Whether it's the whimsical Elf, old school classic It’s a Wonderful Life, or the more modern-day romance The Holiday, we all have our go-to Christmas films. But according to new research by Asda Pet Insurance, the nation’s dogs have their howl-i-day favourites too.

Inviting dog owners across the UK to vote for their dogs' most-loved Christmas movies, the insurer has today unveiled a list of festive flicks preferred by pooches*. Leading the pack with a tail-wagging 29% was Home Alone, closely followed by the animated Grinch (28%) and Elf (23%). The Polar Express took the fourth spot at 22%, with Love Actually close behind in fifth at 20%. Explore the top ten favourites and least favourite films below.

Asda Pet Insurance has even created a list of top Christmas movie watchlists based on specific breed favourites, so if you’re looking to cosy up for a fur-stive movie night, why not choose a flick based on your dog's unique tastes?

With 70% of dog owners saying they watch Christmas movies with their dogs during the festive season, to help pet owners and their pooches enjoy their Christmas movie marathons to the fullest, Asda Pet Insurance has partnered with dog behaviourist and trainer, Colin Tennant, to provide handy tips on how to create the ultimate dog-friendly movie-viewing experience. See below for more.

How to create the perfect merry movie night in with your dogs this Christmas, according to dog behaviour expert, Colin Tennant 

1. Best time to kick off movie night

Relaxing over the holidays can throw our body clocks out of their usual routines but it’s important to make sure that you keep your dog’s routine as normal as possible. When it comes to the perfect time to kick off your festive movie night, I always try and aim for early evening before my dog’s bodily sleep clock kicks in. It’s best to kick off movie night so that it’s early enough that it doesn’t finish later than their usual bedtime.  

It may not come as any surprise, but dogs have acute body clocks, and their sleep cycles generally revolve around their owners’. Except they love a bit more sleep throughout the day than we typically do!  

2. Watch out for movies with A LOT of classical music

We all look forward to that scene in our favourite Christmas films that has our No1 festive tune, mine has got to be “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in Home Alone. But I always suggest choosing a film that has a bit of a mix of music for your pup from pop to Christmas classics.

Classical music has a lower BPM which lowers your dog’s heart rate and can have a calming effect on them, so it’s a great one to pop on for your furry friend at the end of a manic day full of lots of visitors, doorbell ringing and present wrapping.  

It can, however, sometimes stimulate the wolf in your dog leading to howling. Wolves rarely bark, and dogs rarely howl, but certain tunes can stimulate howling in domestic dogs. It's not a case of liking the music type but rather reacting to their ancient genetics of wolf communication over distance hence why they seem to me more relaxed.  

Now you know - if they start to howl during movie night, it’s probably not because they don’t want to snuggle up and enjoy the film. It might just be the music! Now that’s what you might call happy Howl-i-days.

3. Keep the optimum temperature for your dogs during your festive movie marathons

We all love snuggling up with a blanket in front of the fireplace to watch our favourite Christmas films – but this isn’t necessarily the case for our dogs. To keep dogs comfortable during movie night, it’s important to ensure they don’t get too hot.  Generally, most dogs are comfortable around the 15°C mark.

However, this can change depending on the breed, size and age. Short-coated dogs tend to prefer warmer, cosier temperatures of around 18°C, and if you have a dog that is a bit older, they’ll likely be most comfortable a little bit above 18°C. They are also more susceptible to feeling the cold the older they are, so it’s definitely the time to grab a blanket and be at the ready with cuddles to keep them toasty.

Whichever room you’re having your Christmas movie marathon in, keep an eye on their behaviour. They’ll usually show you they’re a bit hot when they move to settle on cool floors or a spot near a door for a bit of a draft, so be sure to keep an eye on your pooch to make sure they’re getting the most from their movie night.

4. The perfect movie night snacks for your pooches

During the festive season, I think it’s safe to say we all love a little treat. That post-dinner feeling always sparks a conversation in my family about what our indulgent movie night snacks will be. And it’s only fair we don’t forget about our pampered four-legged friends. Some of the best snacks you can give to your pooch on movie night is a bit of peanut butter pushed inside a hollowed-out marrow bone. This is a great snack because instead of devouring it all at once, it’s long-lasting and your pooch can savour it.

If you’re looking for a particularly festive snack that your dog is sure to love, save some leftover ham and turkey from your Christmas dinner to give to them while you’re watching your favourite Christmas classic. This way your dog can really enjoy the festive spread you’ve worked so hard to cook!  

Other tasty treats I like to give my dogs are pork belly rinds (either cooked or uncooked) or natural marrow knuckle bones. Whatever movie-night treat you wish to give your dog, make sure you know it’s safe for them to consume and always choose something free from additives.  

5. Be mindful of scents and aromas

Whether you’re about to light your new scented candle or tuck into a boxing day sandwich in front of the TV, when it comes to detecting scents, dogs have sixty more olfactory receptors than humans. This means our canine companions can detect scents that are 10,000 to 100,000 times less concentrated than the smells humans can pick up.  

Dogs’ super sense of smell can lead to them being overstimulated if there are strong scents and aromas in a room. So, if you want them to be able to enjoy their favourite Christmas films peacefully, be mindful of the kinds of food, candles and any other objects that have a strong scent.   

6. Familiar faces are best for your dog on movie night

If like many of us you’re planning to have a house full of visitors this Christmas, it’s good to remember that people’s energy and excitement levels can lead to your dog also becoming overly excited and overstimulated - especially when children are around. Always allow time for your pooch to be able to calm down after your visitors have left before tuning into your festive films.

Dogs are friendly creatures and love to make new friends but a good thing to remember is that a dog can also feel overwhelmed by the number of people it doesn’t know in a room which can cause them to be over excited. A dog will never feel unsettled in a room full of people that they know.

7. Be mindful of the volume

Whether it’s your favourite Christmas action classic or a slow-paced romcom, having the volume up too high can be startling for your pooch and affect their mood as well as their ability to relax along with you.  

Humans can hear sounds in the range of approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz). Dogs can hear sounds ranging from about 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz (60 kHz). This means dogs can hear much higher frequencies that humans cannot detect – so keep that in mind when you’re watching anything with The Chipmunks over the holidays.  

If you’re a Die Hard fanatic - who insists it counts as a Christmas film - take extra care when watching it and other action-orientated or thriller films. These will have more drastic and sudden fluctuations in volume from scene to scene, so it’s best to keep the volume to a normal setting and monitor your dog’s reaction.  

8. Mood lighting

Dogs are much better than humans at seeing in dim light and detecting movement. This is because they have a far greater density of rod cells than we do which means our night vision and motion detection in low light is much less acute. In other words, when we have the lights dimmed, it’s still pretty bright for a dog and could overstimulate them.

The dimmer the mood lighting, the more relaxing it is for dogs and will have a calming effect on them – much like it does for us humans. Keep this in mind when setting the scene for your Christmas movie marathon especially if you have your Christmas tree lights flashing.

9. Exercise your canine companion before a film

There’s nothing like sitting back and relaxing after a full day of activities – whether it’s after work, exercise or some last-minute Christmas shopping, and your dog is no different. A walked dog is a happy (and relaxed) dog, so make sure you plan a lengthy stroll into your festive film schedule to ensure they’re as content as can be when it becomes time to tune in. The best time to start your Christmas film is about 30 – 60 minutes after you return home from your walk. This allows your dog to rehydrate and get settled in beforehand.

10. Let your dog let you know how they’re feeling

Dogs are great communicators – they can sense when we’re happy, sad or frightened and we like to think we know our pets well enough to see the same in them. When you’re sitting down to watch a Christmas classic, be sure to keep an eye on your dog to make sure they are as comfortable as you.  

Dogs will generally slink out of the room if they become stressed or fearful, normally due to audio, not visual stimuli or they may also move closer and snuggle up to you for attentive security. Depending on the house size and rooms available, if your dog becomes very fearful or begins to shiver, remove the dog from the room or turn off the film.  

The holiday season is a time when there are lots of lights, sounds and activity, so it’s especially important to look out for how your dog is reacting to all the activity that is outside of the usual home setting.