Most dogs feel stressed out from loud noises. Unless you have a hunting dog who has been broke not to run off after hearing a gunshot, your dog most likely isn’t a fan of the Fourth of July and fireworks in general. Be sure to keep your dog inside during a fireworks display, whether it’s some neighbors on your street or your city’s Fourth of July celebration. It would be a good idea to keep their collar on them and see their tags have all the updated vaccinations and contact information. Should your dog run out of the house, whoever finds your dog will know who to contact and where to bring them.
Burn As Much Energy As Possible
Burn off as much of your dog’s energy as possible. Take your dog out for a long walk or run the morning of, this will keep them calm throughout the day. Additionally, fireworks normally start once the sun goes down. Be sure to feed your dog dinner and take them out to use the bathroom while the sun is still out. Furthermore, after they have had an hour or two to digest dinner, you can take your dog out for an extra evening walk. This will for sure eliminate any nervous energy. Hopefully, your dog will be thoroughly exhausted and fall asleep right away when you get back. This will give you time to prepare for the fireworks.
Get Your Dog Comfortable
Prior to taking your dog out for an added evening walk, you can set up a “safe spot” for them. This will can be the spots where they like to sit or lay down. If they have a designated couch, chair, or corner, set up a blanket and an article of your clothing with your scent on it. Your scent will help keep them calm and fall asleep quicker. You can have a fan oscillating, the radio on with a talk show, the TV turned up, or even a speaker with an extended playlist of soothing sounds or music. This way, your dog will fall asleep to the numerous background noises while also blocking out the noise of the fireworks. Sudden, loud noises trigger dogs. If you can block them out, this will help keep them calm during the unpredictable burst of fireworks.
Provide Plenty of Distractions
Make sure your dog has numerous puzzle and chew toys. A few of their favorite toys will go a long way to keep them preoccupied during the commotion of the fireworks. If your dog has a favorite bone or chew toy, make sure they have a fresh one. This will provide minutes if not hours, of distraction in the event they wake up and aren’t able to sleep through the fireworks display. Likewise, you can close by to their safe spot. If you see them wake up scared, sit next to them and show them everything is okay. It’s okay to gently reassure with some pets, but don’t coddle obnoxiously, this may make their nervous energy worse. Just keep calm so they feed off your composed energy and know the world isn’t coming to an end, people are simply having a loud celebration.
