July 4th is swiftly approaching, and you know what that means- loud booms and scary sounds for your pooch. Let’s be proactive now and start preparing them for the inevitable.
If this is your first year spending this holiday with your puppy, you won’t know how she will respond to fireworks. Let’s consider her behavior/reaction to everyday sounds; does she bark at cars or at people whilst they are talking? Does she jump a lot? Is she overly stimulated on walks by squirrels or children playing? Of course, there are other sounds in your environment that you need to consider too. If you answered strongly yes to one or more, chances are you should take precautions now to help puppy to not become overly frightened/stimulated.
We plan to shoot off fireworks here on our property, but we make sure we put several acres between the explosions and the dog kennels. Prior to the event we give all the dogs Thunder Wunders from Amazon or you can check with your local pet store for this item too. This product may or may not help with your issues, but it has been a successful tool in our “doggy toolbox.” They are very helpful when we want to keep our Border Collies calm and lessen their anxiety in loud situations.
I would not encourage you to take your new puppy to a July 4th celebration if you aren’t sure how she will react. If you need to, please arrange a safe quiet place prior to your excursion for your puppy to stay. Don’t force your puppy to stay in this overly fearful situation by holding and talking to the dog in comforting tones- this doesn’t work. For example, recently, Gil and I took time away from the farm and spent a few days on a lovely beach in Florida. I noticed a woman with a Lhasa Apso dog she was determined to pull and yank her dog towards the water the dog was not excited about the ocean one bit. The owner picked up the frightened dog, and went back to where her group was sitting and plopped the dog down with frustration. The waves were crashing, and the sound was quite intimidating where I was concerned; can you image what that poor pup was experiencing? Understand, that our dogs hearing is so much more amazing than our own. It’s the frequency of a sound that they are reacting too. If you have an adult dog in your home, ask yourself how often have they whined or howled at a police siren. A dog can potentially be affected in a very negative way, especially if you already have a very active breed this might take them over the edge. They can develop fears of everyday household, or environmental sounds etc. I have seen this firsthand and it's not an easy process for the dog to overcome. This might require desensitizing your puppy all over again with some scars.
Not all of our dogs react to fireworks. However, we do take precautions and offer the tablets to all, and keep in mind all our dogs are adults we know what stimulates them negatively. The product I listed has worked wonderfully for us, but please consult with your licensed veterinarian since they are qualified to offer you advice regarding the ingredients listed on the package.
It's okay to include our faithful furry friends on this joyous celebration, but please consider the dog and the possibility that they could potentially be harmed by these very uncomfortable, loud sounds. Let’s consider the well-being of their mental state; we want to keep our puppy happy and healthy for years to come.
Happy Tails
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