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 New Year’s Eve 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 a tag 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 help calm your dog down, reduce anxiety during fireworks, and help you and your family.
Top 5 Tips
1. Get Lots of Exercise the Day Of
- Unlike thunderstorms, you usually know when fireworks are coming
- Try and exercise your dog before the fireworks start, that way they will have less pent up nervous energy when the fireworks start going off before the fireworks start, that way they will have less pent up nervous energy when the fireworks start going off
2. Take Short Trips to Fun Destinations
- If your dog’s anxiety with the car comes from them thinking a car ride = a vet visit, take them on fun, short trips. This can help them to disassociate the car with negative emotions
- Consider driving to visit a dog park, or driving to go for a walk / hike
3. Bring Along Some of Their Favourite Things
- Bring a toy, or their favourite blanket on the trip
- Bonus points if the blanket smells like their best friend – YOU
- These items can help to provide comfort, and a distraction for your anxious pup
4. Try out a ThunderShirt
- A ThunderShirt applies constant, gentle pressure around a dog’s torso (like a hug!, in order to help them feel calm and safe).
- The ThunderShirt can help reduce your dog’s anxiety, having already helped over a millions of dogs
5. 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 may be all that is necessary to help your dog eventually lose their fear of fireworks.
Success Stories
“Our Blue Girl is DEATHLY afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks, loud motorcycles, ANYTHING that makes a loud noise. The ThunderShirt works so well – I truly believe it is the BEST thing that money can buy. It works BETTER than the Xanax. Thank you!”
“ThunderShirt is one of the best products ever invented. It has changed Katie’s life and mine – For the better. She sleeps through storms and fireworks. I have been able to substitute her ThunderShirt for sedatives! Again, we cannot thank you enough for this wonderful product!”
“My Yorkie was a total wreck during fireworks. The results are nothing short of amazing! She is like a totally different animal! No fear what so ever. ThunderShirt is the best thing to come along since sliced bread.”