Fourth of July & Your Dog

With 4th of July right around the corner —and with it the Independence Day celebration which includes fireworks—there are several things you can do to help make it as stress-free of an experience for your dog (and you!).

DID YOU KNOW?

• This holiday is notorious for dogs getting loose from their homes & yards. Bottom line—it would be better to be safe than sorry. Proactivity is key!

WHO IS DOES THIS EFFECT?

• Any dog can be effected by sudden loud noises, but there are those that are more prone to it. If your dog already has a thunderstorm or firework phobia, then the following is for you. If your dog does not currently have one or they have never experienced it before, just know that it is common for puppies, seniors and dogs going through fear periods (don’t forget there is one at around 6 years old!) to be effected, as well as already traumatized or reactive dogs—even if those triggers are different.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Be Prepared: utilize management and plan for the worst case scenario

• Management=

  • Make sure you have a safe and secluded space for your dog (crate, dog-proof room) that is fully escape-proof

  • This space should be calm and away from windows if possible

  • Play calming spa music, as this has been proven to help dog’s brains relax, just like ours—and you can play it just loud enough to drown out the other noises

  • Licking is a known soothing action for dogs (and sometimes chewing) so prepare some treats for your dog to lick the day before . Great examples include Kongs and marrow bones with frozen applesauce, pureed pumpkin, or baby food in them . The KEY here is freezing them so it takes longer for them to finish.

  • MYTH—Yes, you CAN comfort a fearful dog. It is scientifically impossible to reinforce fear, as no animal wants to ever feel it, so please don’t worry about doing anything wrong. Your dog should be able to look to you for comfort and trust that you have their safety in mind.

Behavior Modification: you can proactively work on behavior modification with the help of a certified professional

• Make sure to have plenty of HIGH VALUE rewards easily accessible (*tip: hot dogs)

• When doing this make sure it is not during the same timeframe the trigger (fireworks in this case) could happen

• HOW TO:

  • On your smartphone or other device open YouTube and search for firework sounds

  • start with the volume as low as it can go

  • press play and treat your dog while the sound is going, then turn off the sound and stop treating—make sure this is very obviously connected to your dog that they are receiving treats exactly when they hear the sound begin, throughout it, and then the second the noise stops they discontinue receiving treats

  • increase the volume slowly over time—think every 3-5 sessions

  • as long as your dog is still taking food and not over their threshold then you can do this for maybe 5-15 seconds a few times a day to help re-wire their brain to not negatively react when they hear fireworks

• IMMEDIATELY HALT ALL BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION IF:

  • your dog is stressed, getting worse, or will refuse food when they hear the firework (trigger) sounds

    • see a certified professional—check out: www.ccpsmn.com/services for more options from Creature Comforts to assist you

~Don’t forget to stay calm yourself! Deep breaths when needed and pausing to troubleshoot the problem in front of you will help.

*Again, please seek a certified professional to assist you with any behavior modification.

**Email Kera for further assistance: ccpsmn.semn@gmail.com