'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a…puppy!
Christmas Eve with a new puppy brings its own holiday magic to the season! Their little eyes twinkle with the reflection of the Christmas lights as you drive through the neighborhood checking out the displays. You had a hard time not blowing your entire Christmas budget on cute holiday accessories for your puppy so that other people would get gifts! Your heart swells with joy as you consider your puppy the best present of the year paws down!
With a new puppy this Christmas Eve, you’ll want to research some holiday traditions to start with your puppy that mean a lot to your family. Check out some ways to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with your puppy to create Christmas Eve traditions with your puppy, and learn how to make the holidays special for your new furbaby.
Pawrade Staff Members Share Their Favorite Holiday Traditions With Their Puppies
At Pawrade, we are naturally puppy lovers who cherish our own pets by making their Christmas the best experience for our furry family. Here are some Christmas traditions and advice we have for new puppy owners this holiday season.
Christmas traditions with our dogs
Pawrade staff shared their favorite Christmas traditions to give you some cherished ideas to make your puppy feel special. See which ones you like!
Alyssa Dean, Health First Team
Pets: Bandit - Australian Shepherd, Maverick - Golden Retriever
“I always get my dogs a Christmas stocking full of treats. I give them a special treat each day leading up to Christmas for them to enjoy. We also watch Christmas movies together! I get them both a stocking of special treats because they are a special part of my life!”
Renee Reamy, Human Resources Manager
Zeus - Plott Hound/Golden Retriever Mix, Athena - Aussiedoodle
Each year, the dogs get their own stockings filled with treats and new toys. I am getting them Kong toys to hopefully ensure they last longer than 3 seconds like the others!”
Joey Walsh, Health Guarantee Manager
Echo, Pit Bull mix, SheBa - German Shepherd, Stella Maie - French Bulldog
“We love watching Christmas movies at night. We give lots of stuff toys because they are loved, but never rawhide!”
Courtney Dean, Social Engagement Director
Pets: GiGi - Goldendoodle, Evie - Pug, Lincoln - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
“Lincoln's birthday is on Christmas Day, and he turns 4 this year! We also create a huge pile of wrapping paper for Evie the Pug to roll around and play in, one of her favorite things to do. We get each of them stockings with toys and treats (although they already found them hidden and stole them, so we need to get more)!”
Other Christmas Traditions To Begin With Your Puppy
There are so many fun things to do to make memories with your puppy this holiday season! What would you add to our list?
Bake Christmas goodies with your puppy
If you love making Christmas treats like candy and cookies, don’t forget to make your puppy delicious Christmas treats! Don your Christmas apron and make homemade DIY holiday treats for your dog. It’s the perfect gift for the dog lovers in your life, too. Make a tin of Christmas goodies for dogs and take your puppy on an adventure by delivering them to other puppy owners and taking in the lights and decorations.
Accessories for the whole family
What’s Christmas Eve without matching pajamas for the whole family? Include your new puppy by ordering jammies with your dog’s face on them, and order some for the entire family to celebrate your love of your puppy. You can also buy your pet festive collars, bandanas, and elf, reindeer, or Santa outfits to be ready to celebrate!
Capturing the Christmas spirit
Have some fun and spread Christmas cheer by recreating trending photos and videos of your puppy on social media! The “wrapping paper challenge” encourages your puppy to poke its head through a hole in a wall of wrapping paper. You can lure them with a treat so they poke that adorable face through the ripped paper. Another fun trend is to turn your puppy into the Grinch using a special filter. If you use strings of Christmas lights, be sure to supervise your puppy at all times, and put up the lights right away when you're done with your photo shoot.
31 Days of Christmas Movies
Why stop at just one dog-themed Christmas movie? Our binge-worthy list contains some classics, but we know there are some titles you and your puppy haven’t seen yet. Grab the pupcorn, make a cozy nest, dim the lights, and enjoy a movie marathon of Christmas movies featuring dogs and puppies as the main characters!
-
3 Holiday Tails
-
Golden Winter
-
Sit. Stay. Love.
-
A Christmas Tale
-
A Golden Christmas
-
Alone For Christmas
-
My Christmas Guide
-
Lady and the Tramp
-
Alone For Christmas
-
A Gift For Christmas
-
Christmas Unleashed
-
12 Pups of Christmas
-
A Doggone Christmas
-
A Veteran’s Christmas
-
A Puppy For Christmas
-
Christmas With Tucker
-
A Royal Corgi Christmas
-
The 12 Dogs of Christmas
-
A Charlie Brown Christmas
-
12 Dog Days Till Christmas
-
An All-Dogs Christmas Carol
-
A Dog Walker’s Christmas Tale
-
Project: Puppies For Christmas
-
The Dog Who Saved Christmas
-
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-
The Nightmare Before Christmas
-
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
-
Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
-
Dognapped: Hound For The Holidays
-
A Golden Christmas: A Tale of Puppy Love
-
Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws
Celebrate the Holidays with Puppy Safety in Mind
While the holidays can be a wonderful time, they can also pose dangers to your puppy. Help your puppy avoid the naughty list and be proactive in keeping your puppy safe this holiday season by avoiding the emergency vet on what should be a joyous holiday rather than receiving the “present” of an emergency vet visit (not to mention the bill).
Puppy-proofing your holiday space is a necessary part of being proactive to protect your puppy from holiday harm. Practice caution around foods that are toxic to dogs. Foods to avoid are chocolate, xylitol found in sugar-free candy and other products, grapes from the fruit tray, and fatty table scraps. Protect the Christmas tree and ornaments from curious puppies. Decorations could contain hooks, toxic materials, or filling that when ingested could cause blockages and obstructions. Christmas lights and cords could cause strangulation or electrocution from chewing on lights and getting tangled up in them.
Another way to supervise your puppy is to choose a designated puppy minder. It’s easy to forget when lots of people are around because they may assume someone else is keeping an eye on your puppy, but in reality, she’s roaming around freely. Always separate your dog from the kitchen when cooking and baking. Give them an enclosed, puppy-proof space like a play yard or crate to escape the hustle and bustle and allow them to rest, recharge, and practice being calm.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Pawrade 2024
Make every day Christmas morning when you adopt a puppy from Pawrade! We offer a scam-free puppy adoption experience backed by a secure transaction management system to give you peace of mind in the midst of so many holiday puppy scams. We want to protect you from a situation that sounds too good to be true from social media posts or other situations that send up red flags.
What our staff members say about why you should adopt a puppy:
-
“Every family needs a puppy!”
-
“Having a companion is the best thing there is! When I have a bad day, my dogs are always there to cheer me up.”
-
“Puppies bring so much joy and warmth to a home. I think everyone should have one…or three!”
-
“For a lot of people this holiday season can be filled with family and friends, but for others who may live alone and or their family is states away, a puppy can help bring in some holiday cheer! Having a puppy helps fill in companionship, and they can bring laughs and smiles to one's face!
Give the gift that keeps on giving this Christmas and beyond by adopting one (or more!) of our puppies for sale. We can’t wait to hear from you!
