Doodles and Christmas Trees!

[Jodie Marie O'Neill]

Hi there, 

Im new to this website/forum so nice to meet everybody:). I was just curious as to how peoples doodles react to the christmas tree. It is going to be our first christmas with Fozzy who is 4 months old now. Can anybody give me any advice please? We don't want to have to forego the christmas tree but we are a bit concerned that Fozzy may take a liking to it and either 1: destroy the ornaments and branches 2: be scared of it or 3: pull it down just for fun!. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated x

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy was 1 year old last year and he was okay with the tree, but we never left him alone with it. It is in the living room so when we were hanging out we could make sure he didn't get into the tree. He ignored it with the exception of occasionally trying to lick the ornaments. On the other hand, he was not okay with the presents! He loves to tear up paper so we put the presents in baskets and put the baskets on top of our side tables instead of under the tree. On Christmas morning we moved a few gifts under the tree. I am not sure what I will do this year though, because now Teddy is allowed to roam the house unsupervised in the morning and he might get into the tree! I will probably block off the living room so he can't go in there alone. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We have never had any problems with either dog at the holidays with our tree. The only thing that happens is sometimes they hit the low branches when they are wagging their tails. They did dismember a Gingerbread man this year :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We always let our dogs sniff the tree while it is on the front porch, watch it as we set it up, then let them sniff more before we decorate.  With some dogs (or cats) we have put up a barrier, with puppy Ned we tried a table top tree, and with others, we have done nothing.  When we had only cats, we wired the tree to the wall because they climbed it.  We are always cognizant of breakables and tails.  Because our dogs love stuffies, we have limited setting out some of our stuffed Santas so I am not sure the guardians some of you use would work for us. :-}  Back to the cats, one of ours peed on the presents - not fun.  He was such a pill.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

We picked Daisy up from the Breeder the day after Christmas, I had decided to get a small live tree and had put it on a table top. I think because everything was such a new experience she never even noticed. The next year I did the same and she just looked at it, she was tall enough to get her nose in it. Last year we had a regular size tree in the corner, she was curious for 5 minutes and that was it.

All this being said she has never destructed anything except her stuffies.

Here she is (doesn't even look like her really) last year

[Sue & Lily Grace]

Lily Grace will be 4 months old this Christmas and there will be no large tree for us this year.  She has learned "leave it" and is good at it but I can't imagine the bags of treats I would need as a "leave" reward.  LOL. Although my Cassie was not officially a Doodle she was part Poodle so I am sharing one of my favorite Christmas pictures of her.  She never destroyed anything, sweet girl.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What a sweet little girl. 

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Cassie is absolutely adorable!  Sweet, sweet little face:)

[Sue & Lily Grace]

Thank you. She was my heart dog, the sweetest gentle dog ever.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Our living room is "permanently" gated off - from Sedona and our toddler granddaughter, so the tree goes there.  My husband complains about having a "museum-type living room" that no one goes into, but oh well!!!  

Years ago, when my daughter was a toddler, our tree went into her playpen.  She absolutely HATED being in the playpen, so at least we got some use out of it at Christmas!!! 

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Jodie I posted a blog titled What a Difference a Year Makes and that tells it all for us and our nine mo. old Libby during the Holidays!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna has a special love for eating trees and sticks... so we don't want to chance it till she's a little older and less rambunctious.  I have a feeling if we put up a tree it would be in pieces when we got home.  She's normally VERY good about not eating any of our stuff while we're away, but I think she'd make an exception for a nice spruce tree.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Libby has actually destroyed our back yard and plants.  We finally gave up and will try and redo it next summer! She has slowed down a bit, but still loves to tear our bushes apart.  When we leave we crate her because I am not sure how she would do around the house with us not here.  We are never gone for more then two hours and I think she actually enjoys her naps.  Maybe when she gets a little older we can try it.