10 Tips to Keep your Dog Safe During Fireworks
It’s often said that more pets are reported as lost on the 5th of July than any other day of the year, which is primarily due to the anxiety dogs feel with fireworks. Why are dogs so scared of them anyway?
Well, they have better ears and noses than us humans. If we think fireworks are loud, imagine how your dog hears them! (I bet they smell funny too…) The sporadic surprise of the loud booms are enough to frighten a dog if they haven’t learned it won’t harm them. With the 4th of July just around the corner, we thought it would be helpful to offer some tips for how to keep your dog safe for the holiday, and during any firework holiday.
Use this as a helpful resource to learn what signs of a stressed dog look like, how to desensitize and counter-condition the scary noises, some products that help with soothing an anxious dog, and of course the 10 tips for how to keep your dog safe.
We have a lot to cover - let’s dive in!
Prevention in Advance
If you aren’t sure how your dog will react to the fireworks, or you already know they get anxious every year, there is some training you can do at home to help them feel less stress: desensitization and counter-conditioning. Desensitization is the gradual exposure to a stressful stimulus. Counter-conditioning is changing the pet’s emotional response to the stimulus. It’s easy to train these together at the same time, but expect it to take a few days to months (depending on your dog’s sensitivity to noises and how receptive they are) for them to feel less stress, and to display the appropriate emotional behavior. When training, it’s important to reward positive behavior before a negative reaction occurs, so they will associate reward with a ‘good’ behavior.
In the case of fear of fireworks, you need to start with the noise. Find a recording of fireworks on YouTube, and play it on a low volume setting for your dog to hear. Then reward with a high quality, tasty treat, and lots of praise for acting calm. You can even practice basic obedience training or play some games as your dog begins to feel more comfortable; this will reinforce the normalcy of the noise. As your dog begins to react positively to the noise, slowly increase the volume by one interval for each training session. Eventually, your dog won’t mind the noises of fireworks, and may even feel like its a part of everyday life.
*Remember this will take time, so be sure to be patient and caring for your dog’s anxiety.
Signs of Stress
You might think your dog is acting funny or odd, but sometimes those weird behaviors are their way of showing their stress. Here are a few examples of how your dog could display their stress:
Tail: between legs, rigid, straight, or only tip is wagging
Excessive panting or shaking
Lip licking or drooling
Hiding or trying to escape
Whale eyes (instead of moving head to look at something, only the eyes will move)
Ears flattened
Looking for comfort (leaning against you, or trying to get in your lap)
Excess shedding
Scratching or chewing themselves
Aggressive behaviors like snapping or lip curling
Excessive barking or yawning
Destruction or Accidents in the house
Pacing or Restlessness
Hyper-vigilance
It may seem like a long list, but all dogs react differently to stress. Yours may show one of these symptoms or several, but knowing the signs of their stress will help you know when to remove them from the stressful situation.
10 Tips to Keep Your Dog Safe During Fireworks
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Here are some ways you can help your dog stay safe and home during the fireworks
Be Prepared
-Check when fireworks will be displayed in your local area, and ask your neighbors if they plan to display their own fireworks.
Offer a Distraction
-Play fun games, or practice tricks with your dog. Make sure this includes some tasty treats, big praise, and some petting. Make it a fun moment for your dog. Try to keep them as distracted as possible, but not frantic
-When they do decide to settle down, provide a long-lasting chew toy or treat so they can keep themselves busy
Be There
-Don’t leave your dog alone to cope by themselves. Keep them company so they can stay calm. If you do need to leave them, ask a friend or pet sitter that knows your dog well to help keep them stay safe
Stay Calm
-Do your best to ignore the noises, be calm, and act like everything is normal. Your dog will mirror your reaction to their surroundings
Support Your Dog
-When your dog does settle down, it is ok to provide support for them and make sure they feel safe. Use a calm voice, and pet them with long firm strokes
-Avoid speaking too quickly, with a higher pitched voice or saying things like “It’s ok, It’s ok, It’s ok” rapidly or in a stressed fashion
Expend Some Energy
-Fireworks don’t happen until dark, so use the day time to your advantage. Take your dog for a long calm walk, run, or swim. Allow them to go potty while you are out, so they won’t need to go outside during the firework displays
Be Forgiving
-Your dog may become destructive, or go potty in the house. Try your best not to get angry, it is a reaction to their anxiety. If you react negatively to an accident, it may aggravate their stress
Be Secure
-Escape-proof your house, close the doors and windows. If your dog has to go outside, make sure they are on a leash with you
-Ensure your dog has current ID tags on, and make sure they are microchipped with your current data
-Have current, clear photos of your dog just in case you need them
Make a Safe Space
-If your dog is kennel trained, make sure to leave the door open so they can go in when they feel they need to, leave a chew toy for them, and put a blanket or sheet over the kennel
-If she isn’t kennel trained, try to make a den for your dog, so they have a safe place to hide. Place a dog bed and blankets in the room where they sleep most often, so she can associate calm with her new ‘den’
Cover up the Fireworks
-Draw the curtains, to hide the bright flashes
-Close the windows and play some music or have the TV on, to try to minimize the noises
Calming Products
If you know your dog may be reactive to fireworks, there are some products out there that can help to soothe them. We’ve included a list of some calming products that could be beneficial for your dog during a high stress moment. The plus side is these aren’t single use solutions - you can use them for other stressful occasions such as going to the vet, the groomer, or taking a long car ride.
Calming Vest: ThunderShirt Classic Anxiety Vest
A calming vest works on a dog much like a weighted blanket works on a human. It adds compression or weight to help them feel more secure. Have you ever noticed anxious dogs lay on top of each other?
Calming Treats: Zesty Paws Stress & Anxiety Calming Bites
These tasty little treats contain natural calming ingredients like chamomile, valerian root, and L-theanine.
CBD Treats: Holistapet CBD Dog Treats-Stress & Anxiety
CBD oil has been a helpful ingredient in helping to calm anxious dogs. CBD is a derivative from the hemp plant, it is separated from the psychoactive ingredient of THC. So it will help calm your dog, but he won’t get “high”. It is recommended to discuss with your vet for proper dosing for your dog.
Essential Oils: Canine Calm by Earth Heart Inc.
Dogs have better olfactory sensors than humans do, so it goes without much explanation that aromatherapy can be quite beneficial for your dog. Calming scents for your dog includes: chamomile, lavender, rose, geranium, and more. But Canine Calm, is a nifty combo of essential oils that has been seen in boarding facilities to help the dogs calm down and remain calm.
Calming Music: Through a Dog’s Ear
Along with dogs having a great ability to smell, they also hear better than us. Some studies have shown that playing calm classical music can help reduce their flight response, and calm down in a stressful situation. This is a CD collection with a curated list of songs that dogs have responded positively too. You can find these playlists on streaming services as well.
Sedative Prescriptions:
This is an option if your dog has severe anxiety, and you are concerned about their wellbeing during a high stress moment (like fireworks). We recommend contacting your vet, and describing their symptoms and the severity of their stress. Your vet may prescribe a mild sedative to help get them through the night.
Conclusion
If your dog is already stressed about fireworks, or you have a new dog and you don’t know how they will react, we hope these 10 tips are helpful in keeping your dog more calm through the firework displays of the 4th of July. As the holiday draws near, now is a great time to begin desensitizing your dog to the abrupt sounds of firework shows. The 4th of July is always a fun celebration for American humans, but the dogs often don’t understand why we have to celebrate so loud. We can teach them how to enjoy our occasional celebrations with the help of some training or some products!
Feel free to leave some comments about your dog’s favorite calming remedy. How did your pup do during the 4th of July?
Written By: Gabby St.Martin
Gabby is a dog walker and writer for Dog Tired Adventures. She loves being active, the great outdoors, and loving on her Doberman, Sig.