It’s almost time for bonfire night! And even before bonfire night it’ll be Diwali, with the firework season then carrying on until the New Year.
Although we love donning our hats and gloves to watch the fireworks with sparklers in hands,
they’re not always so enjoyable for our dogs.
Here are a few things to think about if your dog suffers with the loud noises and bangs;

Close curtains and blinds;

This can help with the visual aspect of the bright lights and flashes against the dark sky.

Turn on TV/Radio;

Having another noise such as the TV or radio can mask some of the fireworks noises, I try to keep a tv or radio on in each room so that they can’t focus and obsess over the noises in the distance.

Make a den;

Having somewhere for your dog to feel safe is really important, they might choose to go in their crate in which case cover it with some blankets so that they feel comforted. Likewise you may not have a crate but they might take themselves under a table or behind a sofa, pop their bed there for them, so they can snuggle up.

Don’t fuss;

It’s horrible to think of our dogs being frightened and unsure, try and ignore their behaviour where possible, comforting them and cuddling them can reinforce the scared behaviour that they are showing. It might be an advantage to look into thunder jackets for dogs which can help to comfort them without the reinforcement of your voice or touch.

Vets;

If your dogs is still struggling it might be worth a trip to the vets, they can advise on remedies that may help such as pheromone plug ins and collar or in extreme cases they may give tablets to help.

Preventative measures;

There are CDs that you can buy for dogs which have lots of ‘scary’ sounds on, over the following year you can play this on a regular basis for them, start very very softly with whilst you go around your daily routine and then build the volume up over time to help familiarise and desensitise your dog to the firework noises.

We do hope this helps!
Anna and Selina