How To Help Your Sound Sensitive Dog Deal With Canada Day Fireworks

What is Canada Day celebrations without fireworks? But let's face it, not all dogs love this beautiful display of lights in the night sky as much as we do.

So what happens if you have a sound sensitive dog who hates the sound of fireworks?

Here are a few tips to help your dog feel more comfortable during this time.

Give Your Sound Sensitive Dog A Safe Place To Be

Understand that many dogs that are fearful of fireworks are going through what we call fight or flight symptoms. Typically, if a dog is feeling unsure about a situation, their first instinct is to flee. That's because when they're in that state of panic, like us, they're not thinking properly. They're just trying to get away from that situation as soon as possible. They can dig, chew, and claw their way out of spaces if they are panicked enough, hurting themselves and damaging your property in the process.

Confining them in a safe room or their kennel can be a huge help to keep them safe. When you restrict where they can go, you also prevent the chances that they can hurt themselves from trying to escape.

Minimize The Noise Exposure For Your Sound Sensitive Dog

Try to ensure that your dog's safe space

is where the noise of the fireworks is minimal for him. This will help to reduce the stress in the interim.

Calming Supplements For Your Sound Sensitive Dog

You can also try supplements like CBD oil for dogs, or Bach Flower Remedies. If you've never used these supplements before, you may want to try it out with your dog before the big day to ensure you know how it will affect your specific dog. These natural ingredient remedies can be found over the counter (in many pet supply stores) and don't require a prescription.

Desensitizing Your Dog To Stressful Sounds

If you're looking to help your dog in the long term (like in future fireworks situations), then you may want to consider doing some desensitizing with your dog so that she learns to associate the sound with good things happening rather than a fear response.

Start by finding a recording of fireworks that you adjust the volume to when you play it. For your next few meals, play the recording at a barely audible level where your dog is completely comfortable and not reacting to the noise.

Repeat feeding your dog this way over the next week to ensure that she's totally comfortable in this situation.

Each subsequent week, gradually increase the volume of the recording as your dog is eating. The key word here is GRADUAL. You want the increase to be barely noticeable to your dog. If you notice a reaction from her, you've likely increased the volume too quickly.

If you notice you get to a certain volume where she starts to notice it, but can easily go back to eating, stay at this level until she no longer shows that she's noticing the sounds anymore.

At this stage, you can continue gradually increasing the volume, pausing at each volume level that she gives minor attention and having her become comfortable (i.e. no longer reacting) with it before progressing forward more.

Your ultimate goal is to be able to have her remain relaxed and undistracted by the noise during her meal times even when you have the recording playing full blast.

Seek Some Professional Help

Still struggling with helping your sound sensitive dog? Contact us at info@metropawlitan.ca and we'd love to help you with helping your pup learn to be more comfortable with this!

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