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How to Help Calm Your Dog During Fireworks
To dogs who are scared of thunderstorms, fireworks are like the bigger, meaner, louder bully of an older brother. The consistent loud noises and bright, flashing lights can cause a lot of stress for your animals, making the 4th of July one of the biggest days for pet stress of the year. Make sure to keep your dogs inside during the fireworks! If dogs get outside and are scared, they can run away and get lost, which is the last thing you want. You should also make sure your pup has on their collar with updated contact information, just in case something does happen. While your pets will probably never be as big of a fan of fireworks as you are, we hope these tips to help calm your dog down, reduce anxiety during fireworks, and help you and your family!
Use a ThunderShirt® Calming Wrap
- ThunderShirt® is the #1 vet recommended, natural calming solution for helping dogs who fear fireworks and other loud noises
- The ThunderShirt® patented design applies a gentle, constant pressure (kind of like a hug)
- With ThunderShirt®, customers saw improvement in anxiety issues in over 85% of their dogs
- Already used by millions of dogs - yours could be next!
Calm Your Dog with ThunderWunders® Calming Chews
- ThunderWunders® are calming chews made of natural ingredients, like melatonin and chamomile, that can help to reduce stress caused by fireworks, thunderstorms, and more
- If you know the fireworks are coming, give your dog the recommended amount a couple of hours before the fireworks start to help them stay calm
Get Lots of Exercise the Day Of
- Unlike thunderstorms, you usually know when fireworks are coming
- Make sure to try and get your dog lots of exercise before the fireworks start, that way they will have less pent up nervous energy when the fireworks start going off
Provide a safe space with other noises
- Make sure you dog has a “safe space” to go to when they get scared (could be a room closed off with some of their favorite objects, or an open crate if they like their crate)
- If you have a white sound / noise machine, turn it on! You can also turn on the TV to help block out the sound and reduce the impact of fireworks on your dog
- Close the curtains - dogs can be very sensitive to light / sudden changes, so closing the curtains can help reduce that unwanted stimulation
Distract with Toys or Treats
- You should try to act as normal as possible around your dog (they pick up on your mood), and distract them if possible
- Get out their favorite toys / games and play
- You can also try distracting your dog with treats to try to get them to be more comfortable
Contact Your Vet
- If none of the above completely calm your dog and he or she still seems very distressed during fireworks, contact your veterinarian for additional assistance. In some cases a small amount of an anxiety relieving medication in addition to the Thundershirt, pheromone and calming chews, may be all that is necessary to help your dog eventually lose their fear of fireworks.
