Can you believe it is almost July??? I feel like this summer is flying by!
In the USA, July is the month of fireworks! For a dog or a puppy, fireworks can be extremely terrorizing as they are bright, loud, and smell like danger. Every year I see posts on social media from families looking for their missing friend that ran away during the firework show. To help your pup be more comfortable during the firework show this year, here are five tips!
Desensitize your pup to the sound of fireworks. This can be done by finding a video or sound track of fireworks on youtube or on itunes. Play the firework sound on a low volume during times the pup has down time in their kennel. I like to give my pups a brain toy to work on while the sound is playing. Increase the volume to the decibel that would be experienced by a pup while in their safe space (if inside a home with doors closed, and blinds shut, this may not be very loud depending on your distance from where the fireworks will be going off!) Practice to make it so that the sound of fireworks means the puppy is going to have a relaxing time in their crate with a brain toy or bone while being serenaded by the sound of fireworks. It should be an incredibly positive experience for the puppy, not distressful as you practice for the actual firework show!
Create a safe space for your puppy to be during the firework show. Before the fireworks start, get your pup comfortable in their safe space with something to chew. I like to use a crate and a kong toy filled with ground up kibble, yogurt, and paw pairings that have been frozen. By keeping the dog inside, you are creating a buffer between the dog and the sights, sounds, and smells of fireworks that will help the whole thing be less traumatizing.
Give your dog CBD treats or chews to help them be calm and relaxed. We have used pawTree’s CBD bones and their CBD treats for helping our dogs to relax during situations that would normally be incredibly stressful and have had great results! Our dogs didn’t love the CBD bones until we coated them in yogurt and then they were much more interested in chewing on them.
Create white noise in your home. Have the TV, music, or a white noise machine going to help muffle the sound of fireworks. The added noise will help make the startling noise of the fireworks not as surprising.
Shut your blinds. This is a way to stop the bright lights from the fireworks from entering your home and startling the dog.
Hopefully these five tips will help you make your canine companion more comfortable this firework season! If you have any tips that worked well for you that I haven’t mentioned, tell me about them in a comment on our instagram so we can help dogs and their families to have a less stressful fireworks season!
Xoxo,
Elli
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