Taking care of your pets this Firework season

The season that many of us dog owners fear the most is upon us and I wanted to share my thoughts on how best to navigate this tricky time of year.

Fireworks can be a problem for so many dogs across the UK (and abroad!) Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to own dog’s who weren’t sensitive to this kind of noise however I’m acutely aware of the distress it causes both dogs and you as their owners.

Firstly, if your dog has developed a sudden sensitivity to loud noises (such as fireworks) without a traumatic event occurring, you may want to get them checked out as this behaviour change can be a symptom of the development of an underlying pain issue (Lopes Fagundes et al., 2018).

If however this has been an ongoing issue, there are things that can be done to try and support and comfort the animal. Many trainers use methods like counter conditions, so adding something positive to a negative stimulus – in this case fireworks.

This has to be done throughout the year, done incrementally and with the support of a trained professional. There can be problems with this technique as dogs are intelligent creatures and recognise sounds in the home are very different to sounds outside. They can also learn the pattern of a recorded fireworks, real fireworks are random and as such if you are using this technique ensure you use random recordings. The other issue with recordings are they only address one sense, sound, they cannot replicate the smell of gunpower in the air when fireworks are let off. This therefore can be a secondary trigger, as the smell is paired with the noise in the dogs mind.

If you are going to work with someone, make sure they are aware of how to help effectively and experienced with this issue.

In the meantime, there are things you can do for your dog to help them cope better.

· Before nightfall make sure your dog is walked, having a walk in the day and being tired may help them settle later.

· Draw curtains and blinds, turn on lights so contrasting flashes are minimised

· Have the TV or radio on if you normally do so

· Make sure your garden is secure or take your dog on the lead in the garden if they do need the toilet. Both fireworks and the animals response can be unpredictable.

· If your dog has a known hiding spot make sure its readily available and comfortable for them, try and make it so the flashes can’t be seen in this location and have some background noise to help drown out the bangs.

· If they do not have a hiding spot, allow the dog to sit with you, be as normal as possible as they sense your anxiety as well. Stroke them and let them be as close as they require, they are looking for reassurance but try and be as normal with them as possible.

· If your dog has a sensitivity to the gunpower smell try a scented candle (do not leave candles unattended) or a dog friendly diffuser like lavender or camomile, this can also have a calming effect on the pet.

Finally, if you have cats, try and keep them indoors if you can. Alternatively set up a shelter for them in the garden, think of other pets that might also be affected (rabbits, guinea pigs etc.), you may want to consider moving them inside or to a protected area where they may feel more secure.

I know this time of year can be distressing but it will pass, stay safe everyone.

Lopes Fagundes, A. L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K. J., Zulch, H., & Mills, D. S. (2018). Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00017