01/11/2020
Its that time of year again, the time most pawrents dread... 💥🎆🎇
Each year seems to be getting worse with the amount of fireworks being let off and more animals suffering from anxiety due to it. Here are some of my tips to help get through this stressful time with your pets.
1)Dont let them see you panic. This is probably one of the most important points, as animals pick up on our emotions. As their care givers its our responsibility to show them its not so scary, even baby talking them can make them pick up on your anxity. Console them yes of course but dont make a big deal out of it, talk softly and calmly reassuring them theres nothing to worry about.
2)Exercise and feed them before the fireworks start, this way they should be tired and would have eaten something as Most dogs struggle to eat and drink when scared.
3)Crerate a safe space/den. Make it dark and comfy, add a blanket or something with your scent on, as it is known to give them some comfort.
4)Remove visual stimulation, close your curtains and turn down the lights. This will easy some anxiety as they dont need to focus on so much going on.
5)Mask the sound of the loud and unexpected bangs by playing music, classical is good for calming pets down or there are specially made playlist on spotify and youtube. Find a volume that they are ok with, too loud and you could be making things worse
6) Give them a long lasting chew (if they will eat) just before the fireworks start- You will have a better chance getting them interested in something before to pair the fireworks with something nice. You could even try a play session and start getting them engaged in something before they get too scared, especially with young dogs as this can help desensitise them to the sound/event.
7) Try and fill you home or the room the pet is with aromatherapy smells. lavender, mint, vanilla or some of the calming spays and plug-ins you can get from a pet shop. (mixed reviews on this one but every dog is different)
8)Massage them, Just like us some dogs enjoy a good massage to relax their mussels. Have them lie down either on the floor or on you and gently rub their mussels on their legs, back,neck and shoulders. Dont force them though, some dogs wont like it, you should know what your dog is comfortable with and where they do and do not like being touched.
9) Anxiety wraps or thunder shirts. these work by adding pressure to the dogs torso causing an calming effect, that similar to swaddling a crying baby. You can pick these up at a shop or create one your self using bandages r even a scarf. (if you are interested in making one yourself drop me a message and i can show you a step by step in making one for your dog out of a scarf or bandage)
10)Have a talk with your vet for some anxiety medication if none of these tips help.
11) sock muffler- this is where you cut the end of a sock and put the sock over the dogs head covering their ears( make sure its not too tight) it helps them feel comforted like the thunder shirt technique but also helps muffle the sounds.
one more important thing to remember is to make sure you dogs microchip is up to date and they are wearing an id disk with your contact details on, just in case they manage to escape.
If there is anything you have found that helps calm your dog down and i have not listed, Drop it in the comments to help other dog pawrents like yourself. We are all in this together.💙
