5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – HAPPY NEW YEAR!
You’ve made it to another year! The new year provides us with a renewed gusto where we make resolutions to better ourselves and live our best lives. At the stroke of midnight when the shiny crystal ball drops, all the troubles of the previous year melt away, and you make plans for a fresh start.
But what about your puppy? Surely your puppy wants to be the best puppy he or she can be, right? Well, they may need a little help from their human friends to make and keep their own resolutions.
You’ve already looked at how to keep your puppy safe during the Christmas season, but it’s time to make the transition to the next celebration. Read on to learn how to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely with your puppy with our 14 tips.
Ring in the New Year With Your Dog Safely
The best way to ring in the new year safely with your puppy is to prevent situations from happening in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as the saying goes, and it won’t take long to take a quick survey of areas to prepare for the celebratory evening.
Before we start talking about resolutions, you need to greet the new year safely with your dog first! Follow our 14 tips to safely celebrate New Year’s Eve with your puppy.
1. Include your puppy in NYE festivities
Ringing in the new year isn’t just fun for humans – your dog can have a blast, too! Make your puppy happy on New Year’s Eve by keeping them involved in a variety of activities with these ideas:
- Create a photo booth to capture fun memories & post on social media
- Make dog-friendly New Year’s Eve treats or mocktails
- Dress them in festive outfits & accessories like a themed bandana or party hat
- Give them some New Year’s Eve toys for dogs
- Host a party earlier in the day just for puppy friends
- Be sure to give your dog a big kiss when the ball drops!
2. Keep alcohol, chocolate, grapes, and other toxins out of reach
New Year’s Eve parties can be full of delicious appetizers, signature drinks, champagne, and alcoholic beverages. While these may be tasty for humans to eat and drink, they can be disastrous if ingested by your puppy.
Appetizers can be full of rich food that dogs cannot digest well. And always monitor the amount of chocolate, grapes, xylitol, garlic, onions, and other ingredients toxic to dogs that can even turn fatal if they ingest them.
3. Puppy-proof before and after your party
Before you decorate for your New Year’s party, it’s important to do a sweep for any remaining remnants of Christmas decorations, such as ornament hooks, pieces of tinsel, or bits of leftover wrapping paper. If your Christmas or Hanukkah decorations are still up, now is the time to tidy up from Christmas morning and put anything back in place.
After the big day, clean up right away so your puppy doesn’t suffer serious consequences from being curious and ingesting remnants of the fun night.
4. Have emergency vet numbers handy
Most veterinarian offices are closed over the holidays and may not be open when you most need them. Research a licensed emergency vet near you, and go ahead and program their information into your contacts list and map app. You may also want to keep a first aid kit for dogs handy for minor emergencies.
5. Let someone else know about your plans
It’s always a smart idea to have an emergency contact or a backup plan when it comes to your dog when you are away. Let’s say you are supposed to get home right after midnight but end up staying at a party. A trusted friend can take care of your dog for you in the event that you are not able to return or if there is an emergency situation.
6. Wear out your puppy before the evening begins
After you’ve puppy-proofed your home, wear out your dog regardless of their activity level. A well-exercised dog is a more well-behaved dog, and allowing them the opportunity to get out all their energy can improve how they react to the evening to come.
7. Work on basic training if you are hosting a party
It’s never cute for a puppy to jump up, lunge at, or excessively bark at your guests. Work on some basic puppy obedience commands so your pup has exemplary behavior when the doorbell rings. It’s best to start training your puppy as early as you can so he or she has time to learn the commands.
8. Pay attention to your puppy’s limits
If you’re throwing a party with a raucous celebratory atmosphere, you need to watch your puppy for signs of overstimulation, tiredness, or distress. Don’t expect your puppy to stay out the whole time. Learn how to read your dog’s body language to recognize signs of when they’re having a fun, playful time or experiencing the opposite feelings like stress and fear.
Everyone will want to hold and play with your puppy, but they may easily get “touched out” and need space to explore on their own – especially when humans may not be in their normal frame of mind to handle your puppy gently. That leads us to our next tip involving a quiet space.
9. Provide a quiet, calm space
Set up a quiet, secure space that makes your dog feel safe and calm. Make a little cuddle nest with a blanket that smells like you, their favorite toys, some treats, calming music, and low lighting. Dogs are den animals that thrive on having a little sanctuary that is just big enough to fit them where they can stand and turn around comfortably. Place their space in a bedroom close by or another space out of the way for them to retreat to when things get a little too exciting for their comfort level.
10. Give new toys to keep your puppy occupied
Whether you introduce your puppy to homemade DIY mentally stimulating dog toys or the best puppy toys on the market, you’ll want to keep your puppy occupied as long as possible. Enriching toys they’ve never seen before will stimulate your puppy’s brain and hold their curiosity.
11. Prevent & handle puppy separation anxiety
If you are not sure if your puppy deals with separation anxiety yet, then educate yourself on tips to prevent puppy separation anxiety before you need them! If you’re planning on going to a party and will be gone for several hours, start small by leaving them by themselves for short periods of time and work your way up to your estimated time away from home.
12. Go high-tech when you’re away from home
It’s fun to go high-tech to monitor your puppy when you’re away. You may want to purchase a simple pet camera with a vet chat feature to see what they’re up to. You can even go really above and beyond with an app-controlled treat and food-dispensing pet camera that allows you to view, talk to your dog, and feed on demand from an easy-to-use app.
13. Beware of fireworks and other sudden celebratory noises
If not desensitized to loud noises, New Year’s Eve celebrations for dogs can be full of sudden loud noises, such as fireworks or people yelling in celebration with noisemakers, party poppers, and hand clappers at the stroke of midnight. Such noises can be jarring and very stressful for your dog!
It’s helpful to know how your puppy reacts to loud noises before you find out the hard way on New Year’s Eve! You don’t want to have to step out of the celebration to comfort a dog who has never been exposed to terrifying noises for them.
If you are out, provide a safe space so they do not become destructive. You may also want to consider a weighted shirt or anxiety vest to help calm their nerves. There are even anxiety vests for dogs on the market that provide calming music and aromatherapy! Keep calming dog treats handy as well.
14. Most importantly, keep yourself, others, and your dog safe
Many people indulge in substances that impair the decision-making process during festivities but make sure you know your limit. We cannot emphasize this enough – NEVER drive under the influence. Be responsible and call a rideshare service or have a designated driver take you home.
Likewise, your dog depends on you to care for them, as they are helpless and reliant on you to provide for them. Don’t be so impaired that you are not able to care for your pet that night or the next morning. Your dog will still need to be fed and let out on a regular schedule no matter what kind of night you had.
Ring in the New Year With a Pawrade Puppy
Here’s to new beginnings this year! And what better way to start the year than with a new puppy? If you have been thinking about browsing our puppies for sale, now is a fantastic time to add a furry friend to your household.
*Paid partnership with our friends at Chewy
