Fireworks

Here's our regular firework blog, updated for 2018.

Firework season will be upon us before we know it.
Nov 5th falls on a MondayDiwali...falls on Wednesday, Nov 7th this year

New Year's Eve falls on a Monday

Some dogs get really worried by the noise, smells & flashes.... but with a little preparation & effort on your part, it can be a lot easier for them.
If you have a puppy, or young dog, with no prior experience of fireworks, you have a blank canvas with which to work.
Your dog can be taught that fireworks are a positive, rewarding thing !!!

Firstly.....prepare.
Ensure your dog is walked before dusk.
Draw the curtains earlier.
Raise the volume on TV's & radios slightly.
Pop the heating up a wee bit higher.
Feed a meal higher in carbs....it has the effect of us eating a heavy meal & just wanting to snooze. (Sweet potato is ideal for this, boiled & mashed, it's a natural calmer)
Try & keep everything as normal as possible.

Whenever I have a pup or young dog, at the 1st sound of fireworks I start a training session indoors, loads of treats, lots of praise, doing things the dog knows well (this isn't the time to try & teach a new behaviour)

If your dog stops & listens, that's completely normal (Don't forget their hearing is incredibly sensitive)
If they want to run off & hide, let them.
If they want to go outside & watch, let them, as long as it's safe for them & they are free to come back in (Go outside with them)

All dogs react differently !!

Older dogs that may have been ok all their lives, can react as they get older. It's because of changes in their hearing. They lose mid-range ability & only hear really high, or really low sounds (Making fireworks & thunderstorms more audible.)

START NOW

Preparation really is the key to avoiding a stressed pet.
The Zylkene website HERE has some excellent, free sound

resources, which you can play to accustom your pet to the 

noise & create a positive association.

  Zylkene is made from natural ingredients & helps relax pets at     times they are finding stressful.

An  ADAPTIL collar or diffuser is another option, which works the same way.

Many people also swear by music to calm their dogs.
There are lots of free options online THIS is a good one (tested by my own dogs) 

Getting prepared for firework season 2016

I know we have fireworks all year round , but they intensify towards the end of the year.
In 4 weeks time it'll be November 5th and as it falls on a Saturday it'll be a noisy one!!!
The previous Sunday, October 30th, is Diwali , which is also celebrated with fireworks & of course the 31st is Halloween, which could also mean some pretty odd sounds!!.

I wrote a blog a few years ago, which you can read HERE, just the dates have changed.
You really can help your dogs by preparing them well in advance & don't forget some people let fireworks off in daylight hours, so be very careful to keep your dogs safe, especially off lead.
Scared dogs sometimes run in blind panic and we don't want any lost dogs or accidents.

It's getting near to that time of year again !!

The year has certainly flown by & we're rapidly approaching Firework season.
Rather than writing it all out again, I'll link to last years blog post HERE & just add that Diwali this year is on Thursday, October 23rd - so not long now.

Please have a read, a little preparation can save years of heartache & stress.

Remember, remember.............

Firework season will be upon us before we know it.
Nov 5th
Diwali...Nov 7th
New Years Eve
Plus all the weekends inbetween , if last year is anything to go by.

Some dogs get really worried by the noise, smells & flashes.... but with a little preparation & effort on your part, it can be a lot easier for them.
If you have a puppy, or young dog, with no prior experience of fireworks, you have a blank canvas with which to work.
Your dog can be taught that fireworks are a positive, rewarding thing !!!

Firstly.....prepare.
Ensure your dog is walked before dusk.
Draw the curtains earlier.
Raise the volume on TV's & radios slightly.
Pop the heating up a wee bit higher.
Feed a meal higher in carbs....it has the effect of us eating a heavy meal & just wanting to snooze. (Sweet potato is ideal for this, boiled & mashed, it's a natural calmer)
Try & keep everything as normal as possible.

Whenever I have a pup or young dog, at the 1st sound of fireworks I start a training session indoors, loads of treats, lots of praise, doing things the dog knows well (this isn't the time to try & teach a new behaviour)

If your dog stops & listens, that's completely normal (Don't forget their hearing is incredibly sensitive)
If they want to run off & hide, let them.
If they want to go outside & watch, let them, as long as it's safe for them & they are free to come back in (Go outside with them)

All dogs react differently !!

Older dogs that may have been ok all their lives, can react as they get older. It's because of changes in their hearing. They lose mid range ability & only hear really high, or really low sounds (Making fireworks & thunderstorms more audible.)

The following link has a Dogs & FIreworks guide, plus a free MP3 of fireworks sounds, which you can use to accustom your dog to the noises before the firework season starts.
http://www.dogsandfireworks.com/

Dogs and Fireworks | Free advice to help your dog cope with fireworks

www.dogsandfireworks.com

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