Your kids have been begging for a dog, and they are at the perfect ages. Plus, they have been so good this year and they have promised to help with all of the responsibilities that come with having a dog. You start to think that maybe this is the perfect Christmas gift right? WRONG!
Adding a dog to the family may be a great thing for all of you – I highly recommend it. JUST DON’T DO IT ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!
The timing and introduction should be as much about the new dog as it is about your family. Think about it. What happens on Christmas day?
There is excitement. HUGE excitement if you have young kids. Screaming kids rushing toward a new dog is not good for any dog, whether it is a puppy or adult.
There are distractions. Kids are running from gift to gift and the new furry family member often gets lost in the shuffle.
There are loud and stressful family celebrations. If the party is at your house, your new dog could be overwhelmed by the chaos. If you are, traveling, will you leave the dog home or take him with you where he will be shuffled from person to person? None of these scenarios are good for any new dog – it’s just too much!
You want your dog’s first moments with you to be calm and peaceful. You want to show some leadership. You want to have a game plan set up way in advance. You want to do things right! Remember, the first 24 hours is so incredibly important for your dog’s first impression of his new family and environment, and there are no do-overs with first impressions! This could be a 15+ year investment. Do what’s best!
If you still feel that you want a dog to be a Christmas surprise, get a big empty box and wrap it with a big gorgeous bow. In this box you should put a picture of your beautiful new dog, a list of basic guidelines, and a date (a few days out) when you will be getting your new fur baby. This gives you all time to adjust, plan, go over rules and possibly meet with a trainer before the big day.
Please plan responsibly. This is a living being. This is a huge commitment. You must do everything in your power to make sure things go well from the very beginning! If you were getting a new car, wouldn’t you put a little thought and research into it? (And most people don’t keep their cars for 15 years -just sayin’…!)
Your dog deserves the best!
Stacie & Ronan
I’m not big on New Years’ resolutions, but I understand the point. At the end of the year most of us take a little time to reflect on how we’ve lived our lives, decisions we’ve made, and how we could’ve done things better. We also think about goals for the upcoming year. Do we include our dogs in these goals? We should!
