If you have a dog, you may feel that it is important for it to be included in the holiday season along with the rest of the family. This may mean that you buy it presents for Christmas, give it it’s own holiday treat of a turkey dinner or it could mean that it is subjected to wearing a Christmas sweater.

A dog’s Christmas sweater could entail just about anything. It could have funny quotes or one liners on it or it could have a simple reindeer pattern. It could also have cute cartoons on it. It also could be made in just about any size in any material. You may not think it but sweaters for dogs are actually strangely popular with families, especially in Europe and America, and even more after the buy their mens christmas sweaters.

However, it is important to think about your dog’s feelings in all of this. You may not think it would care either way, but you may be irritating him or her by making them wear a sweater. It is important that you realise that dogs do not always want what you want from them. Here are some reasons your dog may be irritated when wearing a Christmas sweater.

One reason is that it might be itchy or irritating to wear. The material may feel fine and soft to you on your skin, but against a dog’s fur it could be rubbing the wrong way or causing them to itch. Also, most dogs are not used to wearing sweaters and may find the very idea of having to wear clothes horrible. Another reason is that it can mask their scent. This can lead to them being undermined by other dogs or even being point-blank ignored, which may cause your pet to have some stress.

This then may provoke them to rip the sweater up, try and take it off by chewing and mauling at it, and even rolling around in the mud to try and get it to stop itching. This will, in all likelihood, ruin the dog sweater you just bought for it for Christmas, wasting your time, effort and money on something that just irritates the dog.

Some experts will tell you that making dogs wear jumpers, even for Christmas, is cruel. However, if your dog is a lap dog and accustomed to mollycoddling, he may just condone you putting the sweater on him on Christmas day. However, you must think about your dog’s feelings; if he or she appears irritated, don’t subject it to further pulling around. Christmas sweaters aren’t for all dogs!