The holidays are exciting and festive, but we all know the stress and exhaustion that comes with it. From buying presents to baking cookies for the cookie exchange party which you thought sounded fun at the time, we have a lot on our plates. That goes for our pups, too! As much as your dog may love seeing family, sometimes the rushing around and rush of the whole crew in your house at once can be overwhelming.
For the launch of our test tubes of CBD treats, we’re explaining some holiday stressors for your dog that you might not think of, and some tips on how to mitigate their anxiety.
But first, what is CBD, and why give it to your dog?
CBD is the non-THC product found in hemp and cannabis. It is not psychoactive like THC. CBD reacts with endocannabinoid receptors in the brain to help the nervous system maintain a normal, healthy state. It is used to mitigate a variety of health concerns, including anxiety, seizures, inflammation, pain, and more. Although there are no peer-reviewed clinical studies proving its effectiveness, pet parents, vets, and pet professionals have been recommending CBD for years, and data are being collected by researchers in studies which suggest benefits.
For anxiety purposes, it is thought that CBD helps regulate serotonin, which helps the body to feel happy and relaxed. It is most beneficial over a period of time for dogs with chronic anxiety, but effects can be seen between around five minutes to a half an hour for both chronic and situational anxiety. Many people use CBD for their dogs (and themselves!) because it has fewer side effects than anti-anxiety medications.
We’ll now talk through a few common triggers for anxiety in dogs throughout the holiday season, some that you may not have considered!
Halloween has a slew of anxiety-inducing events for our dogs. Trick-or-treating has your doorbell ringing all night—even with your note saying “please don’t ring bell…dog inside.” It’s a night where guests arrive sporadically, yelling “trick or treat!” at the door, and screaming down the street. Kids dressed up in costume—especially wearing masks—can be really scary for our dogs. You may find it in your best interest to leave a bowl of candy on your porch, or even turn your front light off altogether. You can have one family member sitting with the pup in another room if you still want people to come to your house, you didn’t spend all that time decorating for nothing!
Speaking of decorating, Halloween decorations are made to be scary. Our dogs may not be used to witches and ghosts like we are. Skeletons look like people…but not really, and your dog may panic over some of the scary things they see. It’s important to allow them to investigate as much or as little as they want—you don’t want to force them to approach to show them it’s fake, which might scare them even more. Reassure them with some treats to show them that these decorations are fun and good, and allow them to slowly approach and sniff it out. They’ll realize that they aren’t a threat.
Thanksgiving and all of the December holidays have similar anxiety triggers for our pooches. There’s a lot going on all at once, and that can be really stressful! These holidays share some common triggers.
Guests coming into your home all at once can be incredibly overstimulating for both you and your dog. Making sure coats are hung up, shoes are in the mudroom, and guests are settled can cause us to forget that our dogs just went from peace and quiet to a full house. Sometimes it’s best to put them in another room while everyone is coming in (ensures their safety, too, if you have a dog that might sneak out the door!) and then let them come out. If that is stressful, you can always have them in your living room on leash to say their hellos after people fully get inside. Don’t underestimate some decompression time! It can help your dog to take everything in and calm themselves before being added back to festivities. If you’re traveling, make sure you give them that same decompression time when you get to your destination. Make sure you pack some anti-stress items in your bag—a lick mat or kong, their favorite toy, and your tube of CBD meatballs! While your dog may like traveling and coming with you, it may be far more than they’re used to, and much more commotion when they get to the destination.
As much as we love taking our dogs with us everywhere, sometimes it’s in their best interest to stay home if they get too overwhelmed around commotion.
We talked about decorations for Halloween, but it’s important to bring up decorating for other holidays too! Many people bring full trees inside at this time and decorate with reindeer and Santa Claus statuettes. Perhaps your dog now isn’t allowed in a certain area for fear of knocking down the menorah and now all of a sudden it’s their favorite spot to hang out in, or the gate is scary.
With holiday shopping, we may find ourselves out more than we usually are, rushing out of the house one hundred times a day because you forgot the chocolate chips or a gift for that one coworker you totally forgot about. We order gifts online, and that means more package deliveries and more doorbell buzzes than our dogs are used to.
Desensitizing the holiday commotion is so important when making sure our dogs stay happy and stress-free during the busiest time of the year. Working on doorbell counterconditioning and waiting at doors, practicing leave-it and place, or just getting some extra enrichment items to keep them busy can all be helpful. Some dogs simply need more than that to calm their nerves, though. HOLI’s CBD treats are the perfect travel buddy. They contain 5mg of CBD in a delicious beef meatball, without any of the flour and additives that other CBD treats have. The tubes are easy to pack along on travels and perfect for those who don’t use CBD often.
*Always consult your veterinarian before using a new product like CBD, and remember that these treats may not entirely prevent, cure, or treat anxiety or any other diseases. Although these treats may work wonders, HOLI does not make any medical claims, but we have seen and heard of the benefits of CBD, and strongly recommend them!
FDA Disclaimer: No statements on this web site have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Furthermore, none of the statements on this web site should be construed as dispensing medical advice or making claims regarding the cure of diseases. Products sold by HOLI are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.