30/10/2024
Some great advice from Purple Pup to help your dog if they’re worried by fireworks 💕🐶💕
Sometimes, your safe space is actually a person, not a place. 💜 Random huge bangs this evening. Pepper would usually choose to go into Megan's room, rather than stay in the lounge with us, but she chose to squish up with Megan, instead. 🥰
She's really not a fan. But, though we get a few signs of discomfort (whale eye, a yawn or two, the odd nose lick), she's come such a long way from the shivering, inconsolable wreck she once was, running from place to place, panting and crying, trying to dig her way out of the house, or trying to squeeze herself behind a wardrobe. 🙏
The very first thing we did to make things easier for her was to help her find her safe space. She seemed to prefer Megan's room, so we made it a proper cosy den for her, with blankets to burrow into. We also play reggae music for her. And we spray some diluted lavender/chamomile essential oils around the room. 😴
Wherever she is, Pepper generally lifts her head and just listens at the first bang. If there's a second bang, she heads directly for Megan's room. And one of us will put the music on and hang out with her. Sometimes, she'll ask for physical contact, mostly she's just happy with our company. 😊
But, bless her heart, she tried hard to ignore the intermittent bangs earlier: What was that? Oh, it's nothing, I can settle back down to snoozing..." Until the fourth, stupidly loud, bang, at which Pepper got off the sofa, thought about heading to her usual safe place, then decided to curl up back in the sofa with Megan. And melted my heart! 🥰
For anyone struggling to help their fearful dog at this time of year, please know there are still a few things you can try for now, and more still that you can put in place for the future:
👍 In the shorter term, it's worth looking at medication, on prescription from a vet for serious cases, especially where a dog is at risk of hurting themselves.
👍 Or more natural products known to help them relax, like DorWest's Valerian Compound, CBD Oil for dogs, or a plug-in diffuser like Pet Remedy.
👌 Performing natural behaviours like sniffing, digging, chewing, shredding, scavenging and problem-solving, will help soothe their minds and bodies. The release of things like seratonin and dopamine are the most natural medication of all!
👍 Some dogs feel better with a thundershirt or other body wrap, perhaps even a snuggly drying robe, a much-loved jumper or comfy hooded PJs.
👍 I think dogs benefit from our presence, even if they don't want to engage with us.
👍 I really think it helps if we stay calm and totally unbothered ourselves, perhaps simply acknowledging 'those silly humans making such a ridiculous noise'. Not fussing about the noise, but obviously reassuring and comforting them in whatever way helps them feel better.
👎 I really *don't* think loud music helps! I mean, their hearing is super sensitive, they can likely hear things from miles away. Adding loud music is probably just adding insult to injury.
👍 But music at a reasonable level, music *you* love, that you find relaxing or joyful. That always lifts the mood in the room. That can't hurt. 🤷♀️
Or you could try classical, reggae and jazz, all of which are believed to help dogs relax.
And, over time, you can 'condition' any kind of music to trigger good feelings for your dog. 👌
My heart goes out to all the dogs, and their humans, who are struggling at this time of year. ❤️
I know how really awful it is not to be able to console your sad, anxious, fearful or panic-stricken dog. But I promise there are lots of things worth trying and many of them can be used in combination, layered up for maximum positive impact. 💪
With the right combination of things it's definitely possible to take the edge off, to at least tone things down a bit. Maybe even move from a totally terrifying, end-of-the-entire-world scenario, to a reasonably tolerable not-exactly-my-favourite kind of thing. 🐾💜
