Lots of pet owners worry about the impact of fireworks noise on their pets.
Animal Aid Trainer Shelby Thorn shares her tips so you can enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebrations with your pet.
“One of the biggest triggers for dogs with fireworks is obviously the noise factor,” says Shelby, “Having the TV or radio on in the background on a low volume can help drown out some of the scary noises.”
“In fact, many studies suggest that certain genres of music such as reggae, soft rock and classical music help to reduce stress in dogs. So if Mozart isn’t your thing then try to jam to ‘No Woman No Cry’.”
“Crate training is fantastic for many reasons, but having a dog crate trained for thunderstorm season and fireworks means they will have a safe space that can help them to settle,” says Shelby.
“If your dog practices pacing when stressed, or finds it difficult to stay still, providing them with some enrichment in a crate can encourage them to lie down and eventually find a level of comfort or even relax.”
Covering crates with a sheet blanket or towels can stop them from seeing lightning or firework lights which may increase their worry. Some dogs are comforted by having eyes on their favourite human though, so crate covering doesn’t work for every dog!
If your dog isn’t crate trained or you don’t have access to a crate, comforting them in small areas such as walk in wardrobes or bathrooms can also help to reduce stress and provide a sense of safety.
“Maintaining a dog’s emotional status is easier than trying to calm them down once heightened,” says Shelby, “Provide dogs with enrichment before the storm/fireworks start. Enrichment encourages appropriate sniffing, licking or chewing, natural behaviours that produce endorphins (happy hormones) in dogs!”
There’s lots of training we can do to help our dogs cope with noise sensitivities. Even bed/mat training and teaching a dog settling skills under normal circumstances can be helpful for when stressors are present.
“Bringing dogs inside, or ensuring they are otherwise safely contained is important,” says Shelby, “Shelters always experience increased stray admissions after storms, and shelter animal attendants always have an extra cup of coffee before work on New Year’s Day as this is always their busiest day of the year.”
Top Tips:
For dogs that experience mild-moderate stress due to noises such as thunder or fireworks, there are some tips that can help alleviate their stress:
- Provide darkened calm space with curtains closed, hiding spaces should also be offered
- Dog calming music playing on a TV or sound player to help drown out noise – there are some great dog calming sounds on YouTube!
- Close windows
- Keep the dog safely contained inside to avoid escaping, ideally arrange a pet sitter if you can plan ahead and won’t be home
- Thundershirt
- Zylkene supplement given at least 3-5 days before any anticipated events
- Adaptil spray on a bandana, respray every 4 hours
- Provide a Kong or enrichment toys if the dog is relaxed enough to be distracted
- Gentle reassurance or massage will not cause more anxiety, but it may help to give your dog some comfort
If you are worried about how your dog might cope with thunderstorms or fireworks, feel free to get in touch with our behaviour team or Vet Clinic for more advice.
