To avoid chaos and added stress this festive season, a dog trainer has shared a method that will save your tree.
Pet owners who are worried about their Christmas tree being attacked by their beloved pets this year are being urged to follow a dog trainer’s handy trick. Taking to social media, the expert has found a way to make your dog “ignore” the tree this festive season.
As we enter into December, many households will be excited to listen to some festive tune as they put up their Christmas tree and decorations – if they haven’t done so already. However, while this can be lighthearted fun, it can quickly become a challenge for pet owners.
While some pets won’t care at all that there is now a sparkling Christmas tree taking up the corner of their home, other pets can be a bit more inquisitive. While it is natural for pets to be curious about new things in their homes, sniffing around the Christmas tree can have serious consequences.
Thankfully pet owners can stop worrying about the tree falling over or their favourite decorations being destroyed, as a dog expert has shared a tried-and-tested method that will train your beloved pet to stay away from the Christmas tree, reports the Express.
Known as ‘trainuppupofficial’ on TikTok, the dog trainer regularly shares her tips and tricks for training dogs, with one of her recent videos demonstrating how to make puppies lose interest in the tree with only a handful of treats.
She started her video by saying: “How to train your dog not to destroy your Christmas tree.” She acknowledged that some pet owners may believe this is an impossible task due to owning a mischievous pup.
However, she reassured owners, saying: “But actually, it’s quite easy to train them to ignore a tree.”
Explaining the process, she advises owners to grab a handful of treats and toss one towards the Christmas tree. You need to allow the dog to run up and eat it.
However, once the pup has consumed the treat and has lifted its head up from the ground, the trainer says to start dropping treats around your feet and engaging the dog away from the tree.
She explained: “Very quickly, your pup will realise there’s way more value in ignoring the tree and doing stuff with you, than interacting with it.”
Many TikTok users have since rushed to the comments section to share their views on the trick, while others took the chance to ask further questions about keeping their pets away from their Christmas tree.
One person wrote: “I’m going to try that cheers” While another person added: “I have bells glued to the lower branches and my dogs don’t like the noise so they keep away from the tree.”
A couple of owners noted that their pets only approach the tree when their owners are out. The dog trainer replied: “You will have to block access to it when you are not around until they have learnt not to, either shut them in a different room, use a crate or put something around the tree so they can’t get it.”
According to Christmas Tree World, there are a variety of ways to keep your pets away from the Christmas tree. The first suggestion is to wait a few days after putting up the tree before decorating it. This will allow the dog to become accustomed to having the tree present and likely lose interest.
When it comes to decorating, they advise pet owners to place more delicate decorations higher up the tree, out of the reach of your beloved pets. This includes tinsel and fairy lights.
Alternatively, experts also suggest spraying the tree with dog repellent around the lower branches so the tree loses its appeal. These sprays are safe for pets, but they do leave behind an unpleasant taste and smell to deter the pups.