Is your dog restless during New Years? Maybe even scared? These tips for dogs with fireworks anxiety can help you and your dog get through old and new more calmly.
Below tips are intended for owners with dogs who are a little afraid of firework, or for owners of puppies who have never old and new with the accompanying fireworks. Following these tips may prevent your puppy from having fireworks fear and that your elder frightened dog, is not more or less afraid during the New years eve.
Turn on the radio during the fireworks
When the radio is on in the house, the dog will hear less noise coming from outside. This will be fear maybe take something off.
Close the curtains during the fireworks
When the curtains are closed in the house, the dog will not see any flashes of light, which may make him less afraid.
Let the dog out on time
It is wise to walk a fearful dog on time. Do this well before the bang starts, for example at 22:00. Try to walk him calmly and pay little attention to fright reactions to the pops of firecrackers and strings or the whistle of flares and other ornamental fireworks. Walk on slowly. Never let go of your dog as he may run away from the fright. Maybe it is wise to chip your dog, so that he will at least come back to you after he is found by someone and this person takes the dog to the vet or the animal ambulance or animal shelter, because the chip can be read there. Make sure that the details of the chip are registered in your own name and that any changes are made. If you want to check whether the information is correct, you can do this on chipnummer.nl, for example
Don’t walk too close to fireworks
A dog can firework that goes off very close to him, very frightened and thus develops fear. Always keep a safe distance from people setting off fireworks. Of course you also have to be careful that you or your dog are not hit by fireworks.
Give the dog a quiet place
Create a nice sheltered place for the dog, such as a crate with a blanket over it. This gives him the idea of a safe hole. Give him a nice bone or a nice feeding puzzle, this will give him distraction. If the dog crawls under a table or under the bed, leave it there until it gets out of it.
Don’t reward the fear of fireworks!
As pathetic as the dog is, try not to pay too much attention to his anxious behavior. It is not necessary to ignore him completely, he may be in contact with you and you may look at him or give him a pat on the head, but rewarding fearful behavior by constantly addressing him, petting or looking at him sweetly (i.e. participating or acting differently than you normally would) is unwise. This will confirm his anxious behavior and it will keep getting worse. It is wise to also instruct your visit to let the dog do its thing. The dog can of course be rewarded with calm behavior. Give him a treat or go play with him.
If necessary, use a sedative for fireworks fear
There are all kinds of types in the pet store or at your vet sedatives available to make your dog a bit calmer during New Years. You can choose something homeopathic (e.g. Bach Rescue Spray), something based on pheromones (e.g. the Adaptil vaporizer or collar), something based on food (e.g. Royal Canin calm diet) or supplements (e.g. Zylkene or Adaptil tablets), or something drug-based (e.g. Diazepam / Valium, Calmivet, Selgian, Phenoral, Telizen, Alprazolam). There is also the Thundershirt, which creates a safe feeling by means of pressure on the body. Let the employees of the pet shop or veterinary practice inform you about all the products mentioned. Be aware of possible side effects of the medication, it is not wise to leave your dog at home alone when under the influence of medicines is.
Practice with a CD against fireworks anxiety
There are CDs (for example from Tinley) with sounds from storm and firework. This allows you to practice with your dog. These CDs are available at the vet, among others. It is wise to practice this all year round and not just a few days before the turn of the year. Start with a very low volume and keep increasing it. This increase should only be done when your dog shows no anxiety.
Behavioral Therapy
For dogs with extreme anxiety or trauma, I recommend one behavioral expert to look up. He can accompany you and your dog before and during this period.
Fireworks training
There are also fireworks training Bee dog schools. Make sure that the groups are not too large, in order to prevent the training from going too fast for the most anxious dogs. The best is individual training.
I wish you and your dog a pleasant and peaceful New Year’s Eve!