From late November the city fills with lights, stalls and people, and it looks like a lovely outing with a dog. From the dog's height it is a forest of legs, dropped food and noise, with nowhere to move away to.
Some dogs cope perfectly well. Plenty do not, and the difference is worth deciding in advance rather than in the middle of a crowd.
Which dogs can do it
A confident adult that is comfortable in crowds, unbothered by sudden noise, does not scavenge, settles on a mat, and has been to busy places before. Everything else, puppies, anxious dogs, reactive dogs, elderly dogs, small dogs at risk of being stepped on, and dedicated scavengers, is better off at home.
A dog that is merely tolerating it is not enjoying it. Watch for the quiet signals: lip licking, yawning, turning away, a low tail, trying to move behind you, or refusing food it would normally take.
The test that settles it: offer your dog a treat in the middle of the square. A dog that will not eat is a dog that has had enough.
If you go
- Timing. Opening hour on a weekday, not Saturday evening. Half an hour is a visit; two hours is an endurance test
- Walk first, properly, so the dog arrives settled rather than fresh and excitable
- Short lead, never retractable, and the dog on the inside, away from the flow
- Watch the ground constantly. Dropped skewers with wooden sticks, cooked bones, chocolate, sweets containing xylitol, and cups of mulled wine at nose height are all genuinely dangerous
- No food from strangers, however friendly the offer
- Plan an exit, a quiet street two minutes away, and use it at the first sign the dog has had enough
- Mind the paws: crowds, cold ground and salt on the pavements
Check as you go whether dogs are permitted in the specific area or stall zone: it varies by event and year, and some ice rinks, enclosures and food halls do not allow them.
The seasonal hazards that come with it
Cold and wet, which matter for thin-coated, small, young and old dogs: a coat is sensible, and so is drying the dog properly at home rather than letting it dry in a warm room. Road salt and grit on the paws, rinsed and dried after every outing. Ice on stone steps. And darkness, which is why a light on the harness from October to March is the cheapest safety item you will buy.
Fireworks are the other winter subject, and the preparation for them belongs in autumn rather than in the last week of December.
Other winter outings that suit dogs better
The season offers plenty that is genuinely dog-friendly if you avoid the crowded centre. The valley paths below the city are quiet and sheltered in December, the forest tracks on the edges are empty on a weekday afternoon, and the light between eleven and two is the best you will get for photographs of a dog in the snow.
Terraces with outdoor heaters are a reasonable middle ground for a dog that settles on a mat: you get the season, the dog gets a defined place to lie down, and neither of you is negotiating a crowd. Take a blanket, because a dog lying still on cold stone gets colder than you do.
The visitors question
December brings people into the flat, often several at once and often with food at dog height. Decide in advance where the dog will be: a mat in a corner, a gated room, or a chew somewhere quiet. Tell guests the rules once, at the door, rather than correcting them all evening.
And keep the walk times unchanged through the whole period. In a month where everything else moves, the routine is what stops a dog becoming unsettled by the season itself.
The version that usually works better
Do the market without the dog, and give the dog its own winter outing: a longer walk earlier in the day, on ground it enjoys, when the light is still good. That combination produces a happier household than dragging an uneasy animal through a crowd because it seemed like a nice idea.
If the December weeks are busy, which they always are, that is exactly when a midday walk carries the load: the dog gets its outing in daylight, and the evenings can be as chaotic as the season demands.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
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Keep reading
All Seasons articles
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Thunderstorms: the fear that arrives without a date
Dogs often react twenty minutes before you hear anything, which is why it feels unpredictable.
