It’s only a month or less until our night sky is lit up in remembrance of some guy we know little about.
While fireworks can be spectacular for us to watch, for some dogs the noise can trigger an extreme fear response.
Trembling, pacing up and down, whining, digging, barking and trying to hide away are some of the things they may do. Some dogs can be destructive or toilet indoors.
So, what can we do? If our dog comes running to us trembling and wants to bury their head in our laps, we ignore them, right? I
f we don’t ignore them and let them cuddle up, we are effectively saying its ok to be irrationally scared and we are rewarding the “bad” behaviour.
Actually, it is better to comfort the dog in a calm and relaxed manner, maybe interact in some way to distract them (e.g. play fetch with a toy), than to increase their anxiety by ignoring them. Closing windows and curtains and putting some music on can also help.
Just don’t play Katy Perry’s song Firework! Providing a dog with somewhere they can hide like a covered crate, can also help some dogs.
Some fearful dogs will even hide behind a TV or cabinet or similar, possibly causing some damage to the TV in the process. Just remember although their fear may seem to be irrational or even stupid to many of us, to them it is real, and their ensuing behaviour is something they cannot control.
In some cases, anti-anxiety medications may be required. Some natural or herbal supplements can also help.
There is also a product called D.A.P (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) which can have a natural calming effect.
