Summer 2003

The Festive Season - Fireworks and Fun?

The Christmas / New Year season is upon us. Time for parties, presents and, of course, *****Fireworks****.

Unfortunately many of our pets do not enjoy the fireworks. Maybe I should say, many of our pets, mostly dogs, are terrified of the fireworks. So what should we do?

Here are some tips to try to make their lives a bit better at this time.

 1. Try to anticipate when fireworks will happen and be prepared for them. Make sure your pet is in a “safe” place, preferably somewhere where the noise will be reduced. If possible have a “cubby house” available for them where they will feel secure. This could be a crate or a cage or at least a small room like a laundry. Get them in there before the fireworks begin, don’t wait till they are already scared.

2. Leave the lights on so the flash of the fireworks is less startling.

3. Have some background noise going on such as TV or radio so that the noise of the fireworks blends with this.

4. Try to provide a distraction- examples are a bone, toys, a kong with food in it etc.

Obviously many will be too stressed to eat, but it may help.

5. Keep them confined till daylight so any random fireworks going off does not startle them as much.

6. How should you, as an owner, react? The basic principle is you do not reward a “bad” behaviour. If an animal is agitated you do not pick it up and spend all your time soothing it. This reinforces the idea that there is a reason to be frightened. Try to pat or calm the animal and then carry on as usual, as if there is nothing to be worried about.

7. If you know you have a pet who may be nervous with fireworks or storms, make sure it has some type of ID tag.  A tag can mean that anyone who finds your pet can contact you straight away. You will not spend the night scouring the streets while Fido is happily watching TV with a kind stranger waiting till morning to get the microchip number scanned.

8. Prevention is better than cure. Try to get your pet used to loud noises, bang saucepans together, use party poppers etc. Do this from a young age. Dogs who live with small (and dare I say it, obnoxious) young children become very accustomed to sudden loud noises and do not startle easily. Try to be an obnoxious child!

9. If all else fails there are medications to make your dog less anxious and quieten them at this time. Responses vary between each dog so they are not always the best answer.

Wishing you all a happy festive season and enjoy the fireworks!