Honey, and we can help you find the right one for your size pup. The CBD can calm down an anxious pet. That, in turn, will calm YOU down too!
Provide a safe space.
If necessary, put your pup and his favorite bed and toys in a room away from the crowds. Cats are much easier as they’ll often go find their own favorite hiding places without prompting. Offer your pup or cat a few new treats when they are behaving well and staying calm too. Check out our sales page for options!
Communicate with your guests.
As we stated above, it’s important for your guests to know a few things about Fido and Kitty too. Along with your rules about food for your pets, make sure your guests know how best to approach them. For instance, our cat Phoebe loves to play and men are especially fond of letting her play rough and bite their hands. We prefer that she not do that, so we often have to let guests know that biting is NOT an acceptable form of play!
If you know that your guests have kids, make sure they too are comfortable around pets and can be gentle with them. Teaching kids the importance of “gentle loving” or “soft petting” is crucial to their developing loving relationships with all pets.
When all else fails, let your pups out into your fenced in yard to run off some excess energy or take them out on a leashed after-dinner Thanksgiving walk with the family! Everyone will enjoy that outside fall time after a big meal.
