Last-Minute Tips for Dogs Afraid of Fireworks
Another year, another fireworks festival. But these loud sounds, bright and flashing lights, the strong smell of sulfur - even though to us humans, this means celebration and the sight is also pretty. But to our dogs, it’s something scary, loud and kind of like a war zone.
Every year big celebrations like 4th of July and New Year’s Eve, animal shelters have a spike in lost dogs. But luckily there are things every dog owner can do, to sensitize their dogs not to be (so) afraid of the fireworks.
BUT before reading on, be sure to watch our YouTube video, where Ki, the dog trainer and creator of Pocket Puppy School dog training app tells you exactly what to do, step-by-step.
Why dogs are afraid of fireworks?
The explanation is actually quite simple. When we are expecting fireworks to go up and are waiting with excitement. Then dogs don’t really know what to expect and what is going on.
Only thing they know is that suddenly tens and hundreds of loud booms happen and the smell is way too strong for their sensitive noses. So no wonder really that dogs are often times afraid of fireworks, start shaking and sadly run away… especially backyard/ garden dogs. They have no where to hide, no one has taught or showed them what it is.
Help your dog not to be afraid of fireworks aka prevention
As you can read from the subheading, the key here is prevention - so your long term goal is actually desensitize your dog, so that at the end of this, your dog won’t be afraid, or not AS afraid of the fireworks.
If you have about a month or a few weeks before the big fireworks celebration, you can replicate the firework experience at home quite easily.
Step 1 - the sound. Play some fireworks sound or use the Pocket Puppy School app’s sound features. Start at a low volume, reward your dog if they’re calm and slowly start increasing the volume over several days.
Step 2 - the sight. Use your TV and play some visible fireworks video, adding and introducing the flashing visual element to your dog. With this step your dog hears and sees the fireworks together. If your dog stays calm, sits or lays down, reward with a yummy snack.
Step 3 - the smell. Do this with caution, but if you have sparklers at home, then at a safe distance light a sparkler. This will replicate the smell of fireworks (sulfur). You can also turn on the fireworks video and sound as well. This way it’ll be the whole experience for your dog. Of course don’t forget to reward your dog happily and with yummy treats.
Last minute help
Same as you can’t get six-pack with one day, you can’t teach your dog not to be afraid of something. So if the 4th of July or New Year’s Eve is like this week, tomorrow or even tonight then don’t panic just yet.
You can protect your dog and keep them safe with these few practical steps:
Go to your local pet store and get a reliable dog GPS tracker. This is a life saver. So even if the worst does happen (your dog runs away), you can easily track their location from your phone quite instantly.
Hands-free leash. If you have a bit more time, feel free to order our sturdy PPS hands-free leash. But if you don’t, then try to find one from your local pet store. With this you can secure the leash around your waist, so even if your dog does yank the leash suddenly, it won’t slip out of your hands.
Well-fitted harness. You might already have one, but if you don’t get it. It is a lot more difficult to slip out of it than with the regular collar. But really do check if the harness is well-fitted. Because if it’s quite loose, it’ll be no help.
Shift your walk routine. Don’t go for a late walk at around 10 PM, because neighbors and also local kids might start letting off firecrackers a lot earlier.
So take your dog out on different times that day and go for your last walk of the day at 7-8 PM. And don’t forget to carry your dog’s favorite treats with you in case even if that early a random firework boom happens.
Backyard dogs inside! If your dog usually lives or stays most of it’s time in the garden, bring them inside for that evening. Close the blinds, and turn on some background music - that will help a bit to mask the fireworks sound.
So at the end of the day, if you’ve never tried to do anything to help your dog with the fear of fireworks, then definitely give it a try and follow the step-by-step guide in our video. If you’re late doing it this holiday time, then put a reminder to your phone about a month before next fireworks festival.
You can absolutely get different tools to help keep your dog safe (with dog GPS, Hands-free leash etc), but desensitizing your dog to fireworks will at the end of the day make your dog calmer and not as scared. That way you and your dog can both enjoy fireworks festival with a calmer mind. 😌
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