Dogs and Fireworks: How to make it easier for your dog through the Christmas Season

For majority of dog owners, dogs and fireworks are two terms that shouldnt meet. Festive seasons and celebrations accompany loud noises from fireworks which is not so friendly to your four-legged friend. It causes anxiety and creates a lot of tensions for different breeds so does the pet parents.

The sounds from nearby festivals, construction site or even a loud alarm can set off your dog. It is important to understand how to handles such situations when you are living with a fur-ball.

How to identify if your dog is fearful to fireworks?

A close examination of their behaviour can decide if the dog is in fear or not. An unusual and continues barking and whining is the primary indication for fear of fireworks.

During such episode many of the dog tends to tuck their tail between their legs and try to seek shelter under the bed or furniture. In worst case they try to escape from the house. Here are common signs that your dog shows when in fear

• Panting and drooling: Uncontrolled panting and drooling is a sign of fear or anxiety.
• Wide eyes and dilated pupil: When in fear dog tends to have wider eyes and dilated pupil.
• Restlessness and barking: They will be running around in the house to find the safe spot and barking continuously in response to the noise.
• Lack of interest in food: Even though they appear to be licking their noses, they won’t be eating food when in anxiety.
• Shivering and tails down: Body language of the dog changes from being calm to trembling body and tails tuck in between their legs.

How to prepare your dog for fireworks and loud noises

Staying close to your dog and giving them the comfort they are seeking is the primary step towards calming your dog.

Before firework starts, close your windows, doors and dog exists to prevent entering sounds in your home as well as sealing any exists that might be used by your dog as an escape route. Make sure to close the blinds as well to seal the flashes from outside.  Give them food and medication before the fireworks and set a music inside the home to dilute the noise coming from outside.

Also, it is important for you as a pet parent to keep calm because dogs easily pick up tensions from their owners. So, it is important to have a calm and composed mind as a dog owner and it will perpetuate to the dog.

Sometime dog might undergo loose motion or pee when in distress situation which is completely normal. In such cases be gentle with them and support them to get through the fear. After the firework take your dog to vets if the dog doesn’t calm and still showing fear. It might be because of other medical conditions

Returning to normal routines

Make sure to return to normal routines of your dog after firework. Try to spend more time with your dog. This will help them to recover faster from the last night anxiety and also increase the bond between the dog and their parent. Choosing a walk in the woods soothes their mind and body.

Your vet can also help your dog to overcome fear by referring to behavioural therapist. So please talk to them for assistance.

However, it is a stressful situation for both dog and their parent in the festive seasons that brings loud noises. Understanding the remedy and precautions will help the family get through this inevitable situation smartly.

Bonus tip

During these stressful situation, it is possible that you might lose track of your dog. This is because they might be hiding or running away from the house. This is a tough situation especially during the fireworks because your dog wont here your call and you can not predict where they end up. A GPS Dog tracking device such as PET Finder 4G can help you locate your pet. It a match-box sized device that can be installed with any dog collars. Once activated you can track your pet’s location live and receive alerts on your smartphone about their location and speed.

Especially while using PET Finder 4G, you can locate your pet in dark because of the LED lights on the device that automatically illuminate in the night. Another important feature which quite helpful is the calling function. The device produces a tune as soon as the calling function activated from the smartphone. This helps the dog to return to the home provided the dog received such training before. you can operate these functions remotely from anywhere since the GPS dog tracker has global coverage.

Last but not least, The battery saving zone provides more accuracy while inside the house using home WIFI and increases battery strength to last longer tracking hours.