Is your dog afraid of fireworks? Keep reading to learn 6 ways to alleviate your dog's stress during the Halloween season.
It’s coming to that time of year again: a dreaded time for those of us that have dogs with a certain noise phobia. It’s Halloween; which means that not only will there be fireworks and bangers for one night but in some areas the nightmare can go on for days or even weeks. It’s important to plan as far ahead of time as you possibly can.
See my top tips below to learn how you can help your dog cope with those scary bangs!
Tip #1 - Build a Bunker
Create a bunker or a den for your dog by placing a blanket over a table or crate. Start to feed your dog lots of treats in their den in the days and weeks before Halloween so they associate it with nice things.
Tip #2 - Have a Treat Party
Every time there’s a bang scatter a bunch of your dog’s favourite treats on the floor. Most dogs prefer things that are smelly and moist e.g. cheese, hot dog, chicken, pate etc. You can practice this ahead of time by creating noises that are similar to fireworks e.g. dropping something like a plastic bottle on the floor and following it up with the treat scatter. (Note: the sounds that you create should not cause your dog to be fearful, always start at an intensity that your dog does not have a reaction to, slowly building up towards the more challenging sounds). You can also get sound recording of fireworks on YouTube. However these tend to sound different to the real life fireworks your dog will experience. My best advice is to keep varying the sound you use so your dog will generalise it i.e. they will learn that any type of bang noise leads to treats!
Tip #3 - Use Background Noise
Play the radio or turn up the volume on the TV whenever there are fireworks going on. The noise in your house can drown out the noise from outside so it’s not as scary or startling for your dog.
Tip #4 - Provide Long Lasting Chews
Whatever your dog’s favourite chews are, have several at the ready throughout the Halloween season. Chewing has a naturally calming effect on dogs and having something tasty to work on can help build your dog’s positive association with fireworks (just like the treat party will). It can also serve as a distraction from the noise. Some of my suggestions are: bully sticks, tripe sticks and stuffed toys such as Kongs, K9 Connectables and Westpaw Toppls. I like to stuff mine with wet food and freeze them before serving so they last longer.
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Tip #5 - Talk to your Vet about Medication
Your vet may be able to prescribe some calming medication to help keep your dog relaxed through Halloween.
Tip #6 - Comfort Them
For this one, consider the dog you have and how they react to being touched. Some dogs will feel better with physical touch while others might dislike being touched when they are feeling fearful. Never force interaction on your dog if they would prefer some space. On the other hand lots of dogs will feel comforted from getting attention from their owner. And no, you won’t reinforce their fear. Fear is an emotion and you can’t reinforce emotions, it’s an involuntary response!
One of the unique things about noise phobias is that, unlike other common problems which usually appear when the dog is young, they commonly develop later in a dog’s life. It’s not known why exactly this is, perhaps as they age their noise perception changes and this could be unsettling for them.
If you need any additional support for your dog through Halloween or if your dog generally struggles with any other noise phobias, we can help. Get in contact with Dog Scouts here to discuss your behaviour plan.
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