10 Tips To Keep Your Dog Calm Around Fireworks 🎆

Guess what we're doing today? Apparently, we're jumping in the pool with our 4th of July collars on. Alright! You know, that's a thing! So, here in the states, 4th of July is right around the corner. Which most of you know, means barbecues, fun with friends and families, parades and well... Fireworks! So today, we wanted to go back to our roots and do an old school, outside, gone to the snow dogs video and give you some tips and tricks to help those of you who have pets that freak out with fireworks. Tip number one, prepare early. What I mean by that, is take your dog for a walk before the fireworks start. Physical and mental exercise can really help make them more tired, which can help them to remain calm. Go for a walk, take them swimming, play with some toys, do some puzzle treat toys. Anything you can do to keep them active before the fireworks start, will help keep them calm. You really want to do this before dark, because that's usually when fireworks start. And if you're in an area where they go off all day long, try to have indoor activities planned instead. Get those Kongs, stuff them full of stuff. If you guys need some Kong treat recipes, I'll put some down in the video description below. Stick them in the freezer and have them ready for fireworks day. Tip number two, calming things. Yes, I said things, because there are more than just calming treats that can help your pets. Calming treats can be helpful for some dogs. There's hemp based, there's CBD based. There's a lot of different calming treats out there that can help kind of chill your dogs out a little bit and help them be more relaxed. But there are also things like pheromone sprays, diffusers and collars that can help pets as well. Thundershirts are another thing you can try. Some dogs react really well to thundershirts. They're almost like a body wrap for your dogs. And for some reason, they really do help some dogs out. So, these are just some of the calming things you can try to do. Tip number three, make a safe room. Choose a room or an area in your house to be the safe room for your pets. That way, they can use this whether you are home or you're not home. You want to darken the room, close all the windows and shades, turn on the radio or the TV. You just really want this to be a calm, chill area. Kind of like giving them a hiding place. And within this room, you can give them a hiding place. Build a blanket fort for your dog. Or if you use a kennel, cover the kennel with a blanket. Just to give them a little bit more of that dark area. The blankets can also dampen the sounds from outside as well. Dogs do feel safer in den like areas. So, these things really can help. Also, don't react to the sounds yourself. If you're constantly reacting, your dog is going to feel that as well. And if you can't be there with your pets during fireworks, having a camera to be able to check in on them with a two way talk system, so you can talk to them, can help them as well. I like the treat tossing cameras. Cause that can give them another little distraction. If you're not home and you can see that they're panicking, you can toss them some treats. Those usually work with really food motivated dogs. Tip number four. Tags and microchips. So, this tip won't help keep your dog calm, but it can help keep your dog safe. Make sure that your dog has updated tags and an updated microchip. Because in the case that your dog does get spooked and manages to get loose, you want to have a way for people to be able to contact you to get your pets back to you. So, make sure that information is up to date. Tip number five. Talk to your vet. Now, by today it might be a little bit too late for this, but talk to your vet. There might be something that they can give your dog to help take the edge off, if nothing else you are trying is helping. Your vets really are there to help you and they may have more advice. Tip number six. Desensitize your dogs. This is something that so many people just don't even bother to try. You can treat firework phobia in dogs. This way they don't have to suffer through the fireworks year after year after year. You can talk to your vet about this and if they can't help or they don't have advice, I advise reaching out to a dog trainer or a dog behaviorist. I actually had a very dear friend of mine who passed away this year, who was very successful in helping hundreds of dogs become desensitized to fireworks and thunderstorms. It takes a lot of hard work, but it can be done and it might be something you want to start working on before next year. Tip number seven. Stay calm. I know I said it earlier, but this is extremely important. You need to stay calm. Don't flinch or move or react every time you hear a firework in anticipation that your dog is going to react, because they will react to you reacting. If you can be home with them, turn on that movie, get in your blanket fort and just be there for them. Tip number eight. The buddy system. Now the buddy system is something that I recently learned about and I think it can help some dogs. If your dog has a buddy, a doggy friend that they play with from time to time who is not reactive to fireworks, see if they can hang out together. Dogs also learn from each other, so if one dog is really chill and could care less, the reactive dog sometimes becomes more relaxed seeing their friend be calm. We actually found out during Eleanor's first big thunderstorm that she was confused as to what was happening, but she really watched what Memphis and Kira were doing and within a few minutes she just calmed down and was fine with it. So we're hoping the same thing happens with her first firework experience. I think having one of your dog's non-reactive friends over could be something you could try. Tip number nine. Go for a drive. Some dogs absolutely love car rides so much that just going for a drive during the peak of fireworks can actually help them out. You of course want to drive away from the fireworks displays. You want to make sure that your dog is safely secured so they can't get loose. Drive around with the radio on to dampen any sounds. Use your calming chews. Use your calming spray inside the car. I have actually had some friends that this has worked better for them than anything else, so it might be worth a try. Tip number ten. Be patient. I know it's hard when your dogs are scared and it can be really frustrating because you just want to help them, but be patient with your dogs. It's hard work to get a dog used to things that they're scared of, but with patience and hard work I really do believe you can get there. What other tips do you guys have for keeping your dogs calm during fireworks? Do your dogs love them? Do they hate them? Leave some comments down below of what you do in these situations because you never know who you're going to help in the Pawdience as we read through the comments together. Hopefully these tips can help you have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Oh, and happy Canada Day the other day to our neighbors to the north. Alright you guys, that's all we have for you today. Thanks so much for watching. Thanks for subscribing. Stay positive, dream big and we will see you again soon. Happy Fourth of July from all of us here at Gone to the Snow Dogs.