How to help your dog to cope with firework noise
The changing of the clock and darker evenings brings the season of fireworks closer and closer. Diwali, Bonfire Night and the New Year will all bring plenty of bangs, whizzes and crashes to light up our skies. At this time of year thousands of household pets will be cowering in terror or running away in fear from all these noises and lights that they just don’t understand.
Giving this issue some thought and planning in advance will help your pet to deal with the trauma of fireworks around this time of year.
Getting your dog used to firework noises
Try a desensitisation program to help to alleviate your dog’s fears. A similar approach will also help her if she’s afraid of thunderstorms or other loud noises. Introduce her gradually to the sounds she doesn’t like, by playing them in a quiet, controlled way and slowly increasing the volume over time. It may be too late to expect a programme like this to work for this year, but it’s as good a time as any to start to help your dog feel less afraid of loud noises.
You can find noises online which are specially designed to offer the sorts of sounds to use or you could create your own recording relatively simply.
Getting things ready
Make sure all windows and doors are locked, all of which should have curtains closed where possible. A frightened pet often tries to run away from the noises it doesn’t understand. The recent COVID lockdowns mean that many of our younger pets may not have experienced bonfire night celebrations before and it may come as a huge shock to them.
If you have pets other than dogs, ensure that they too are safely inside a secure familiar place as far away from the noises and lights as possible. Think about where they will be sleeping in relation to any fireworks noises.
Put your dog’s bed in the middle of your home away from windows and doors. Better still, make up a specially prepared warm, cosy den full of blankets to help her to feel secure. Make sure you get her used to this new bed a few days in advance, as you want things to be as calm and normal as possible on bonfire night itself. This is especially important if you plan to leave your dog at home alone on bonfire night.
Ensure she has plenty of clean, fresh water to drink. An anxious dog can be thirstier than a calm one.
If she hides behind a cupboard before you have a chance to settle her in her cosy den, then let her stay there. Hauling her out will only make her more stressed.
I feel safer under here!
What to do on the day
Make sure your dog has had a really good walk before the evening begins. If she is tired she will be much more likely to drop off to sleep and not concern herself with loud noises.
If you’re staying at home with your dog, you can distract her with games and exercises before and when you expect the fireworks to begin. Keeping her busy will help to divert attention from what’s going on outside. If you plan to use this kind of distraction, it’s a good idea to get your dog used to the idea in advance so she understands the games, anticipates what is coming and focuses well on the activities. Offering your dog Free Work in the form of sniffing, chewing and foraging is a great way to create calm and distraction. Free Work creates a safe space for your dog in which she can decompress, use her natural behaviours and concentrate on something other than the noises outside.
Playing pleasant and relaxing music may help make a calm atmosphere. Classical music, white and black noise have all been shown to aid rest and relaxation and can disguise loud bangs to some extent.
Make sure you stay calm and collected. Your dog will pick up any anxiety from you and this will make her reaction worse. If she starts to become frightened don’t comfort her and cuddle her but instead, act as if everything is fine. Your dog will feel a lot safer if she believes that you are feeling safe and calm. Your calmness will help her to recognise that there is nothing to fear. On the other hand, if your pet is absolutely terrified, no amount of calm and comforting behaviour will help, so do your best to set up a safe den in advance.
If you plan to have fireworks at home yourself, do consider your neighbours’ pets as well, and let them know in advance. Better still, go to a public display which should be further away from your pet and probably much better in quality!
There are various products available on the market to assist in calming fearful pets .
Fireworks may be beautiful and fun for us but they can be very frightening for your dog
Over the counter remedies
D.A.P. stands for Dog Appeasing Pheromone and is a synthetic spray which mimics a bitch’s pheromone scent used to calm her puppies. It’s available in a spray or plug-in diffuser and ideally should be used 24 hours a day for a couple of weeks before any stressful event occurs and continuing for a week afterwards. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions.
Homeopathic remedies such as Australian Bush Flower Essences and Bach Flower Remedies can be effective in calming your dog. Starting a few days in advance, put a few drops of the remedy in drinking water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Touch and Massage Therapy
Tellington TTouch Therapy is based on traditional Chinese medicine and advocates gentle exercise and massage to alleviate stress, fear, tension and confusion. The results of this therapy can be astonishing and one of the recognised treatments for stress is a body wrap. The theory is that the gentle and consistent pressure of the wrap around the dog’s body has a calming effect on its behaviour and this does certainly seem to be the case with some dogs. There is lots of choice in wraps like this online.
Plan in advance and you will be showing your dog that firework nights can be like any other day in your calendar. Follow these tips and both you and your dog will be able to enjoy these evenings with few problems.
