Dealing with Dogs and Fireworks

It won’t be long before we are hearing the sound of fireworks booming across our towns and villages. Some people absolutely love them but for some they pose a whole set of issues. For pet owners particularly, fireworks have a whole different meaning because in many cases their scared, shaking and frightened dogs and cats are desperately trying to find somewhere to hide from the onslaught of loud explosions.

In this article we are looking into a few of the ways you can help your pet get through this uncomfortable time of the year.

• The first thing to remember is that dogs are acutely sensitive and great at picking up on our signals so make sure you are aware of your own potentially triggering mannerisms well in advance of the season.


• A great suggestion we heard being used by one of our regular customers is conditioning them slowly to the sounds of fireworks by playing recordings of fireworks on the television or a stereo. Start off relatively quietly and building up the noise gradually so that when the fireworks start they’ll be a little more used to them.


• The next idea is to create a den or snug that they can hide away in, or even a crate if they are crate trained. Again, this needs to be done well ahead of time, a few weeks if possible to give them time to get used to it being their ‘safe space’. You can encourage them by enticing them into it with treats and rewards, and potentially even feed them in the den to make them feel it’s a safe space. This won’t work for all dogs as all dogs are different, but for some it may work really well.


• Be prepared to stay in with your pet. Leaving them alone during this traumatic time would make life even more difficult for them when they will be looking to you for comfort and reassurance. Of course, closing all windows and curtains is an obvious idea to reduce the light show and even dampen the noise a little.


• Ensure that you walk them early in daylight if possible, and perhaps even feed them a little more than you would normally. This is with the aim of reducing the amount of nervous energy they may have once the noise really starts.


• Whatever you do, don’t shout or punish your pet during the situation. It’s not the dog’s fault that they are not good with the earth moving noise and vibrations given off by fireworks.


• Ensure they are wearing a collar with a tag and that they are micro-chipped so that should they find the opportunity to bolt that they can easily be reunited with you as soon as is physically possible.


• The last point that we suggest is that if you have cat flaps or even a dog flap that these are locked for the evening to again stop them from unexpectedly bolting and disappearing outside.

There are a few pet supplements that could be used in conjunction with the above ideas to reduce the anxiety of your pets through the fireworks season and we will look at those in the next article, so keep an eye out for that soon.

In the meantime if you have any questions then please feel free to get in touch with us at Nurturing by Nature and we will be more than happy to help you find the right remedy for your beloved companion.