Taking your pet to visit Santa: our Santa Paws event guide

We all love Santa, don’t we, and while visits from the white-bearded man are usually reserved for parents and their children, our pets can enjoy them, too! Taking our cat or dog to a Santa grotto is, for most pets, a good time.

If you’re considering taking your tailmate to a Santa Paws event, we’re here to help. Find out if it’s right for you and your pet, where to find an event, and how to prepare for it.

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Why some pets and pet parents love Santa Paws

For most pet parents and pets, it’s about the memories and the cute photo opportunities. Some pets absolutely love seeing Santa, and it’s a fantastic way to make our pets feel included in this cherished Christmas tradition.

Plus, Santa Paws events are specialised and allow pets to take part in our festive tradition while giving them valuable socialisation experience. Pet parents get some nice memories and photos, while pets get to enjoy some fuss, new sights, and lots of new smells. And yes, before you ask: some events cater for cats, too.

So, if you feel odd about taking your pet to Santa, don’t - Santa Paws is becoming more popular for good reason.

Why some pet parents (and pets) aren’t fans

Some pets and pet parents may not be fans of Santa Paws because it can be overstimulating. Some pets can find it overwhelming and stressful, leading to anxiety, confusion, and being frightened.

Some reasons for pet discomfort with Santa Paws include:

• Experiences with strangers

• Pets feel a lack of control

• Routine disruption

• Too many people or too much noise

• Unfamiliarity with costumes, sounds, and smells

Pet parents, meanwhile, may not enjoy Santa Paws as they have safety concerns or feel it’s a forced experience for their pet just for a pet parent’s benefit.

Really, it depends on you and your tailmate’s personality - don’t feel forced to do it if you don’t fancy it. There are lots of ways to get your pet involved in festive activities anyway.

Finding a Santa Paws event near you

We’d recommend looking for pet-friendly event listings from local charities, garden centres or pet stores. You can also check out social media, which tends to advertise them, and check in with local dog-friendly Christmas markets to see if they have a Santa Paws event.

The main things to remember are that Santa Paws events are usually ticketed, and you’ll need to book in advance.

What to bring in your Santa Paws bag?

We’d recommend bringing:

• A toy

• Camera

• Christmas attire (if your pet’s comfortable)

• Leash

• Poop bags

• Some treats

• Water and a bowl

This makes sure you’ll have everything should your dog not enjoy it, but you’ll also have treats to help positively reinforce well-socialised behaviour or something to distract them if needed.

Everything else is what should be in your dog-walk bag anyway, but don’t forget the camera - getting those Santa Paws pics is half the fun!

Tips for getting pet photos with Santa

Cat or dog Christmas photos with Santa are some of the cutest things around, but you should make sure your tailmate is comfortable keeping still and around strangers first.

To get a festive photo you'll always look back on, try to:

• Attract your pet's gaze with a treat or a toy

• Be patient (and Santa will have seen lots of pets like yours, and will probably know what to do!)

• Familiarise themselves with photos and the cameras beforehand

• Reward them when they're calm

Signs your dog is having fun (and what to do if they’re not)

These are the typical signs your dog’s having a good time at Santa Paws:

• Calm and quiet vibe

• Engaging with you, other people and other pets

• Leaning into your touch

• Playful behaviour

• Relaxed body language, especially the ears and the tail

• Soft eyes, with a relaxed gaze rather than wide or scared eyes

• Strong appetite

But sometimes, even when we think we know our tailmates, they may not have the best time at a Santa Paws event. There are a few reasons for this - sometimes it’s just their mood, while at other times it can be us pet parents misreading the situation a bit.

Some signs your pet’s not feeling the festive vibe include:

• Excessive barking

• Excessive yawning

• Growling

• Hiding

• Lifting their front paw

• Nose and lip licking

• Panting

• Pinned-back ears

• Shaking

• Tense body posture

• Tucked, low tail

• Turning their head or body away from you

We don’t need to tell you this, but if you notice your tailmate isn’t having a good time, it’s okay to take a break or leave the event. It’s about your making Christmas memories with your pet involved, and you don’t need to go to an event for that.

Possible challenges (and what you may need to train your pet for)

You’ll want to get your dog prepared for a few challenges, like:

Bad weather

The weather is usually awful in the festive period, and older or younger pets may struggle when it gets cold. Make sure the weather isn’t too cold if the Santa Paws event is partially or totally outdoors, and prepare for cold weather accordingly.

Encountering new sights and smells

Some pets get a little too hyped when they encounter a bunch of new sights and smells, so you may need to do some positive reinforcement training beforehand to keep them calm in these settings.

Engaging with lots of other pets and meeting strangers

We should only take well-socialised dogs to Santa Paws events. It can be a good event to test how socialisation training for your puppy or kitten is going, too, but if your pet isn’t a big fan of other pets or strangers, it may be better to do something with just the two of you.

Overstimulation

With lots of noises, pets and things going on, some dogs are prone to overstimulation, so make sure to keep a close eye on their body language.

Photography stress

Some pets hate to stay still during photos. If you’re struggling to get a festive snap, you may need to train your pet beforehand, or just accept that the process is too stressful for them. Some of of us are camera shy, after all!

Waiting in queues

Like us, our tailmates can be impatient, so waiting in a long queue can be an issue for some dogs.

Handling the wait: tips for queuing with a pet

Some of our tailmates can struggle with what’s known as waiting anxiety, and queues in particular can trigger this. To calm down a pet’s queuing anxiety, we recommend:

Before you go

• Exercise your pet first so they can release some energy and calm down.

• Make sure you’ve packed all your essentials, including toys and treats.

• Make sure you’re regularly positively reinforcing your pet with treats and praise when they’re calm.

During queuing

• Stay calm and confident, as our tailmates, since they’re so in sync with us, tend to mirror us.

• Make sure your pet has some space. We know this can get hard at Santa Paws, so don’t be afraid to step away if they’re getting too stressed.

• Reward calmness in the queue with little treats or praise.

• Distract with a toy or command when they’re getting too hyped up.

• Watch their body language closely and react accordingly.

After queuing

• Reward your tailmate for doing such a good job!

Having a festive time with your tailmate

Whatever you decide to do, whether you and your tailmate are introverts or extroverts, you'll have a great Christmas anyway. Santa Paws is good fun for some people and their pet, but for others, it's not the right fit.

Whatever you decide to do with your tailmate, as long as you spend time with them this Christmas, that's enough.

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