Firework noise phobias in dogs

January 30, 2018adminfirework, noise, pet healthcare dog2

Bonfire night is fast approaching with the associated fireworks and this is the time of year that we get lots of enquiries about how to manage dogs that are fearful of fireworks.

My tips are

Give your dog a safe area to go to such as a crate or cupboard under the stairs, and provide plenty of bedding to allow him to burrow in.

Build a den for your pet to hide in.

Leave your radio on loud, with classical / calming music or turn the television volume up.
Use dog pheromones – a spray , plug in diffuser or collar are available which emit a scent that reassures and calms the dog. We have different sprays available. One of the products available is called DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) and can be purchased at the veterinary surgery. The plug in diffuser should be placed near the safe area. Your dog can also wear a DAP collar, so that the calming scent accompanies him if he moves around.

Dog appeasing pheromone
Ensure that your dog does not get extra attention when acting in a frightened manner. This can make the problem worse in that he may think that by acting frightened he will get more attention. You should continue with your normal routine, and only give him reward with attention after he has calmed down.
Fireworks season is a great excuse to buy some new toys and chews for your dog. This will keep them busy whilst the bangs and flashes are going off, look for bordem buster type toys like Kong’s or lick mats which will last longer than a simple treat.
Make sure that your pets microchip details are up to date, should your pet get spooked by the fireworks a quick scan of the microchip can have you reunited shortly.

Take your dog out early to toilet before the fireworks begin.
Try walking your dog in a harness rather than a collar. A well fitting harness is much harder to slip out of, than a collar.
Dog harness.

Close all your curtains and make sure all doors and windows are locked shut too.
Finally it is possible to try to desensitize your pet to noises, by using various CD’s such as Sounds Scary, or soundtherapy4pets.com, which start off by playing noises at low volume and gradually increasing the volume. This can take many weeks or months and is best started early in the year well before bonfire night.