Yes yes, it’s only November and we’re talking about Christmas. However it’s okay, because we’re not going to encourage you to buy some over-expensive electrical goods from a slightly fancy department store.

Instead, we’re going to encourage you to think forward about the needs of your dogs as the festive season starts to pick up and your routine changes. Perhaps you have people over for drinks or dinner? Or maybe you go travelling to visit family, or they might all descend on you. Whatever happens, now is the time to start thinking about how your dog might cope and how you can help.

Just as some dogs are fine with fireworks whilst others are terrified, many dogs are okay with noise, crowds, and change of routine, but there are those who find it scary, unsettling and even upsetting. 

Here’s a few tips on what to do to help your dog stay safe and secure this Christmas. ​

Many people will say that if you work full time, you shouldn't get a dog. We wholeheartedly disagree with this. Dogs are not the sole resource of rich, retired, unemployed or work from home folk.

However, you do need to keep in mind the welfare of your dog if you are out the house a lot throughout the day.

There are professional dog walkers who will come and spend time with your dog throughout the day, or ddoggy daycare where they can spend their days with other pups. Do keep in mind the costs associated with these, but also consider alternative options. Can you get home at lunchtime to walk the dog instead? Do you have friends, family or trusted neighbours nearby who would like to help out? ​

​A dog is a huge responsibility, and not something you can ignore for hours on end, which brings us to our next question:

These days, we tend to nip away for a couple of nights in our wonderful little caravan. Beautiful surroundings, peaceful countryside, starry nights in beautiful Scotland. Surely there can be no additional dog taxes here, right?

Well, obviously, wrong. Some sites, beleive it or not, do charge extra to take dogs with you in your own caravan. I mean...what? In what world does having a dog in your own caravan cost the campsite any more? As responsible dog owners - as we all should be and, if you are reading this, probably are - we pick up after our dogs and nobody would ever know they were there.

Why do some campsites charge extra?  Well, you'll have to ask them and whilst we don't want to publicly shame anyone for this, the next time you come across this charge at a campsite why not ask them what it's for? It might make them think twice. 

It’s not just in holiday accommodation that we see such dog taxes arise. 

Take, for example, the security cameras we use here at Happy Home Dog Boarding. They are from Motorola, and don’t get us wrong, they are very good and let us keep an eye on the dogs at night or when we pop out, but have a look at these, both taken from the UK Motorola website.

​Spot the difference:

We’d really love to hear any instances where you felt you have been taken advantage of, just because you own a dog. Let us know below, or over on our Facebook page.

And remember, if all else fails and you can't take your dog away with you...well...not to blow our own trumpet, but we do know two pretty awesome home dog boarders you could use. Yes, we're talking about ourselves. 

Like many of you, we love to take our two dogs away with us when we go on holiday - we even took Sprocket on our honeymoon in a VW Camper to the Isle of Skye! 

Whilst we're here to care for your dog if they can't join you, it is lovely to pack up your things and take the whole family away for a break, letting your dog explore new smells and find new awkward places to poop. 

Before you leave, it's a good idea to make a list of all the things to take for your dog to ensure a safe and fun trip.Here's the checklist we use:

If you are away to the country, you might need to keep your dog on a lead due to livestock.

In this case, it's better to have a harness for long spells on the lead as that eliminates the danger of throttling your pal when he lunges to chase a rabbit.

​We use these Ezydog harnesses, as they can also be clipped onto your seatbelt for added dog safety on the road.

We've also started using Halti leads for our boarders, as they are strong and you can alter their size to suit the dog using clips. 

If your dog is a big breed, you might not want or need these. For little breeds, like our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, we need to either keep them dry, or get them dry quickly as they are so little and totsy they can get ill with the coldness.

We think of dog jackets as having two types - ones where you go out in the rain, and ones where you come back home wet, whether by accident or design.

In the "going out in the wet on purpose" category are these waterproof jackets from 3 Peaks which we find are easy to get on and off, and keeps our two dry on top.

​One tip we have with these is to keep the velcro sections by the dogs head always connected, and push/pull the coat over the head of the dog instead. Otherwise, the loud noise of ripping velcro right by their ear could cause them to fear/hate the coat, making your life much more difficult. 

The second type are those to dry off after becoming wet, or to warm up after swimming or just generally cold conditions.

We use these little jackets called Equafleece, the blue version modelled on Sprocket here.

Designed initially for horses, they do two things. One, they draw moisture away from your dog's skin, drying them off quicker. And two, they are nice and cosy, helping your dog heat up if they have been in for a swim.

We have found that after a swim, our pups can be quite shivery and tired, but putting these on them gives them a second wind and off they go running amok again. 

Our other type of jacket is a onesie, and Indie's comes from Willowheart Onesies, a growing local Edinburgh business that creates bespoke, hand-made jackets for your pup. They are frankly adorable, and create quite the talking point when out and about! They are really well made and durable, washable and very funky.

This is more important in the summer months, but worth having year round.

Some people are squeamish about removing ticks, and if you are prepared to pay a vet to do it, that's fine. But for those of us who enjoy getting far away from civilisation it becomes more important, because the longer a tick is on your dog (or you!) the more damage it can do, including passing on Lyme Disease.

There are a range to choose from, but our current favourite is this kind of tick remover, which acts like a claw from a soft toy arcade machine and is very easy to use, and makes tick removal a very simple process. We've also been known to use these tick twisters, and although effective, we found that they can can be a bit finicky with smaller ticks. We've also tried these ones, but they aren't worth the money.

Don't even think about using a sharp pair of tweezers/some vaseline/a hot knife either as they can make matters worse:
​

• Tweezers can slice the tick, leaving some of it still in your dog,
• Vaseline is supposed to suffocate them, but they breath so infrequently that they can still be alive two days after application - well into the danger zone,
• And if you pop a hot knife on a tick's bottom, chances are it will drop off, but it might spew the deadly contents of it's stomach into your dog - which is A Very Bad Thing to Happen.

For more information on ticks, how to deal with them and how to dispose of them, here's the Lyme Disease Action link (which contains photos of ticks, in case you are one of the squeamish ones).

I mean, obviously bring food, unless your dog has to hunt for himself. At least remember to take his food and water bowl, don't make him a complete barbarian.

For out and about, we carry a bottle along with one of these sorts of plastic bowls, but we've also seen folk use bowls made out of a lighter material It's a handy little bowl, and really useful for when you'll be away from any source of freshwater on your walks to keep pup hydrated.

Here's one I bet you didn't think of. 

Whilst vinegar is an important part of any chip diet, it's also a magic ingredient for removing the smell of fox poo on your dog. Many people recommend tomato ketchup for this, but it is the vinegar in the ketchup that does the trick. Also, if you have a white dog, we really don't recommend you covering them in red sauce...

I've tried to find the science behind why this works, but have drawn a blank. I guess the only way to prove it to you is to give it a try next time your dog rolls in a present from Mr. Fox. I sometimes know how Boggis, Bunce and Bean must have felt...

So what have we missed? Anything slightly unusual that you take on your hols?

​And remember, for when you can't take your dog, we're here to help and make sure they get a holiday of their own!