Your Dog Needs a Holiday After the Holidays

I don’t know about you, but after the holidays I need an actual break.

We had a lot of fun, family time, drank too much, ate too much and had a blast doing it. But now, I’d love some time to decompress.

I have to remind people of this every year. So this is me trying to help you get ahead of it, not catch up later.

The holidays, like they are for us, are a lot for dogs.

Even when they look like they’re coping… even when nothing “bad” happens… their world has usually changed a lot in a short space of time.

And change, even good change, carries a cost.

The Holidays Are Big for Dogs

During the holidays, dogs often deal with:

• lots of people coming and going

• different routines every day

• more outings and activities

• noise and movement

• less sleep and rest

• less predictability

None of these things are bad on their own. But when they happen day after day, your dog’s stress slowly builds up. Think of it like filling a cup. Every new thing fills it a little more.

A Full Cup Means Less Tolerance

When your dog’s cup is full:

• they cope less well

• small things feel bigger

• patience runs out faster

• behaviour becomes less predictable

This is when we often see:

• more barking

• more clingy or needy behaviour

• trouble settling

• frustration

• big reactions to small things

It can feel like your dog has “changed”. But they haven’t. Their tolerance has.

After the Holidays, We Go Back to Normal

But Our Dogs Aren’t Ready Yet

Once the holidays end, people usually go straight back to normal life.

- Normal walks.
- Normal routines.
- Normal expectations.

But many dogs are still carrying stress.

- They haven’t had time to rest.
- They haven’t had time to reset.
- They haven’t had time to empty their cup.

So suddenly we see behaviours we didn’t see before. And confusingly… they show up in situations the dog has handled just fine in the past. The situation isn’t the problem. The dog’s tolerance level is.

This Is Where People Get Caught Out

I often hear:

“They’ve been here before.”
“They’ve done this a hundred times.”
“They were fine before Christmas.”

All of that might be true. But your dog isn’t starting from the same place anymore. They’re starting from a full cup.

What Helps Most Right Now

This is where the answer is simple — even if it feels hard.

Your dog needs a holiday after the holidays.

That means:

• more sleep

• more rest

• fewer outings

• less pressure

• lower expectations

• calmer days

• predictable routines

Not forever.

Just for a week or two.

- Let their nervous system settle.
- Let their cup empty.
- Let them recover.

If you’d like help applying this process to your own dog, I can support you in a few different ways.

Through Canine Caregivers, I offer online courses and webinars to build understanding, structure, and consistency at your pace.

If you’re based in Sydney, I also offer 1:1 training across Sydney, socialisation and puppy classes, and can provide all recommended training equipment to support the work we’re doing.

I offer The Complete Care training program that covers every single base you will need as well as The Starter Program which allows you to tailor the training and support you need with flexibility.

👉 Join Canine Caregivers
📞 Or get in touch for 1:1 help in Sydney

— Ian
Bondi Behaviourist

“A healthy dog is a happy dog and a happy dog is great to live with”.