During the 4th of July, many towns and cities across the United States celebrate with a fireworks display. While they are truly a wonderful sight for humans, they can be stress-inducing for many puppies, dogs, and other pets! Here’s what you need to know about keeping your puppy calm and safe during fireworks.
During the 4th of July, more pets go missing than on any other holiday. In fact, according to PetAmberAlert (a lost pet finder service that helps reunite lost pets with their families), animal control officials across the nation report a surge of up to 30-60% of lost pet reports.
And this statistic encompasses more than just pets that go missing during fireworks displays. 4th of July also brings more outdoor activities, travel, house parties, and BBQs ultimately increasing the potential for dogs to accidentally runoff.
1. Why are puppies and dogs afraid of fireworks?
Pups who are generally afraid of loud noises such as thunder will most likely be susceptible to being anxious with fireworks. The smell, sounds and flashing lights can pose sensory overloads for our puppies.
It’s good to understand beforehand if your puppy does exhibit anxiety, especially around loud noises. Some physical behaviors to look out for can include shivering, tucking their tail between their hind legs, and large bulging eyes also called whale eyes.
By preparing beforehand, especially with a nervous puppy or a new puppy that has never experienced fireworks before, can make a world of difference! So how do you keep your puppy calm during fireworks? Through desensitization, creating a safe space, providing comfort, planning for emergency situations, and more precautions you will be ready to keep your puppy calm, happy, and safe during the festivities!
2. Prep Your Puppy’s I.D.
We can’t stress enough that before any fireworks displays in your area, make sure that even if your puppy remains at home, their tags are all up to date and secure to their collar. If they are microchipped, double-check that the listed contact information, address, and veterinarian information are all in order. Intense sounds such as fireworks can instigate the primal flight instinct in many dogs, causing them to do whatever it takes to flee an area and look for safety. In the event that your puppy does run away and try to hide, having these simple IDs will increase the chances of your puppy being found and returned to you!
3. Start Desensitization Training Early On
The Puppy Academy student, Makai!
An effective method to help your puppy learn not to fear fireworks, and other loud abrupt noises is through desensitization training. Professional puppy training classes like at our school in Hermosa Beach or our online puppy training program will provide a variety of effective training techniques you can practice at home to help with desensitization. There are also a variety of videos and sound loops available online that will play common household appliance noises, street noises, waste management trucks, construction, thunder and lightning, and fireworks all to help your puppy learn to feel comfortable around these sounds. At an early age, start playing these sound loops for your puppy softly in the background and monitor how your puppy responds.
Pro tip: Practicing easy training routines such as Sit, Stay, or Down, while these sounds play in the background, provides a helpful distraction to keep your pup’s focus on you and training instead of the sounds. If they are remaining calm during the low sounds, you can give them treats to help them build confidence and learn that the sound is not a threat. Gradually you can start to increase the volume on the sounds and continue this training process.
Desensitization takes time and patience so it’s important to begin doing this far in advance and build on your puppy’s exposure gradually prior to the 4th of July or other activities.
4. Keep Your Puppy Away from Fireworks
As much as we want to include our puppies in all our festivities, it is more fair to your pup and safer for them to remain at home, where they can be comfortable and monitored under the care of a family member or pet sitter. Having your puppy with you around fireworks can put them under unneeded stress and anxiety, and increase the chances of them getting loose and running away.
5. Create a Safe Place For Your Puppy at Home
The safest place for your puppy during fireworks is indoors, at home. Many puppies will instinctively seek out tight-fitting spaces when they are anxious, like under the bed, couch, or between furniture. If you’ve already crate trained your puppy, their crate can provide a great safe escape from the commotion. You can make the space even more comfortable for them by covering their crate to blackout the flashing lights and even playing white noise to block out the sounds from the fireworks.
6. Exercise and Walk Your Puppy Before Fireworks
The Puppy Academy students, Hobbes, Beni, and Duke!
Another great way to help keep your puppy calm during fireworks is to give your puppy enough time to walk, play, and do their business prior to the fireworks! By providing your puppy activity prior to the fireworks, you’re helping to stimulate their brain which in turn will help get them tired and make it easier for them to settle down.
Take your puppy for a walk or have outdoor playtime with them while it's still daylight, to reduce the risk of fireworks startling your puppy while you're still outdoors. If your puppy needs to go out to potty when it's dark, keep them on leash to take them out and ensure their harness, leash, and your yard are all secured in case your pup tries to dash! Try to settle your puppy down in their crate before the fireworks start so they have some quiet time to really calm down, get comfortable, and feel safe.
7. Secure the All the Exits of Your Home
Make sure to double-check that all entrances and exits (doors, gates, fences, windows, etc.) are securely closed and locked. Anxious puppies will seek out shelter from the noise and can easily bolt out of an open exit if left unchecked. Pups have even been known to tear through screen doors and jump over backyard fences to escape in a panicked state, so take the steps to make sure your home is as secure as possible before fireworks even begin.
8. Minimize Your Puppy’s Exposure to Fireworks
Keep your puppy calm during fireworks by blocking out as much visibility and sound to the fireworks as possible. As we mentioned earlier, you can block out the fireworks flashing lights by covering your pup’s crate with towels or blankets, and you can lower the shades in the room to minimize the light coming in. Creating a “zen room” for your puppy in a separate room of the house that can be closed off to reduce outside noise, and has their crate in there for extra security and comfort, can be a great help for this! Playing white noise, like the TV, fan, or other sounds like calming music can help keep your puppy calm during fireworks.
9. Provide Your Puppy with Comfort
@pebblespawfestlife
Your presence or that of a trusted person will provide your puppy with a world of confidence and help keep your puppy calm during fireworks and other loud noises! Help your puppy cope with their anxiety by just sitting with them nearby, or practicing some easy commands with them to get their mind working on something positive! Avoid coddling or over-petting your puppy, which can feed into their fear and anxiety. Instead, if you want to praise your pup for doing good, use an upbeat tone and use single clear words, as if you’re in training mode, like “Good!”, which can be accompanied by a treat or a quick pat of affection!
10. Talk to Your Veterinarian and a Puppy Trainer
If your pup has already exhibited severe anxiety due to loud noises like fireworks, there are some great natural remedies that can help soothe their anxiety if your veterinarian thinks it may be beneficial for them to try. Non-medicinal tools like thunder shirts or using weighted blankets have also been effective at helping some anxious puppies remain calm during fireworks.
Of course, building your puppy’s confidence first is the most effective way to help them keep calm during fireworks! Consult a puppy trainer who can help work both you and your puppy through some desensitization and confidence-building training!
Our online puppy school provides classes to help puppy owners teach their puppies with controlled and safe methods to feel comfortable around new environments and sounds.
HAVING PUPPY TRAINING PROBLEMS? GRAB YOUR OWN PUPPYHOOD MADE EASY BLUEPRINT!
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