A Little Early But...

[Linda/NJ]

Hi Linda: I would have to say every boxer is different. I was nervous our first Christmas with Ginger. I really never had a problem but we would get a real tree and she would try and eat at the lower branches of the tree.:rolleyes: I would not put ornaments too close to the bottom and avoided Christmas balls altogether. We just decorate with ornaments. She never ever knocked it over. I was also concerned about her drinking the water but I made sure the skirt completely covered the opening. Now last Christmas we decided to get an artificial tree and she never touched it, but then again she is 5 now and I guess growing up.:D I think the gate idea is a good idea too and decorate it to be festive. I would see how he acts around the tree first then go from there. Good luck.

Linda/NJ
Ginger * June 4, 1997
Flashy Fawn * Natural Ears

 

[Gus’s Mom]

Thanks for the responses and ideas. I think I'm going to put up the big tree to get him used to it now. I will just remember -- no hooks, no balls :o and no ornaments at the bottom!

Linda

 

[HarleyBeau]

Thanks for this thread. I am no where prepared to even start thinking about Christmas but our stores are. I saw trees the other day and thought about this very exact problem....how will Harla react to the tree. Knowing her I'm sure there will be trouble being the little devil dog that she is.

I love the idea of the little picket fence being painted and decorated to put around the tree. Our tree always goes into a corner near the front window and I think this would look very Christmassy. In my heart I know she wouldn't be able to leave the tree alone and even leaving decorations off the bottom of the tree would only entice her to jump up to the higher ones....over goes the tree! Hinges on the fence would be a great idea too. Fold it up for easy storage until next year. Now - how to keep her from knocking the fence over!:rolleyes:

 

[argos]

Argos, had his first Christmas when he was 10 months old. He showed so much respect for that tall thing in the middle of his playing space... We had placed a coffee table in front of it to prevent him from getting anywhere near it but thank god he never attempted anything - on the contrary every time he wanted to go around it he so carefully jumped between the coffee table and the tree where there was no actual space lifting his back feet in order not to touch it - he was so sweeeeeeet. I think the first days he pretended that it was not there...bec we took some of his playing space. On the other hand Santa Clause was the actual target: barking , growing, crying, and all other fancy boxer behaviors were used to get this red thing out of our house... like it was the devil chasing him. But of all he adored sleeping under the tree: in a small wooly carpet placed underneath it- the first time we saw him curled under it a night before Christmas eve we new it was the time to remove the coffee table
HE IS SO CUUUUUUUUUTE

 

[alidansma]

I think having a unattended dog and tree in the same area would be a disaster! I have had plenty of cats in my life that would knock the tree over EVERY single night trying to get the feathery angel off of the top! But I love the fence idea! Although I am sure my males would think a fence in the living room would be there just to pee on! I guess it would be just as easy (although not nearly as cute or clever) to baby gate the tree room off from the rest of the house. After they see it for a few holidays they will most likely ignore it.

 

[SweetGirlie1400]

When i has my cat Sonia, i never even THOUGHT about her doing nething to teh tree.... we just put it up one day and the next day we put ornaments on it and it wa snever touched.. she just went under the tree to have her lil naps.. she was such an angel.. but then again she would never even go on our forniture she new our leather couches were outa bounds for her... smart thing she was.. oh how i miss her... :(

 

[Julie445]

gosh, now you have me thinking about this Ozzy's first Christmas. Rocky's first one went fine, no eating of ornaments or trees during the season, but after Christmas I made the mistake (no crate back then) of going to work with the plastic satin ornaments left in a bag on the floor!!
I had red,green and gold strings all over the house. He didn't eat any of them though thank goodness.
I was planning on putting up 3 artificial ones this year, this could be interesting

 

[ssleighter]

Keep the ideas coming folks! While I'm not ready to put up the tree, I am a little nervous about decorating for my Halloween party tomorrow night!

This Christmas I want a tree soooooo bad though! Four years have gone by since I had one...1999 Stormy was a kitten and allergic to pine (even though she ate it with gusto) . 2000...Morgan was a kitten and she was hell on wheels, no way was a tree going up. 2001....Merlin was a kitten, he would have eaten the angel on top! :eek: NOW...2002 is here and I have two evil cats that have never seen an actual tree, one Hammer baby that loves to eat trees, and one Ginger Bear that likes to race around trees (and poop under them). It should be interesting!! :rolleyes:

I am sure all of the ideas on this thread will help me out a lot this year! I can always count on BW!!

 

[Loke]

Originally posted by Scrapper's Mom
I must be in the minority because we have actually not had any problem with Scrapper getting into the Christmas tree. Now, my cat, that's a different matter. All the ornaments about two feet off the ground are knocked off and played with. Some apparently rolled under the couch where I found them about six months later. Scrapper did find one of those on the floor, a fake apple, and chewed it up. I admit I also worried about the tree last year. But, I was pleasantly surprisesd, he really left it alone.

Same here! This was of course before we got Loke and we had a cat and Corgan. The cat would get all the shiny bulbs and play with them where I'd then find them broken in the kitchen. So he got locked in the other bedroom at night. SO what did he do?? Tear the carpet trying to get out! He knocked on apple off the tree and Corgan chewed it. That was the only ornament that met it's demise by a dog in the 5 years we've had dogs. Loke never bothers the tree. Never.

 

[witness]

:( CHRISTMAS...The thought has never even entered my head...some really GREAT ideas...I especially liked the baby gate one hmmmm...I'll have to get thinking on this one. This will be my first Christmas ever with an animal of any kind living with us. Spike thinks of everything as a toy...I can just imagine him attacking it as if to say come play.