Fireworks & Bonfire Night tips for your dog

For many owners, this is their dog's first Bonfire night and so are either unsure or have yet to test their desensitising protocol on the real thing. The point is to not make a big deal out the situation; dogs can sense when you are worried and tense and will mirror you. Having a plan in place will help with reducing your anxiety and therefore help your dog. I'd rather go overboard with preparations and it be ok than be unprepared.

If you have a dog who fears fireworks, it is a bit too late to work on desensitising and counter conditioning their fear to a more positive outlook. While some dogs, such as collies, are inherently noise sensitive and no amount of training will resolve their phobia. Noise phobia and sound sensitivity also have close links to pain, and any dog that has a sudden change in behaviour needs to be checked out.

Even if your dog has not shown any previous fear of fireworks, that does not mean they will not develop one in the future. A sensitivity to fireworks can develop 2-3 years after puppyhood once your dog has hit full maturity. But the most common way dogs can develop this fear is from being caught out on a walk or while having a wee in the garden and a rogue firework being let off nearby.

So, what can you do now to help them through this time of the year?

Before The Night:

• Take your dogs out for a nice long walk during daylight hours, but don't panic if you can't a day off from walking isn't going to hurt them and you can keep them busy with alternatives.
  

• Have their meal ready in a selection of puzzle feeders and plenty of chew toys to occupy their evening.
  

• Create and nice cosy space for your dog to retreat to if they wish. You can make a nest of blankets or cover their crate. Thick blankets and pillows and duvets can muffle the noise and make a crate or den space more soundproof.
  

• There are a selection of medications that could be used on fearful dogs to keep them calm, consult your vet to learn more.
  

• Some people swear by thunder shirts or a body wrap, personally I've never had anything like this work on my dogs but that not to say it might not work for you.
  

• Get your dog used to doggy ear defenders, things like Mutt Muffs or Hush Muffs might help with muffling the sound.

On The Night:

• Give your dog a slightly larger meal to encourage 'food coma' mode. I like to add a bit extra in the form of sweet potato, sardines in oil or other high carb and fat food, but only do this is your dog is used to you adding things to their food, otherwise just stick to a larger portion.
  

• Stagger the selection of chew toys and feeders over the evening so your dog is occupied during the night and at the same time having the sounds paired with yummy and fun things.
  

• Keep yourself and your dog as central in the house as possible and away from doors and windows that will let sound in. You can place your dog's den here too. My go-to place for my old dog was to create a snug in the cubboard under the stairs and cuddle and watch films all night.
  

• At windows and doors, place bluetooth speakers or Alexa Echos or other devices that can play either ambient sounds or music to drown out the sounds coming from outside.
  

• You can have the TV or radio on a louder to drown the sounds. Classic FM do a broadcast but in my experience there can be a lot fo pauses and dips in sound where bangs can get through. I prefer to use YouTube for things like 10 hours of lofi hip-hop or another popular music is Taiko drumming.
  

• Play with your dog! Turn that nervous energy around and make it fun energy! Get your dog enjoying some chase or tug in the house before they get past the point of being too scared.
  

• Try and time toilet breaks to moments when the fireworks aren't so prevalent or paused. You can even consider creating an indoor toilet area to use temporarily if your dog cannot hold it.
  

• If your dog is scared and looking to you for reassurance, you CAN comfort them. You get both sides of the fence debating if you are reinforcing fear or not by comforting your dog. Now if you're making a big deal of your dog being scared and adding to that nervous energy, you can indeed make your dog worse. But your dog coming to you for a cuddle, and you providing it, is not reinforcing fear.

Get OUT!

I'm just going to through this out there as I think some people either feel like they need to hunker down like it's the blitz and cannot think of an alternative. Consider getting in your car and getting out the house for the evening. If you're dog is a fan of chilling in a place like your local pub, why not hole yourself up for the evening, have dinner and enjoy the loud and busy atmosphere that will drown out the sound outside.

Make a picnic and head up to the mountains, or even venture to a motorway service station where you have access to loos and snacks!You can hang out with a book or watch movies or go for night sniffs until the late night when the fireworks are done. Now I understand this isn't feasible for everyone, but if you are able, this is my favourite option that is the least stressful for everyone.

Whatever your methods, I hope you and your dog have as peaceful a time as possible.