Everyone wants celebrations, and some celebrate it with fireworks. Events like New Year or the 4th of July are often marked with colorful illuminations in the sky, but your canine companion may not be a fan of these. Read more about the traditions of fireworks in the 4th of July in this site here.
For dogs, fireworks and sudden loud noises can be very frightening. Their stress levels go up, and they will likely go into a corner and hide for the rest of the night. Other canines can develop aggression and begin barking their heads off.
If you want to know how to stop your dog from having anxiety attacks during the happiest days of the year, here are some tips that you can follow.
How to Reduce the Anxiety of your Dog
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Avoid Letting them Go Outside if the Fireworks are about to Go
You may want to distract your pet and take him into a long walk before it gets dark. For New Year celebrations, the explosions will usually happen at 11 pm, but this can be extended to midnight.
If your pet is already tired before dark and has already done their toilet walk, they might not have to deal with sudden loud noises that can be grating to their nerves. You can gradually introduce this new routine a few days before New Year, so your pet will get used to it.
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CBD Oil Can Help
CBD or cannabidiol oil is known to have therapeutic effects for your canine. You can know more about them on sites like https://pethempcompany.com/blogs/holidays/what-can-i-give-my-dog-for-fireworks-anxiety to get more information about this product. CBD is known to help stop seizures, anxiety, panic attacks, distress, and a lot more in dogs.
You can provide relief from anxiety to your dog, and they will become calmer as you celebrate Independence Day. You can give them two drops of tinctures an hour before the fireworks so that their digestive system will fully absorb the oil and help calm some of their receptors in the body. The dosage can differ depending on your pet’s size and weight, so you might want to check charts and labels so that you’ll know about the right dose to administer.
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Create a Safe Place for them to Hide
If your pet’s anxiousness is unavoidable, you should give them a space in your home where they can hide. You can drape your tables with blankets or cover crates. You should not lock your canine to the crate so that they won’t become more stressed.
They should be able to go in and out of their safe place whenever they choose to. A place to hide will give them some peace of mind that nothing can touch them. You can also turn on the radio or television near their crates to reduce the noise’s impact. Play classical music and turn up the volume of sounds if they are okay with it.
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Cover the Windows or Draw the Curtains
If your canines’ safe place is inside your room, you can close the curtains so that they won’t see the lights. Dogs are not just stressed with the loud sounds of the fireworks; some are also scared of the flashes of light across the sky. You can leave the views inside your room to minimize the impact of sudden bursts.
If they are outside, you can cover their houses or use your shed as temporary shelters. This way, they won’t be too stressed with too many lights that appear everywhere. You can also play with flashlights in your room and show them that the illuminations are not harmful so that they can deal better with fireworks.
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Show them that Fireworks Don’t Affect You
If your canine sees that you are not affected by the fireworks, they might learn to calm down and start behaving positively. If you follow your canine too much or show lots of affection, they might feel confused and nervous.
You can try to reassure them and make them watch fireworks while you are beside them. Let them play with their favorite toys but behave as generally as you could. If you have a sudden change of behavior, your dog may get anxious, and you don’t want this to happen.