How to throw the Perfect Pooch Party
Being as pug obsessed as we are in our houeshold, we refer to our Christmas party as PUGMAS when we celebrate and gather in December with our pug friends and their families. To ensure your party is most importantly safe for everyone attending, and also fun, we have created our go-to guide on how we host the ultimate four-legged Christmas Party!
1. Your Guest List
When inviting several dogs who may not normally interact with each other, it’s critical that you carefully select what dogs you invite and match their energy levels, temperament and socialisation. Not all dogs enjoy the company of others, some dogs have not been socialised appropriately, some dogs are too anxious, too energetic, too small or large or elderly to enjoy this type of gathering. Make it clear when inviting your pet parent and pooch guests what type of dog your party is most suited too and ensure all dogs are accompanied by at least one human each. We also request that all dogs attending are up to date with their vaccinations, on flea and tick control and de-sexed.
2. Selecting the Time of Day
Celebrating Christmas in Summer, we are careful to choose a time of day that is most likely to be the coolest and most comfortable. We start our gathering at 5pm when the sun has generally reached its peak, but there is still a couple of hours of daylight for the dogs to enjoy playtime.
3. Preparing for your Pooch Party
So everyone can relax and enjoy their time off lead, it’s essential to ensure the space has been appropriately dog-proofed. We make sure the fencing is secure, that there is a double-gated entry and exit point as some guests are occasional escape artists who may try and run out the door. We make sure there is enough space for dogs to play and for their owners to supervise effectively.
4. Handling the Obsession with Food
Pugs are incredibly obsessed with food, as are many other dog breeds. Therefore we ask that all dog guests are fed before attending the party, and we place a treat jar filled with Vita Pet Rewards for only the dog owner to treat their dog. We also provide a goodie bag for each of the guests to take home with them, for some treats over the Christmas period (responsibly of course, unlike us pet parents at times)! And of course some fun toys!
5. Invite Santa
We are fortunate that Santa finds time in his busy December schedule to attend our party for a short time for everyone to have photos with him. The pugs adore Santa and jump all over him when he arrives!
