Dogs Afraid Of Fireworks

It’s that time of year again when fireworks will be going off left right and centre to celebrate Guy Fawkes. As usual fireworks will probably be let off beforehand by people enjoying the fun that fireworks bring. How does this affect our dogs though? Some dogs seem to cope well but there are many dogs that still cannot deal with the surprising loud bangs and whistles and have a fear of fireworks.

So how can you start helping your dog learn to cope with fireworks? Hopefully I will be able to give you some answers in this blog post today.

Dogs are more sensitive to noises than us humans and so sudden noises and bangs that happen can frighten our dogs if they have not become accustomed to them. Guy Fawkes only happens once a year and so it can be hard to get a dog used to these kinds of firework noises. There are ways of helping your dog though, we know the time is coming where fireworks are going off, and to be honest it is becoming a more common thing at New Year to let fireworks off too, so why not help your dog deal better with noises that can make it become anxious. Seeing a dog with anxiety problems is not nice but can be avoided in some circumstances.

Here is what you can do for your dog to help them in the future.

We have to make the whole experience of fireworks a positive thing, and so that your dog does not bother at all. There are many ways to do this. You could use treat balls and Kong’s and pop some tasty food inside and keep your dog occupied while the noises are going on outside.

You can distract your dog with play. Get some of its favourite toys and have them out and start playing with your dog and make it a fun experience while the fireworks are going off in the background.

You can also try and manage the situation better for your dog. Yes we may enjoy looking at the fireworks, but if you have a dog that suffers from anxiety due to fireworks focus on helping your dog instead. Keep your curtains shut and close the doors within your home too, as this will keep the noise levels down and also stop any flashing lights from being seen by your dog. If your dog feels comfortable being in a different room from you, put a radio, CD or even TV on for it, so there is background noise available to detract from the fireworks.

The main key here is management and the safety of your dog. Just act normal when the fireworks are going off and go about your business as normal. If you react or jump about yourself, your dog may pick up on this and feel uneasy itself.

Some other ways of helping your dog get ready for dealing with fireworks is by using therapy CD’s. These are noise desensitisation CD’s for dogs, and help get them used to certain noises. All you do is pop the CD in the CD player and play it while your dog eats its food. When it is comfortable with the noise for a number of days or weeks, increase the volume slightly. Just check the instructions on the CD before use.

Another way of helping your dog could be by using a Thundershirt, this is a more costly approach, though studies say that they see a difference in behaviour in about 85% of dogs with noise and stress related problems. You have to remember though that this is not a cure, it is just management and they are designed to help when used with a behaviour modification programme.

If you want to help your dog without spending any money, just aim to walk it a little more to tire it out; though keep it on its lead if there are fireworks are going off, as you do not want your dog to run off scared.

If your dog struggles with fireworks, this year why not plan ahead and help your dog deal with the situation better, and use some of the above management techniques to help your dog feel more at ease with firework noises.