New Year’s Eve is coming and the fireworks make the night even more exciting! Unfortunately, dogs won’t be so happy. Fireworks are stressful for our four-legged friends. One of the most obvious reasons is given by the fact that our friends are endowed with a decidedly more refined hearing than the human one and, consequently, simply high noises for humans can be completely unbearable for the animals.
Frightened by loud noises, as well as by flashes of light due to pyrotechnic displays, animals can manifest great discomfort. It is estimated that over 50% of owners report that fireworks cause obvious distress in their animals. Although the situation has improved in recent years thanks to the commitment of vets and owners, still more than half of our animals are afraid of fireworks. Not surprisingly, it is precisely on New Year that we report the most frequent losses of dogs and cats, ready to take advantage of an escape from the garden in the desperate search for a place to protect themselves.
As demonstrated by the improvements achieved, there are many things we can do to keep them calmer and safer.
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Why is the Dog Afraid of Fireworks?
It is completely normal for a dog to be afraid of loud noises. In the most serious cases, their survival instinct leads them to run away, hide, bark, drool, tremble and even break objects.
There are three main reasons why dogs are afraid of fireworks, firecrackers, etc:
- Genetics: fear is one of the characteristics that a puppy can inherit from its mother. The predisposition to this behavior can cause problems related to fear.
- Trauma: a negative experience, not necessarily linked to the fireworks, but perhaps to loud noise, can cause trauma in the dog that will have for life.
- Socialization: if the dog has not been used to any kind of loud noise during the socialization phase (between 3 weeks and 3 months) it is likely that it behaves negatively or is afraid the first time it hears the fireworks.
However, the fear of fireworks in dogs can occur even if there have been no negative experiences in the past, if the socialization took place correctly and if the dog is used to loud and annoying noises. Some diseases or the loss of some senses (blindness, deafness, …) can promote the appearance of fears and phobias.
Remember that if your dog is afraid of many things, not just fireworks, the best thing to do would be to consult a professional to find out if there is any behavioral problem to deal with.
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How to Protect Your Dog During Fireworks
Our reaction to dog behavior plays a fundamental role in the development of phobias. If when there are fireworks you run away with him, caress him and calm him constantly, you are reinforcing the dog’s behavior without realizing it. If you try to calm him, it is as if you are saying that he has reason to be afraid and his fear will be more and more rooted in him.
The best reaction you can have is to behave normally as much as possible, trying to ignore the fearful attitude taken by the dog. You must not caress it, touch it or reward it if it is nervous, excited or hyperactive.
We would like to point out that fear is an emotion and emotions cannot be strengthened, unlike behavior. Avoid therefore the behaviors that push the dog to be nervous and caress him and reward him if he is good and calm.
If you do not have time to carry out awareness-raising sessions, you can follow some tips on the days when there are fireworks. You can use the same advice even if the dog is afraid of other loud noises, such as thunder.
These 5 points will help you know how to calm a dog that is afraid of fireworks or loud noises:
- Do not leave your dog outdoor, on the terrace, tied to the chain or in the garden to avoid that, in a panic, he ends up injuring himself seriously even in an attempt to escape. During recurrences or events in which fireworks are expected to explode, it is strongly recommended to keep our four-legged friends safe, including those used to living in the garden, between the four walls.
- Don’t leave it alone. The dog could react badly and have some domestic accident because, beyond damaged or broken objects or furniture, it could put itself in dangerous situations. Being at his side will make him feel calmer.
- Isolate external noise. It is also desirable to dampen the explosion of the fireworks by lowering the blinds or closing the shutters and keeping the television or radio turned on at a sufficiently high volume, preferably with relaxing music on.
- Set up a nest. Choose the most peaceful place in the house to build a “nest” where the dog can take refuge, preferably away from windows and street noise. It must be a dark and comfortable place, so use blankets and pillows to make it. To start making him familiar with this shelter, build it a few days earlier than when there will be fireworks and work with positive reinforcement. Always compliment the dog when he gets inside. Remember to never force it. In this quiet place, food and water should not be missing so that he does not have to move into the house to go and look for them.
- Amuse him. Even if some dogs refuse to eat and play in moments like this, you can give them a bone or their favorite toys.
Following these tips, you will isolate the dog from the surrounding environment, calming it and making it feel safe despite the noise. Remember that if your dog is afraid of fireworks, you will have to prevent children and strangers from touching or disturbing it because it could react negatively.
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How to Help Your Dog Overcome his Fears
If you have time before the holidays, you can try to follow a gradual systematic desensitization procedure that will help you get the dog used to lights, noises, and fireworks. You will have to start putting it into practice between 1 and 3 months before the event.
This learning mechanism is indicated to defeat various types of phobias and fears of different kinds but must be put into practice slowly and cautiously. We advise you not to follow this method if the dog has an aggressive or unexpected reaction when he hears the fireworks. To help the dog overcome the fear, follow these tips.
- Choose a positive reinforcement for the dog. Since you will be raising awareness through positive reinforcement, you will have to choose a type that is always within reach. In general, a handful of biscuits for dogs are great. Always choose something that the dog likes.
- Relax the dog. Before starting the awareness session, you need to prepare your dog to be calm and relaxed to help him accept the stimulus you want to get used to. To do this, you can do a searching game, which consists of spreading the chosen pieces of food on the ground. The dog will be distracted by looking for food and sniffing around. This will help him relax and feel better. Caresses, kisses and a positive attitude are fundamental.
- Play a video with fireworks. It is important not to put the volume at maximum because it could cause fear and confusion in the dog. Choose a video in which the fireworks are heard but at low volume, almost imperceptible.
- Use searching and video for 5 minutes. Spread pieces of food on the ground so that the dog continues to look for it and does not concentrate only on the noise of the fireworks. Don’t try to caress it or reward it, but let it be distracted because you associate the fireworks with an exquisite reward. After 5 minutes, turn off the video or audio and do as if nothing happened. Keep a calm and peaceful attitude.
- Be patient. Probably the first time the dog will still be scared and wary and you will not be able to make him relax 100%. Remember that the process will be slow and you will notice improvements only with time.
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The secret of raising awareness is to follow the procedure for the time your dog needs: a week, fifteen days, a month … Time is not important, what matters is noticing improvements in the dog and noticing it quiet and at ease.
The sessions should last 5 minutes so as not to overload and over-stimulate the dog. being a gradual process, it will take time and patience on your part. Finally, we recommend that you stop the session if you observe aggressive, altered or inappropriate dog behavior.
In the most serious cases, in which in addition to fear, appear diarrhea, panic, vomiting, and anorexia, it may be appropriate to give drugs to the dog. Consult your vet to find out whether it is appropriate to use anxiolytics or other types of drugs. It would be better to try them a few months earlier to be sure they have no side effects.
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