HOW TO PREPARE YOUR DOG FOR FIREWORKS

Some dogs have a complete ‘meltdown’ when they hear fireworks- trembling, drooling, trying to escape out the window, hide under the bed….anything to escape the loud bangs of what we know as fireworks! It’s a really stressful time for both dogs and owners. Whenever dogs feel challenged/threatened they go into Survival mode, reacting to a challenge with either Fight, Flight, Freeze, Avoidance or Submission. Your dog will exhibit one or more of these if they feel threatened by firework noises. So what can you do to make the experience as stress free as possible for your dog?

With Bonfire Night not far away, I wanted to give you some tips for helping calm and distract your dog(s) so you can try and have a more relaxed evening. These tips can also be great ways for calming your dog down if you have people around to the house, visiting someone or are trying to work from home.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE BY DESENSITISING & TRAINING

A couple of months before the firework season begins you can try and use a desensitisation playlist, to gradually get your dog used to the noises. Start at the lowest possible volumes and very gradually increase the volume and duration of sounds each day over a number of weeks. Reward and praise any calm behaviours and if you see anxiety, stop immediately and take it back to the previous volume – only progress when they are calm.

REIKI & OILS FOR PREVENTION AND CALMING

You can book in a session with me to allow your dog to let go of their fears through reiki and applied self medication using oils, this way we can prepare your dog best possible for the bonefire night and also find the best oils for you to use at home to support your dog on the day of the bonefire as well. This session will be a great bonding experience for you both, while your dog will feel safe to let go of fears and finding confidence and healing. 2-3 sessions is often recommended, depending on how deep rooted the fear is and how receptive your dog is to the healing.

TIME WALKS EARLIER IN THE DAY

During this time it’s a good idea to time walks earlier in the day, when its still light and always keep your dog on their lead if you think fireworks will be let off, to avoid them getting scared and running away from you.

Make sure your dog is microchipped with updated information, and is wearing an ID tag with your name, phone number and address displayed when they are in public places. This way it’s easier for your dog to be reunited quickly to you in case they are spooked by the fireworks and run off.

KEEP AN EYE ON SIGNS OF STRESS

This can include panting excessively, drooling, shaking, yawning, putting their tail between their tail, intense attention seeking or avoiding you, and jumpy on walks.

Let your worried dog pace around, whine and hide in a corner if he wants to. Once they have found a safe space try not to disturb them. Never shout at your dog for doing this, reprimanding them won’t help and will also make your dog more stressed.

CREATE A RELAXING ATMOSPHERE

Creating a relaxed environment for your dog can help too.  Close all the curtains so your dogs aren't able to seen the bright flashes from the fireworks.  Classic FM usually play a calming playlist on Bonfire Night to help relax your dogs. YouTube and Spotify also have a selection of chilled playlists.  Any other background chilled noise from the TV or smart speaker is also good.  Try and keep calm yourself, if you are worried that they are going to react to the fireworks they will be able to sense this and could cause them to worry too. 

Let your worried dog pace around, whine and hide in a corner if he wants to. Once they have found a safe space try not to disturb them. Never shout at your dog for doing this, reprimanding them won’t help and will also make your dog more stressed.

It’s also important that you try and stay calm and act normally. It’s okay to cuddle and stroke your dog if you find it helps them to relax, but if they prefer to hide under your bed, then let them do this instead.

CHEWING AND LICKING

Chewing and licking releases endorphins which help calm a dog down in stressful situations. Make sure you got a good selection of your dogs favourite chews and preferably long lasting ones that you can give before the fireworks start as a distractions. A Lickimat is another great way to help calm your dog down. If the dog is raw or wet fed, you can smooth their food over the mat. It also acts a slow feeder. Alternatively, you can pour some smoothie, yogurt, nut butter, smashed fruit and berries (banana, papaya, blueberries etc) and some healthy, tasty food toppers onto it and freeze so it lasts even longer.