New Year’s is an exciting time to reflect on the year that’s passed and look forward to the year to come. The New Year’s Eve holiday is known for music, fireworks, cocktails, and all around merriment, which is fun for people, but could cause anxiety in your new puppy. If you’re planning on hosting a New Year’s celebration, PuppyBuddy has tips to help you and your puppy have a ball without any mishaps.
KEEP ALCOHOLIC DRINKS OUT OF REACH
Alcoholic beverages, especially sugary cocktails and specialty drinks, tend to have a sweet scent that dogs find hard to resist. Alcohol is poisonous to dogs, and in large enough quantities, it can actually be fatal. Given the small size of a puppy, even sneaking a taste of an alcoholic beverage can cause harm such as depression, unsteady walking, vomiting, and in some cases a serious drop in blood pressure.
If your puppy ingests alcohol or if he displays any of those signs, we strongly urge you to take him to see the emergency vet. But first and foremost, we wouldn’t want it to get to that point. Which is why we advise you to plan ahead in terms of how you will manage serving alcoholic drinks at your New Year’s party.
The best course of action is to keep all alcohol out of your puppy’s reach by supplying your guests with high, out-of-reach places where they can set their drinks down if need be. Equally important is to let your party guests know how dangerous alcohol is for puppies, and ask them to be mindful not to leave their drinks unattended.
Lastly, you’ll want to make sure that your trash receptacles are puppy proof. You wouldn’t want your guests to discard their cups with alcohol residue into a trash bin that your puppy can climb inside. You would be surprised how much liquid can accumulate at the bottom of those bins, which can greatly harm your puppy if he laps it up.
LOUD NOISES CAUSE ANXIETY
In general, dogs don’t like unusually loud noises. But at least an adult-age dog has the skills to communicate his distress by barking or otherwise letting you know that there’s a problem. On the other hand, puppies are still in the process of developing their skill sets, and if distressed, they might not seek you out or bark. Instead, they may pee or defecate on the floor, or become destructive in some other way. Given that a party is occurring, you might not even know about the mess your puppy has made until long after the fact.
We don’t want that to happen, so here are some tips you can use to avoid distressing your puppy with loud noises.
If you’re going to use a stereo or speaker system to play music, we recommend keeping the music volume low and maybe even choosing music that doesn’t have a lot of drums and deep tones that reverberate noticeable vibrations.
Next, we recommend that you prevent the sounds of doors slamming by perhaps using door stoppers. If using a door stopper isn’t realistic for the front door where your guests are mainly entering your home, consider hanging a sign that asks your guests to softly close the door for the sake of your new puppy.
BE WARY OF FIREWORKS AND FOREGO THE NOISEMAKERS & POPPERS
The only other source of loud noises will probably be beyond your control, and that’s fireworks. If your city or town has organized a fireworks display and you happen to live in an area that’s loud, then you won’t be able to reduce the sound, but you can comfort your puppy.
It’s a good idea to have a “safe room” for your puppy where he can go if the party, or sounds of fireworks, overwhelms him. His crate should be in the safe room with food and water. It’s also a good idea to have calming puppy supplements on hand to give your puppy as treats if he does become anxious.
Finally, we would like to address “poppers” and other noisemakers that tend to be popular on New Year’s Eve as party favors for guests. Noisemakers and poppers obviously aren’t as loud as fireworks, but they could rile up your puppy if not startle him in ways that cause anxiety. For this reason, we recommend that you forego the poppers and noisemakers this year, and save them for next year when your puppy will be a dog and old enough to tolerate them.
FUN IDEAS FOR A QUIET NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH YOUR PUPPY
But what if you aren’t planning on hosting a New Year’s Eve party this year? Just because you aren’t throwing a party doesn’t mean you have to be a party pooper. There are plenty of fun activities you can enjoy with your new puppy at home to celebrate the New Year’s holiday.
Cuddle up for a Movie Marathon
Stay in the holiday spirit by curling up on the couch with your precious new pooch to watch these fun movies featuring dogs!
- A Puppy for Christmas
- A Dog Named Christmas
- Lady and the Tramp
- Marley & Me
- Happy New Year, Charlie Brown
Bake Homemade Doggy Treats
Try bonding with your new puppy in the kitchen by making these fun doggy treats that are healthy for your puppy and yummy enough for you to try!
For additional puppy treat recipes taste-tested by PuppyBuddy, check out our article, Doggie Ice Cream & Other Treats Your Puppy Will Love.
We hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve with your new puppy, and a very Happy New Year! Here’s to looking forward to all the joys a puppy can bring in 2023!
