Independence Day in the United States is drawing near, and July 4 is a scary, stressful holiday for many dogs. Do not wait until the holiday begins thinking about supporting your dog. NOW is the time for planning ahead to reduce July 4 stress for your dog and increase safety. Here are some tips to help you prepare.
Tips for Lowering Your Dog’s Stress During July 4 Fireworks
- Don’t wait. Now is the time to talk with your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medication that can help. This is especially important if you already know your dog has a sensitivity to unfamiliar noises or you live in an area where you know there will be a lot of fireworks. It can be a good precaution as one terrifying evening of loud BOOM, BOOM, BOOMs can lead to an increased sensitivity to sounds in other contexts. You will want to test the medication prior to July 4 weekend for dosage, and effects – good and bad.
- Load up on food stuffed toys, foraging and licking activities, bones or other items to chew.
- Make sure your dog has access to his/her safe space, away from windows. If your dog already has a place he goes to when needing alone time, make sure he can get there and don’t try to remove him from that area.
- Prior to dusk, give your dog decompressing kind of exercise such as a sniffing walk, foraging for food, brain games.
- If it is safe for your dog feed your dog early and take up your dog’s water; and, if you can, take your dog outside for the last time prior to evening fireworks time. Even if you have a fenced in back yard, have your dog on a leash just in case an unexpected BOOM causes your dog to go into a fight or flight response.
- For noise dampening, keep this in mind. Firework BOOMs are low frequency sounds that are easily able to pass through the walls and windows of your home. It is ineffective to try and mask the sounds with classical music, or to cover a crate with a blanket. In masking sound, the lower the frequency of the music, the better. NOW is the time to get your dog used to hearing rock music! TAIKO drumming is also a great type of sound to play. Here is a link to a 10 minute video of TAIKO drumming. If you have software to loop it, you can do that.
Additionally, using a box fan that is pointed away from your dog can break up the sound waves. This is best used in smaller spaces or next to your dog’s
resting/safe space. I have a small air purifier next to my dog’s crate that I turn on whenever he is in there. This does the same thing.
If your dog is in an area where he can hear household appliances, you can also run the dryer with a pair of shoes in it (without heat) or turn on your
dishwasher
