Keeping your pet calm on Bonfire Night or during fireworks events can be challenging, as many animals are sensitive to loud noises and bright lights. You may see your dog scared of fireworks shaking, which is an upsetting sight to see.
Luckily these types of events only happen a couple of times a year (if you’re lucky!), but we as dog parents, need to navigate how to keep our pup safe and calm during these events!
Here are some tips on how to calm a dog during fireworks.
1. Create a Safe Space
Prepare a safe and comfortable area where your pet can retreat to. This can be a quiet room, a crate, or a designated space where they feel secure.
Make sure this space is away from windows and doors to minimize exposure to fireworks noise and flashes.
2. Use Calming Products
Consider using calming pheromone diffusers, sprays, or collars designed for pets. These can help reduce anxiety.
Here at HWL Pet Supplies, we sell our very own calming spray for dogs called Zen Dog. This product is perfect to calm down and relax your pet whilst they are exposed to load noises and bright lights.
You simply spray the solution directly on your dogs’ neck and collar or on the dogs’ bed, blanket to relieve their stress. It contains the popular ingredient, Valerian; some dog owners explore the use of Valerian to help with anxiety or stress-related issues.
3. Use White Noise or Music
Play soothing music or use white noise machines to drown out the sound of fireworks. Classical or calming music can help mask the noise and create a more relaxing environment for your pet. We'd also recommend that you play firework sounds to ensure your dog is fully accustomed to hearing the loud noise, so then it will become normalised once bonfire night comes around.
Alongside Zen Dog, we have decided to create our own dog calming playlist, where we’ve selected songs comprising of classical, soft piano and reggae musical genres. We chose these based on research conducted, where these genres proved to be more effective in calming dogs in numerous settings.
You can view our free dog calming playlist below:
Available on Apple music and Spotify.
4. Provide Comfort
Offer your pet familiar blankets, toys, and bedding in their safe space. Familiar scents can help them feel secure.
5. Stay With Them
If possible, stay with your pet during fireworks displays. Your presence can provide comfort and reassurance. This way you can keep an eye on them and monitor how they are.
6. Keep Them Inside
Ensure your pet is indoors well before the fireworks begin. Keep all doors and windows closed to prevent them from escaping if they get scared.
7. Keep Identification
Make sure your pet has proper identification, such as a collar with an ID tag and a microchip with up-to-date contact information. In case they do escape, this will help reunite you with them.
8. Exercise Earlier In The Day
Give your pet plenty of exercise earlier in the day to tire them out. A tired pet is less likely to be as anxious during the evening and will hopefully settle them.
9. Feeding Schedule
Avoid feeding your pet a large meal just before fireworks are expected. A full stomach might increase discomfort if they are anxious and could make them queasy and more likely to be sick.
10. Seek Professional Advice:
If your pet's anxiety during fireworks is severe and persistent, consult with a veterinarian or a professional animal behaviourist for guidance and potential behaviour modification strategies. They could offer prescribing your dog anxiety medication or sedative medicines.
Thank you for reading our article touching upon ways you can help calm your dog during bonfire night. Let us know your experiences, and if you have any tips we've missed out?
Article written by Hayden Lloyd - Founder HWL Pet Supplies Limited
