Valentine’s Day Safety Tips for Pets 

Valentine’s Day Safety Tips for Pets 

The holiday of love brings with it sweets, chocolates, flowers, alcohol, and various other gifts and foods. While these may be loved by humans, they can be dangerous for curious pets. To keep your pets safe this Valentine’s Day, be sure to pay attention to the following—

Cover Alcohol

If you’re going to be celebrating Valentine’s Day with any version of an alcoholic love potion, from cocktails to champagne, make sure you keep it covered. Pets may be tempted to sample alcohol, especially drinks that smell (and taste) sweet. Even a small amount of alcohol can be dangerous for pets. 

Put Treats Out of Reach

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, the product that may be most highly associated with it is candy—particularly chocolate. Whether you’re giving or receiving, be aware that sweets can be dangerous to pets, and that chocolate and xylitol (an artificial sweetener that could be in diet treats) are especially worrisome. If your pet gets into any treats, be sure to call your vet immediately and be prepared for a trip to the emergency room. 

Double-Check Flower Safety

While most flowers—like the classic Valentine’s Day roses—may cause some mild stomach upset if consumed but are generally safe for pets, there are some plants that are toxic. These include mums, azaleas, buttercups, gardenias, gladiolas, hydrangeas, and more (see a full list here). It’s best to keep flowers out of pets’ reach and to make sure that any petals that may fall won’t be within a pet’s area, either. 

How Can Training Keep My Pup Safe?

In addition to making sure you keep your booze, treats, and flowers away from your pet, you can also invest in dog training as a way of keeping your dog safe at all times of the year. If your dog counter surfs—which means that they love to put their paws (or sometimes, their whole body!) up on the counter to “surf” for food—this is a behavior that can be dangerous to them and very annoying to you. Fortunately, it’s also a behavior that can be corrected through training! You can also use training to teach your pets commands like “stay” and “leave it,” which could be critical if they’re going for a dangerous item. 

Call Happy Pup Manor Today

To get set up with dog training that will have a lasting impact on your dog’s behavior and ability to follow commands, call Happy Pup Manor today. We have multiple training programs available and can help you select the one that’s right for your pup.