The holiday season is here, and what better way to include your dog in the festivities than by training them to open their Christmas presents?
No doubt, you’ve already got them one of the best dog advent calendars ready for a daily treat—but is the pile of doggy presents also growing? Let’s help them to unwrap the amazing gifts you and your family have bought for them.
As a certified canine behaviorist, I’ve worked with dogs of all shapes and sizes to teach unique tricks. Trick training is a great way to tire out your dog - and who doesn’t want a relaxed, calm dog over the festive period? That’s why I’m excited to share this fun, step-by-step guide to help your dog join in on the Christmas magic.
Get started today and your dog will be unwrapping gifts in no time - joining in on family traditions in a new way.
Can dogs unwrap presents?
Dogs can absolutely unwrap presents. They may even do it of their own accord as many dogs love the excitement of gripping and ripping the paper, especially if they can smell a treat or one of the best dog toys inside. Natural curiosity and an instinctive desire to get to food will help drive them in this behaviour.
Some dogs may need a little guidance or encouragement at first, but once they understand the concept, you’ll find it’s easy for them to become experts..
Pet-safe wrapping paper - plus supervision of any presents that might not be ideal for them to open - are important to ensure they don’t accidentally ingest anything harmful.
How to train your dog to open Christmas presents
Utilizing your dog’s natural curiosity around both scent and either food or toys, is a great way to teach them this new trick.
Choose what your dog loves the most - whether it's their favorite piece of food or a toy they enjoy playing with. The key to this trick is to start nice and easy so your dog gets a quick win!
Option 1: Food or scent
1. Wrap one of the best dog treats or an interesting smell (such as a little piece of fur from a friend’s dog or some sheep’s wool) loosely in tissue paper. Make sure it’s very easy for your dog to be able to get inside the parcel.
2. Place this parcel on the floor in front of your dog and wait for them to start nudging it. They may unwrap it fully straight away - at which point you can use a marker such as “yes” or a clicker to tell them that’s the behavior you like to see.
3. Then, give them a bonus treat as a reward. If they don’t try to unwrap the gift, start marking small steps towards your end goal of the unwrapping - such as them nosing the parcel or even just sniffing it. Give a treat every time they do this little bit of movement, then over a few repetitions, wait for a little bit more interaction each time.
4. Once your dog has the idea of diving into the parcel to find out what’s inside, put a cue on this new behavior. Say something like “unwrap it” then give your dog the parcel. Once they have unwrapped it, give another marker (your “yes” or clicker) and a final treat to reward them.
Option 2: Toys
For some dogs, even the smell of a tennis ball can get them excited. You can utilize their desire for toys in the same way as you do with food.
1. Hide their favorite toy inside an empty, open gift bag and wait for them to delve inside. You can also use a cardboard box for the same effect. In this situation, you can either reward your dog with a treat for finding the toy or you can give them a few minutes of play with the toy they've just unwrapped.
2. Once your dog is finding the toy easily in something that’s got an open end, start to close up the box or seal the bag with something they can push open.
3. Then, move onto placing some tissue paper over the top, before eventually wrapping the item in wrapping paper.
4. When your dog is acing finding the toy each time, put a cue on it such as "unwrap the ball” before presenting it to your dog.
Next steps
With both of these approaches, you want to start slowly, using either an open item such as a gift bag or box, or something lightweight like tissue paper. Over time, build the container difficulty up slowly - moving to something wrapped in kitchen roll, then brown paper, before you use actual wrapping paper
Ensure that the item is interesting enough for your dog to want to work for it. Or, make the reward valuable enough to motivate them.
Safety tips to keep in mind
While it’s super cute to see your dog unwrapping their own gifts, please remember that the contents of the gift inside need to be both rewarding for the dog and safe for them to interact with.
If you ask them to unwrap any gifts of your own, make sure there’s nothing sharp or dangerous inside the parcel and ensure you have a good “drop” cue if they pick up your gift, rather than just taking the treat for unwrapping it.
It’s also important to note that they may start to generalize the behavior and if you leave wrapped presents under the tree unsupervised, they may go rogue and start opening everything. If family members are likely to give you any treats such as chocolate or alcohol, make sure these aren’t placed under the tree to keep your dog safe from ingesting the wrong thing.
You might also want to read: The best dog Christmas movies and How to have a Christmas tree with a dog.
