Christmas Tree

I was just wondering how many of you with a young pup are thinking to themselves "How on earth am I going to keep this pup away from the tree and decorations"!!

Training with Millie is going good except that she has trouble understanding the command "Leave it" for some reason she hears that as "grab it and run"!! Or if we actually get her to stand still it's a case of her looking at us and holding on to whatever is in her mouth all the tighter.

So I reckon while the tree and decorations are up we won't be able to take our eyes off her for a second in that room unless she is sleeping.

Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing and she will totally ignore it but somehow I can't see that happening!!

Last year we got a small artificial one and put it on a table cause Billy was only a puppy and that worked he ignored it.

It's good question, because I think even older staffies will still find reachable objects on the Christmas tree tempting. Plus what do you do about presents? Can we leave on the floor next to the tree?

Personally I won't do anything differently unless it becomes an issue with Jack. If anything I'm more concerned he might pee on the tree given we traditionally get a real one every year.

I don't have one. Moo has never taken anything she shoul;dn't but she is left at home when I am at work and I wouldn't want to tempt fate

Vinnie's first xmas was last year and he would of been 4months and he wasnt really that interested, he did go and play with a few baulballs (dont no correct spelling ha) everynow and then but not really bothered .. ours goes up next week and its skye's first xmas this year i expect her to be a menace haha!!

Dann wrote:

If anything I'm more concerned he might pee on the tree given we traditionally get a real one every year.

It's harvey's first xmas this year and i already have the tree up and neither dog have shown any interest in it

Lol! Honestly I can't imagine Millie leaving the tree be

We will only have a very small artifical one this year. We leave Suki with the run of the house when we aren't home and feel she would be too tempted with all the shiny objects to resist.

We moved to an artificial tree years ago. We have more trouble from our cat than our dogs. Real ones might attract a little marking so we don't risk that!

I'm dreading putting ours up. Paddy will wreck it. I did say it could go up on Xmas eve and get taken down on Boxing day.........

KerryAnn wrote:I'm dreading putting ours up. Paddy will wreck it. I did say it could go up on Xmas eve and get taken down on Boxing day.........

bbimson wrote:We moved to an artificial tree years ago. We have more trouble from our cat than our dogs. Real ones might attract a little marking so we don't risk that!

I've found my cat peeking out through the branches half way up the tree a few times I have been worried about how Bella will be with the tree though, I think she is going to see it as one big toy.

Sorry no tree here. I simply do not have the courage for one. My visualisation of how things might work is enough

Kaos was only 6 months last xmas and we were dreading it as i get a huge real tree everyyear. Luckily he is crated while we r not home and we just got into a routine of shutting the living room door behind us when we left the room, it want as bad as i was expecting lol

I'm going to go for it and put my tree up

Years ago when my girls were about 2, I walked into the front room to see twins and staffy (my last dog henry who is sadly on longer with us) sitting by the tree surrounded by ripped off Christmas paper and presents strewn all over the floor

Hilsie wrote:Lol! Honestly I can't imagine Millie leaving the tree be

Same here! To be honest I'm not sure we have space to put the tree up this year as we have moved furniture around to fit her crate in. I'm in two minds as to whether to go to the trouble of finding a space for it cos Dora will definately steal all the baubles

LOL... I'm not sure whether we'll get a tree or not. Not really because of the dogs or cats, though.. It doesn't really smell like Christmas without a tree.. I don't have ornaments enough for a big tree, though, so would have to go shopping for that, too. Thankfully I won't have to decide for a couple of more weeks

Growing up we always tied the tree to a hook on the ceiling to keep the dogs/kids from knocking it over.

Mouse really hasnt been round a tree. Scruffy my lurcher never was bothered cos it was off the floor on a table.
but; my first dog twix, who was a greyhound one year we took him to my uncles who had a black lab, he followed her round the whole house, found the tree (which in our house never bothered him) cocked his leg and peeed up it, we didnt tell my uncle for two years after.

Hilsie wrote:

Training with Millie is going good except that she has trouble understanding the command "Leave it" for some reason she hears that as "grab it and run"!!

LOL are you sure you're not talking about my girl RoXy? She's almost 1 , and still likes a game of "what did you say Mum"

well i put mine up on sunday and so far so good, billy has ignored it

well not put our tree up yet so dont know how these 2 will react but our last GSD and my daughter when she was a baby have both been fished out from underneath a fallen tree. one tip i will give is while you have children and dogs never put chocolate on it. me and the kids and the dog learnt by that mistake.