School Holidays and Dogs:
How to Keep Your Dog Calm, Safe & Stress-Free This Summer
The Muzzle Movement and 
Kids Around Dogs® collaboration
For many families, school holidays mean fun days out, holidays, sleepovers, barbecues, and busy homes full of activity. But while summer can feel exciting for us, it can sometimes feel stressful and overwhelming for our dogs.
🏖️🍦For many families, school holidays mean fun days out, holidays, sleepovers, barbecues, and busy homes full of activity. But while summer can feel exciting for us, it can sometimes feel stressful and overwhelming for our dogs.
Research shows that dog bite incidents involving children increase during school holidays and summer months, especially in the home environment
(Dixon & Mistry, 2020; Tulloch et al., 2021; Westgarth et al., 2024).
📈🐕Most bites involve dogs already known to the child, often the family dog
(Westgarth et al., 2020; Provazza et al., 2024).
This does not mean dogs are “bad” or “aggressive.” Dogs are living beings trying to cope with stress, overwhelm, fear, or discomfort - and often their earlier signals have been missed.
Understanding this can help families create safer, calmer, and happier holidays for everyone.
❤️ Understanding this can help families create safer, calmer, and happier holidays for everyone.
🐶☀️ Why Summer Holidays can be Hard for Dogs
Dogs thrive on routine and predictability, so the school holidays can feel like a huge change overnight. Suddenly children are home all day, houses become noisier, routines shift, visitors come and go, and dogs often get far less uninterrupted rest.Even dogs who usually enjoy children can struggle with:
🔊 Constant noise & fast movement
😴 Interrupted sleep and overstimulation
🤗 Hugging, climbing, or too much handling
🚪 Not being able to move away when they need space
Summer can also bring unfamiliar places, busier parks and beaches, hotter weather, different caregivers, and stressful social events.
☀️While one or two changes may be manageable, stress is cumulative, and lots of small stressors happening together can quickly become overwhelming.Research suggests children are particularly vulnerable because they may misread dog body language or get too close to dogs without realising the risk.
👧🐶 This is why supervision alone is not always enough. Families also need proactive management and an understanding of canine communication.
🌡️ Summer Can Be Overwhelming
A common assumption during the holidays is that dogs should join every family outing or get far more exercise than usual. Some dogs love this whilst others find it exhausting. 
Summer often means:
🏖️ Busier parks and beaches
🔊 Louder environments
🐕 More dogs and children
☀️ Hotter temperatures
💤 Fewer opportunities to decompress
Some dogs may benefit more from quieter walks, shorter outings, extra rest, and less social interaction.
At the same time, some families become so busy that dogs end up getting less exercise and enrichment than usual. Both extremes can affect wellbeing.
Hot weather can also lower tolerance to stress in both dogs and humans. 🌡️ Dogs may become more tired, irritable, less social, or less tolerant of handling and close contact. Heat can also affect sleep quality, which is hugely important for emotional regulation.
👀 Watch for the Small Signs
Dogs rarely “bite out of nowhere.”
Most dogs communicate discomfort long before escalating, but many of these signals are subtle and easy to miss.
Signs a dog may need space can include:
↩️ Turning away
👅 Lip licking or yawning
👀 Showing the whites of the eyes (“whale eye”)
🧍 A stiff body posture
😮💨 Panting when not hot
🙈 Hiding, freezing, or growling
Growling is communication, not “bad behaviour.” ⚠️ Punishing growling can remove an important warning signal without changing how the dog feels underneath.
Teaching children to recognise when a dog wants space is one of the most important safety skills families can learn.
🏡 Practical Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress
Small changes can make a huge difference. Dogs need lots of uninterrupted sleep.
😴During term time, many dogs rest while everyone is out at school or work, but during holidays they may lose that downtime completely. Create a quiet space where your dog can retreat without being followed or disturbed.
This could be:
🛏️ A crate
(in a location children cannot access, as to avoid children disturbing or teasing the dog while there)
🚪 A separate room
- (that the child cannot access unless supervised)
👶 Behind a baby gate
🧺 A quiet corner with a bed
Children should understand that when a dog is resting, they must be left alone.Aim to keep routines for your dog, even if holidays are less structured, consistency helps dogs feel secure. Keeping feeding times, walks, rest periods, and bedtime routines reasonably predictable can make a big difference.
If major changes are coming, such as kennels, pet sitters, or holidays away, gradual preparation can help reduce stress.
🌳 Choose Activities Carefully
Many dogs enjoy family adventures during the holidays, but others may find busy summer environments overwhelming If your dog struggles with crowds, noise, or excitement, try walking during quieter times, choosing calmer routes, and avoiding overcrowded events where possible..
Sometimes the kindest choice is leaving your dog at home with enrichment and rest instead of expecting them to cope with a busy day out.
Calm enrichment can also help dogs relax and decompress. This might include:
• Sniff walks and scatter feeding 👃🐾
• Lick mats or stuffed food toys 🧩🦴
• Chewing opportunities and scent games 🦷🎾
• Simple training games or muzzle training 🎓🐶
These activities can also be a lovely way for children to get involved safely. Children might help stuff Kongs or lick mats, scatter treats in the garden or create simple search games using cardboard boxes or toys. They can then enjoy watching the dog use the enrichment from a respectful distance if needed.
Even dogs who live happily with children may find unfamiliar children stressful, so interactions should always be managed carefully.
🐕🦺 Muzzle Training: A Skill Every Dog Can Learn
At The Muzzle Movement, we believe every dog can benefit from muzzle training - just in case.
Muzzles are not punishment. A properly fitted muzzle allows a dog to:
- 😮💨 pant
- 💧 drink
- 🦴 take treats
- 💬 communicate normally
Muzzle training in advance can be especially helpful during stressful holidays, in busy environments, around unfamiliar children, at the vet or in emergencies, and for dogs who may feel overwhelmed.
Importantly, muzzle training should happen before it is urgently needed. Using force-free methods, dogs can learn to feel comfortable and safe wearing a muzzle through gradual positive experiences. ✨
A muzzle is also not a free pass to put a dog into stressful situations. For example, if your dog finds unfamiliar children frightening, putting on a muzzle and forcing them into a busy barbecue is still unfair and stressful. Muzzles should be part of a wider plan that keeps dogs feeling safe and supported.
👧🐶 Getting Children Involved Safely
When appropriate, children can safely help with muzzle training by tossing treats toward the muzzle, helping with simple training games, or feeding and playing with the dog through the muzzle when safe to do so.
You can also help children feel more comfortable around muzzles by:
- 🦴 Playing games like “pin the muzzle on the dog”
- 🎲 Talking openly about what muzzles mean
- 🍖 If purchasing a muzzle, let your child get involved with choosing a muzzle and selecting colours
This is a great opportunity to teach children that some dogs need extra space, every dog is an individual, and safety tools are normal and helpful.
Muzzles should never be treated as something “scary” or “bad.” They can become part of healthy conversations around safety, consent, emotions, and compassionate care.
❤️ Supporting Families, Not Blaming Dogs
Every dog is different, and travel can bring new challenges, triggers, and emotions.
School holidays can create a “perfect storm” of stress for dogs through disrupted routines, reduced rest, increased interaction, busy environments, and heat.
By learning canine body language, respecting dogs’ need for rest and space, supervising interactions thoughtfully, and using compassionate management strategies, families can help make summer safer and less stressful for everyone. And remember, muzzle training is not a failure. It is a practical, force-free safety skill that every dog can benefit from learning.
If you would like support with muzzle training, dog-child safety, or understanding your dog’s behaviour, The Muzzle Movement and Kids Around Dogs® offer resources designed to help families build safer, more compassionate relationships with dogs.
References
- Dixon, C. A., & Mistry, R. D. (2020). Dog bites in children surge during coronavirus disease-2019: A case for enhanced prevention. The Journal of Pediatrics, 225, 231–232.
- Loder, R. T., et al. (2022). Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries: A 5-Year Nationwide Study and Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
- Provazza, S., et al. (2024). Review of psychological effects of dog bites in children. BMJ Paediatrics Open.
- Reisner, I. R., et al. (2011). Behavioural characteristics associated with dog bites to children presenting to an urban trauma centre.
- Schalamon, J., et al. (2021). Child safety programs for primary school children decrease the injury severity of dog bites. European Journal of Pediatrics.
- Westgarth, C., et al. (2020). Pet dog bites in children: management and prevention. BMJ Paediatrics Open.
- Tulloch, J. S. P., et al. (2021). Paediatric emergency department dog bite attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic: an audit at a tertiary children’s hospital.