A for your information bonus episode about how to handle firework season with a dog.
General safety advice if your dog is not afraid of fireworks:
- Don’t let your dog near the fireworks at all
- If you're at a party your dog is your responsibility.
- Don't make a big deal out of them (ie don't let them think fireworks are toys)
- Keep your dog securely on leash and make sure all exits are covered while fireworks are going off.
- Have identification on them and microchip updated
Short Term Solutions:
- Walk them during daylight hours to avoid times when fireworks are likely to be set off
- Tire them out but not too tired
- Close windows and curtains to muffle the sound of fireworks
- Put on some music or tv to mask the firework sounds (DogTV)
- Create a quiet space where your dog can feel in control a ‘den’.
- Dont make a big deal out of them
- You can try a Thundershirt
- Antianxiety meds you will probably need bloodwork in advance- speak with your vet.
- CBD is an option but you need to know the dosage
- Calming supplements are a potential option, use as instructed.
Long Term Solutions
- Desensitization is a technique of exposing your dog to a stimulus that would normally cause an undesirable reaction at an extremely low level so that there is no response. As the pet becomes less reactive, it is desensitized through exposure to gradually more intense levels of the stimulus.
- It takes a lot of time because you're doing a little bit of training each day
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