Fireworks Training for Dogs

Help support your dogs’s fear of fireworks

Lastminute dot com/fireworks

What we can do to help our dogs with fireworks…

So the long answer to this question, is this - start months beforehand and desensitise your dog to fireworks. However, as we are all human there will be many of you who still haven’t cracked this with your dog who is left feeling distraught, fearful and anxious at this time of year.

So let’s cut to the short answer. It’s not the solution but the below tips could help ease your dogs’ experience this year.

1. Build a den for your dog - ideally you would do this before fireworks night to get them super happy and comfy in the space. But build it anyway. Choose a place they would choose to hide (a corner, a dark space, the bathroom, under a table) and build a den like you were a kid again. But it’s for the dog :)

2. Place something that smells of you into their den

3. Drop treats in the den during the day time to get them to associate this as a positive and safe space

4. The idea is to shut out light and noise stimulus. Close curtains and windows and keep doors shut.

5. Play classical music or binaural beats (spotify) to counteract the bangs. There is a study that proves music by Mozart helps children with epilepsy. Try that…

6. Place a snood around their ears and head

7. Invest in a thundershirt for your dog (works for some and not for others)

8. Before dusk get your dog interested in some enrichment games and food games like likkemats, snufflemats and treat dispenser toys and kongs filled with frozen food.

9. Sit by your dog in their den and when a bang goes off, say, “ok” or “yes” in a positive voice and feed a treat. Start this activity before the bangs start by rewarding every time they look at you with the sae cues and treat (this doesn’t work if your dog is “over threshold” and already terrified).

10. Scatter treats around the floor. Scentwork and sniffing out treats helps to calm dogs. But if they are shaking and fearful already this is unlikely to work as they won’t be interested in food.

11. Don’t take your dog out for a walk after dusk even if they don’t mind fireworks. A fear can develop at any time in their life. It just takes a surprise or a sudden incident for it to happen

12. Give your dogs extra walks and stimulation throughout the daytime and daylight to help them feel more relaxed and sleepier

13. Make sure your dog is microchipped and tagged and double check your outside gate is locked. Dogs bolt and get lost at this time of year.

14. Cuddle your dog if they ask for it. The best thing for them is to feel reassured and safe. Manage your own anxiety

Longer-term things to prepare next year…

Canine Self-selection works wonders for helping your dog with fireworks. The remedies Frankincense, Sandalwood and Violet Leaf are the most popular with dogs with fireworks phobias.

Buy an adaptil collar. (Works for some and not for others). Thing is this can take up to 3 weeks to kick in… Adaptil plug-in is statistically shown to be far less effective

Buy a thundershirt

Desensitise your dog using fireworks sounds on the advice of a qualified Behaviourist.