It’s that time of year again, when the evening sky
gets filled with colourful explosions. Fun for us to watch, but not so fun for our pets.
Fear of loud noises is very common in dogs and cats, which can make fireworks season pretty traumatic for many of them. So, what can we do to help?
There are many ways we can make fireworks season less of a scary thing for our pets. We should provide them with a safe haven that they can go to when feeling nervous. A good example is an open crate, with blankets covering the walls of the crate. We can teach our pets that this is a nice cosy place to be by giving them fun things to do in there (such as a stuffed kong). The safe haven should also be placed in a nice relaxing area of the house, and it is important to not disturb our pets when they are chilling in their dens. So, make sure, if you have children, you teach them to leave your pet alone when he is in his safe place.
There have also been studies showing that the use of D.A.P (Dog Appeasing pheromones) can reduce the signs of anxiety during fireworks. For D.A.P to be effective it is important to introduce it before fireworks season starts and also still give your dog the safe haven to go to.
Keeping the animal’s mind occupied could also benefit some individuals. Giving your pet trick puzzle games with food rewards will occupy their mind from focusing on the loud noises. It is also important to remember not to over coddle your pet when they are feeling anxious. It is OK to offer gentle reassurance, but giving too much attention to the fearful behaviour could cause attention seeking problems, or it could exasperate the fear because by acting differently than normal (I assume you don’t usually over fuss your pet when he’s relaxing in the evening) you are showing your pet that fireworks are strange things, because they make you behave strangely!
If you do have a pet that really does not enjoy the fireworks, please look into a behaviourist (make sure they use up to date methods) to help your pet overcome this problem. They will be able to work alongside you and your pet in a program of desensitisation and counter conditioning.
Remember to keep your pets as safe and happy as possible during this fireworks season!
www.4pawswalkies.co.uk
Fear of loud noises is very common in dogs and cats, which can make fireworks season pretty traumatic for many of them. So, what can we do to help?
There are many ways we can make fireworks season less of a scary thing for our pets. We should provide them with a safe haven that they can go to when feeling nervous. A good example is an open crate, with blankets covering the walls of the crate. We can teach our pets that this is a nice cosy place to be by giving them fun things to do in there (such as a stuffed kong). The safe haven should also be placed in a nice relaxing area of the house, and it is important to not disturb our pets when they are chilling in their dens. So, make sure, if you have children, you teach them to leave your pet alone when he is in his safe place.
There have also been studies showing that the use of D.A.P (Dog Appeasing pheromones) can reduce the signs of anxiety during fireworks. For D.A.P to be effective it is important to introduce it before fireworks season starts and also still give your dog the safe haven to go to.
Keeping the animal’s mind occupied could also benefit some individuals. Giving your pet trick puzzle games with food rewards will occupy their mind from focusing on the loud noises. It is also important to remember not to over coddle your pet when they are feeling anxious. It is OK to offer gentle reassurance, but giving too much attention to the fearful behaviour could cause attention seeking problems, or it could exasperate the fear because by acting differently than normal (I assume you don’t usually over fuss your pet when he’s relaxing in the evening) you are showing your pet that fireworks are strange things, because they make you behave strangely!
If you do have a pet that really does not enjoy the fireworks, please look into a behaviourist (make sure they use up to date methods) to help your pet overcome this problem. They will be able to work alongside you and your pet in a program of desensitisation and counter conditioning.
Remember to keep your pets as safe and happy as possible during this fireworks season!
www.4pawswalkies.co.uk
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