Independence Day is the epitome of all that is fun and worth celebrating in the summer...unless you are a dog afraid of loud noises! Even dogs without extreme fear tend to become anxious with the fireworks and storms at this time of year. Here are some tips to help your pets through this season. Please contact us for individualized help for your pets!
The Newest Weiland, Sparrow!
Noise Fear
Dogs in general are very sensitive to sound and in general love routine. The celebrations surrounding Independence Day are VERY loud and in Omaha follow an already loud storm season filled with pressure changes to which dogs are also very sensitive. Fireworks are also unpredictable and random – which adds to the scariness for dogs.
So that is noise fear. Annoying, but manageable, right?
Noise Phobia
Some dogs have noise phobia. This is more extreme. It is like the difference between someone preferring not to be around crowds or high in the air and a full-blown shutting-down crowd or height phobia.
Noise Fear, Noise Phobia and the Rare Unaffected Dog
Some dogs are not affected at all by the loud noises of storms and fireworks. If that is your dog, now is the time to be thankful! Some dogs – maybe most – are on a scale between unaffected and phobic – somewhat fearful of the noises associated with the holiday.
Wyatt Weiland!
Noise Fear and Phobia Tips:
For those of you with dogs who ARE fearful this time of year, remember…
Do whatever it takes to keep your pets safe and to keep them as comfortable and fear-free as possible through the upcoming holiday.
Safety first!
Make sure your dogs (and cats!) are indoors – maybe even in a small room or kennel, especially if people are in and out of the home or your pets are scared. If your pets are outdoors, make sure they are on a leash or in an enclosed area. The Fourth of July is the number one day for pets to be lost.
Whatever you do, do not let your pets near the fireworks. Burns are a very real possibility. Scared/curious/happy/unsure dogs will often try to bite lit fireworks. We NEVER want you and your dogs to go through the aftermath of that.
Comfort is a close second to safety!
A tired dog is often a calm dog. Spend the week BEFORE the Fourth of July exercising them well, taking long walks when it is cool out, going swimming, whatever it takes to get their nervous energy worked out as much as possible.
Keep calm…
If you are worried your pets will be scared, they may think you are worried about the bizarre explosions. If you are calm, they will pick up on that and often reflect your calm.
…and comfort your pets!
If your pets are nervous, PLEASE comfort them! Do whatever it takes – treats, play time, holding, petting - to get them through the week and especially the night of the Fourth.
You cannot ignore or scold your dog out of a phobia or use a phobic state as a training time or reason a dog out of a full on panic…You CAN and SHOULD love and comfort your dog through a hard time.
In a panic situation, your pet is not open to a training opportunity. They are scared and in need of reassurance. So go ahead and pick them up, pet them and tell them that it is going to be ok.
Medications and Natural Aids
If need be, discuss medication with our veterinary team, especially if your dogs’ fears are extreme.
Rescue Remedy is a natural calming product that may help with noise fears and phobias.
Thundershirts
Use a Thundershirt if it helps. (It probably will). We have Thundershirts available at all three Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital locations and at the Grooming Salon. We can help you choose the correct sizes for your dogs. If you bring your dogs in with you, we will custom fit them with their Thundershirts if you would like! Remember to use your Thundershirt at normal times too, and reward your pet with treats and play time when they are wearing their Thundershirt during these times.
Pheromone Sprays – Adaptil for Dogs and Feliway for Cats
Use Adaptil if it helps. (It probably will). We have seen great examples in many different situations of this product being very calming to dogs! We can help you decide what combination of this product – spray, collar and diffuser would best help your dogs. We also have sample wipes if you would like to see if Adaptil would be helpful for your dogs!
Music is Better Than Explosions
Play classical music. We love the music available from Through a Dog’s Ear.
Obsessing about Toys is Better Than Obsessing about Scary Things
Use a Kong with a soft treat inside or a treat puzzle to keep your dog distracted.
If I Can’t Hear It, It Can’t Scare Me
Consider doggy ear muffs – Do not laugh! We have noticed that many of our older patients lose their noise fears as their hearing becomes less acute – one of the blessings of age. Any way we can muffle the sound – distraction, music, ear muffs – can be very helpful!
Containment
Keeping your dogs kenneled for safety sake will often double as a comfort to them. Unless you are concerned they may ingest it, include a favorite blanket or stuffed animal or t-shirt.
A Word About Cats…
Cats too become frightened – and much of this might apply to them, so take what you need and apply it to your poor scaredy cat too. However, cats have been practicing all year for this time – if you have set up your home to be cat friendly, each cat should have at least one high perch and one low hiding place to which to retreat if need be.
Feliway is the cat specific calming pheromone that may help cats as Adaptil helps dogs.
Feliway’s Secret Cat Message – “This is not scary. I’ve been here before.”
Adaptil’s Secret Dog Message – “This is not scary. It reminds me of when I was a nursing puppy.”
Adaptil is available as a spray and a diffuser and a collar. Feliway is available as a spray and a diffuser. We also have sample wipes if you would like to see these products would be helpful for your pets!
This Too Shall Pass
When all is said and done, reward your pets for their bravery or attempted bravery, and remind them that this celebration comes only once a year!
Griffin Weiland!
For Next Year and Beyond…
You cannot start training, Thundershirts, music and medications on July 1 and expect them to be 100% effective…You CAN and SHOULD do all of these things anyways – at least the ones that seem to help.
Do not feel bad if you have not spent the past two months preparing for this week! Dogs with phobias are often completely normal between episodes. Often dogs with noise phobias have no panic attacks between July and July, thank goodness.
Use the upcoming year to learn as much as you can so that next year storm season and Independence Day will at the worst be tolerable, and at best be boring or even enjoyable for you and your dogs.
Work with a trainer or behaviorist on counter-conditioning and desensitization. We have recommendations if you would like!
If you are independently researching trainers, be very overprotective of your pet. Do not use any methods that scare your pet, or put him or her in a panic situation of any kind. Even if your trainer does not use the word “flooding” and even if he is very charismatic and has his own TV show, if you think your pet is not enjoying training, pick him up and run home. Then call us for recommendations on a trainer or behaviorist who works solely with up to date, humane, positive-reinforcement based training methods. They are available in our area, and they are wonderful!
You may already KNOW all the things, and it is just as good as it is going to be for your dog. Think how hard it would be if he or she did NOT have you! You are doing a good job, and being near you and having you help them through firework season IS comforting.
Rumor Weiland!
Happy Independence Day!
God Bless America!
A Great Resource about Noise Phobias:
Thunderphobia by Eric Goebelbecker on Pawcurious, June 15, 2010
Some of these tips were first published on Life with Dogs, July 2, 2012, Getting Through the Fireworks, by Shawn Finch, DVM
Some of these tips were first published on Riley and James, July 1, 2013, Happy Hide Under the Bed Day, and May 31, 2010, Scared on the Fourth of July by Shawn Finch, DVM
Thank you to Alicia Weiland for the pictures of your family's great dogs!
Thank you to Kelly Turley, Licenced Veterinary Technician for your help with this post!