Christmas + overgrown puppy ?

[Mner]

Dpup is 10 months old and fairly sizable. He has calmed down a fair bit but I am anxious re Christmas. Has anyone any tips staying sane and not letting the dog destroy everything?

We mostly did birthday presents upstairs this year to avoid him getting over excited with all the wrapping etc. and some at the dining room table. We could do stockings upstairs maybe but I would love to still have some (inedible) presents under the tree downstairs - DS is 5. Do you just keep the dog in a different room and suffer any moaning...? Or maybe I could do him a kong or a chew of some kind to distract him... When he is upset (if he thinks he is missing out), he doesn't always co-operate with kongs etc.

He has been sleeping in our main room downstairs (where the tree normally goes) after he uncrate trained himself and although he is going back in the crate again, we haven't closed the door as yet. I am hoping to get him in what will be the utility room at night/when we go out before Christmas but that still leaves daytime when we're in for him to be out and about near the decorations that we would normally put out on the tree/mantlepiece/stairs. Our house is fairly open plan so tricky to just shut a door and keep him out that way. I was wondering about putting some kind of barrier around the tree...?

Any advice?

[Floralnomad]

I don't think a barrier will save your tree , sorry . My dog is 6 and still cannot be trusted near presents as he loves unwrapping things although he ignores the actual trees and always has . I'd start getting him used to be shut in a specific room pre the decorations arriving for when you are out /overnight and lots of supervision when you are in .

[Isthatwhatdemonsdo]

Our lab is two and a half. She still nicks the balls off the tree.

[Eolian]

You might be lucky. We have a large bouncy dog and I was worried about his first Christmas, but he has never shown any interest in the tree or presents.

[Floralnomad]

Perhaps put the tree up with lights and a few unbreakable decorations on for a few days first to get him used to it

[Mner]

Brilliant, thank you. I can only hope he will ignore everything!

OK no barrier. We are bit mid-build and are waiting for the kitchen to go in. It was supposed to go in before christmas but I'd be amazed if it happened now. The plan is/was that he would move out of our main room at night as the kitchen came in, and then he will go into what will be our utility but is our kitchen at the moment. I was putting it off as we will need to be better with keeping the work surfaces clear etc at night and it will be a squash in there with his dog bed etc.

Our tree only has unbreakable baubles as we have always had cats and DS is fairly boisterous. It's more him chewing stuff I am worried about.

I work from home - it's so easy to get distracted to be doing one thing and then get distracted, and then Dpup has chewed something he shouldn't.