Keep Your Dogs Happy This Bonfire Season

This time of year can be very distressing for our furry friends. Whether this is your first year together or you’re remembering the fear and issues from previous years, we’ve put together a list of tips to ensure that you do everything you can to maintain a happy dog this bonfire season.

Looking out for signs of anxiousness

It’s useful to know what anxiety looks like in your dog as once you’re aware of this you can take early action into managing their behaviour and keeping them calm.

Common signs of anxiety in dogs are:

• Hiding
• Salivating
• Pacing
• Panting
• Restlessness
• Running Away
• Flattened Ears
• Loss of Appetite
• Lack of Focus

Knowing the firework timeframes

In the UK there are 3 periods in which fireworks can legally be bought for private use and those are:

• 15^th October – 10^th November (Halloween and Bonfire Night)
• 26^th – 31^st December (New Year)
• 3 days before Diwali (Oct/Nov) and Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb)

It pays to know the dates in which fireworks will be set off so that you can prepare your furry buddy prior to the occasions.

Create positive associations and a safe space for your pet

To prepare your dog for the firework periods, it’s possible to try and get them familiar with the noise beforehand or create a positive association with the noise. To do this, you’ll have to gradually expose them to low levels of the noise or something similar alongside playing their favourite game or treat. Slowly increase the volume as long as your dog is still behaving normally. As soon as you spot any signs of fear from them, stop immediately and resume at a lower level another time and try the process again.

Making sure they have a safe space is also possibly the most important aspect of supporting them through the distressing time. By creating a safe space, it allows them to have a place to go when they feel anxious which they associate with comfort and relaxation.

You may have noticed that they have a particular spot they go to when they are frightened so use this and simply add familiar bedding and their favourite toys to make it feel as cosy and comforting as possible. Using play and rewards within that safe space is a way to build positive associations with the safe space and will further help to reduce their anxiety when fireworks go off.

Using calming aids

You can introduce calming aids about 2 weeks before the firework season. There are a range of different calming products you can get hold of to help reduce your dog’s anxiety. We recommend the Calming Sprays from the Pet Remedy range. These sprays include a blend of natural ingredients and essential oils which help to calm the nerves of anxious or stressed pets.

How to help during the fireworks

When the fireworks are going off make sure to keep windows shut and blinds and curtains closed. Turn on the TV or play calming music to muffle the noise of the fireworks outside as much as possible. Adding extra blankets or blowing a fan around your pets’ safe space, if possible, is also a good idea to block out the noise even further.

If they start showing signs of anxiety, make sure to catch it early and try distracting them with their favourite game or toy.

Once the fireworks are over, make sure to give your dog some space and allow them to calm down and come out of their safe space when they’re ready. A healthy treat can be a good motivator to tempt them back out. Make sure to smother them with love and reassurance once they have returned to their normal state.

We hope this blog has been helpful. Let us know in the comments if you have any other tips or tricks that you do with your own furry friend each bonfire season.