Protecting Your Pup On Bonfire Night

I love bonfire night and I love fireworks. However this season can be stressful for many dogs and many dog owners. I know some owners who choose to go away for bonfire night, to stay in quieter areas with fewer fireworks. This is a good option for some people but it seems that fireworks are starting weeks before and lasting until new year, it would be impossible to avoid fireworks completely and not everyone is able to get away. This post will hopefully give you some tips to help make bonfire night more bearable for you and your pets. It may seem early to start preparing but many of these ideas will work better in put in place before hand and your dog is comfortable with them.

1. Practice with Sounds

The best way to get your pup ready for fireworks is the practice with sound CDs or practice sounds. You should start this a few weeks in advance and gradually build up the sounds so your dog become acclimatised to the noises and don't view them negatively. This is great practice for both old dogs who are scared and new puppies who are experiencing fireworks for the first time. You can take the fear out of bonfire night by making positive experiences with the firework noises.

There are many sound CDs available to buy or that can be found online, once you have the sound you can start training and playing the track for your pup. As with any training session, make sure you start the training in a safe environment without distraction, they are relaxed and you have tasty treats (for more tips see the training basics blog).

Start by playing the track on a very low volume with your dog in the room, allow it to play for about 10 minutes as long as your dog isn't showing any signs of stress. While the track is playing you should sitting with your pup and rewarding calm behaviours. Be upbeat and jolly, play with toys and give the occasional treats.

Over the next few weeks you can continue to play to clip and gradually increase the volume while praising calm behaviours until the clip can play at volume and your dog is not react to it. If you increase the volume and your dog reacts negatively or is scared then you have gone too fast and need to lower the volume again. This process can take a few weeks but even if you have only gotten a few sessions in it will still be beneficial for your dog.

2. Safe area

Dogs react to fireworks in different ways, some may become frantic whereas others may shut down and try to hide, many dogs choose to hide under the bed or somewhere dark. We should allow them to hide and give them somewhere they can retreat to if they need to. Create a den for them somewhere they feel comfortable, this could be with a crate or under a table, put a blanket over the top to make it dark and cosy and fill it with their comfy blankets, pillows and toys. This will be their place to go when they are uncomfortable, try and set it up in advance so they get used to using it as a retreat area. Don't shut your dog in an area they aren't familiar with on bonfire night as this will make them more stressed and more likely to hurt themselves. See my blog on crate training for advice on setting up the crate and encouraging them to use it.

Ensure the rest of the house is safe for your dog, pick up things they may knock over or get tangled in. You may wish to limit your dogs access to certain rooms so you can keep an eye on them, this is fine but ensure they still have options and places to hide if they need to escape. Shut all the doors, windows and curtains as this will help shut out some of the noise and flashes that scare the dogs. Remember to check dog/cat doors, windows and garden fences, a scared dog will squeeze through small gaps to escape. Make sure they are wearing their collar and tags and microchip details and up to date just in case.

3. Be prepared to change your routine

Your dog will probably be unhappy to go outside once the fireworks start. Be prepared to walk your dog during the day or before dusk, they should get plenty of exercise to help them relax in the evening. They may also be too stressed to eat so may need to be fed earlier in the day. Ensure they have plenty of water throughout the evening as stressed dogs will pant and get thirsty.

Visiting the garden may be stressful for your dog. Check the fences for any holes they may run through and consider keeping them on the lead for these days. Try to let them out when the fireworks are fewer, keep the visits to the garden short and just for toilets. Don't force your dog to go out if they are scared and don't be angry if they have an accident in the house, if they continue not wanting to go outside consider getting puppy pads just for this time.

4. Distraction

Try to distract your dog from the noises by having the TV on or playing music, classic music is known to be good for calming dogs. Offer them toys or a long lasting chew, food games and kongs are great for keeping them occupied for a while. Don't pressure them if they aren't interested but maybe try again later if they have calmed down. Try to add these distractions before the fireworks start, give them the chew or be playing with them beforehand and encourage them to continue playing and ignore the fireworks.

Reward your dog for calm behaviours or playing with toys. Don't tell them off or shut them away from you, this will make them more distressed. If they take themselves away and hide, don't try to move them, if you are unhappy with their hiding spot then create a new one such as in the first point. Your dog may need you more during this time and will follow your around or be 'clingy', comfort them if they come to you and don't force them to be away from you. Try to act normal and happy as your dog will read these signals from you, if you act stressed or anxious this will be picked up by your dog.

Bonfire night can be stressful but I hope these tips will help make it more manageable for you and your dog. Start putting these plans in place so your dog is the best comfortable they can be on the day.