How to Reduce Your Dog's Anxiety this Firework Season
Here are Dog & Jones's top tips
Bonfire night brings delight to many every year, but for our pups, it can be a very different story. Dogs often find the loud noises and bright lights of fireworks distressing and are commonly made very anxious by them. As responsible owners, it is important for us to ensure our dogs feel safe and secure, particularly at this time of year.
Our top tips for keeping calm on firework night
- Walk during the day when it's light outside
- Keep curtains closed to avoid big flashes of light scaring your dog
- Keep doors locked to avoid your dog running off when scared
- Provide lots of blankets & a cosy area for them to hide in to feel safe
- Give natural calming remedies & sleepy snacks to keep them feeling relaxed
- Keep the TV or radio on for distracting noise- Classic FM host an amazing Pet Classics programme when firework season is in its peak
- Stay with your dog at all times so they know they're safe
- Reassure them but don't overreact - they will be able to sense your stress so keep as calm as possible!
Our top products for keeping calm
Here are our top products for reducing anxiety in dogs. Some are specifically designed for reducing stress and others are items we have found useful for keeping your pup distracted.
Dorwest Calming Remedies
The specially selected ingredients in Dorwest Scullcap & Valerian Tablets work together to help tackle stress, fear and anxiety in your pet. There are no quick fixes when it comes to successfully helping your dog to manage their anxiety or fears for the long-term. Often, gentle and consistent behavioural work and training are required to help them to respond more positively to stressful situations, which takes time.
However, these Scullcap & Valerian Tablets help to naturally relax your pet, with the active herbs naturally supporting the calming pathways within the nervous system, reducing anxiety without immobilising muscles or causing drowsiness. They don’t make pets dopey or wobbly – in fact they are widely used for agility and show dogs when they need to be alert and focussed, but calm. Scullcap & Valerian Tablets help tackle stress, fear and anxiety, whatever the cause, so you and your pet can relax, no matter what.
Dog & Jones Functional Calming Treats
Enjoy a more peaceful nights sleep with these Functional Calming Dog Treats from Dog & Jones! Specially formulated to help calm and relax your pup, these delicious treats contain natural ingredients and are easy to administer. A convenient, nutritious and delicious way to help your pup find calm amongst the anxieties of daily life.
LickiMats
These brilliant toys are great at distracting your dog when smeared with paté, peanut butter or wet food. The ridges on the LickiMats each have a different effect on your dog, the “Soother” design is particularly calming and often recommended for puppies but are equally brilliant for older dogs at stressful times.
They’re even great for freezing, so why not cover in the spread of your choice so it's ready to go whenever you need it.
Pooch & Mutt Calming Dental Sticks, With Hemp & Sage
Perfect for pooches that are anxious or over excitable, the Hemp in these Dental Sticks is a naturally stress reducing ingredient that may even improve sleep quality. Paired with Sage which is high in anti oxidants and can reduce bacterial load and plaque formation, alongside SHMP (sodium hexametaphosphate) which helps to prevent the build up of tartar, these daily dental sticks not only look after your pooch's teeth but also their mental health.
Plug-in Pet Remedy Calming Diffuser
Pet Remedy offer a wide range of calming solutions for your pets including a plug-in diffuser which is a long term solution to treating your pet’s stress. It can be left plugged in for 6-8 weeks and refills can easily top it up after this duration. Natural active ingredients from a blend of essential oils including Valerian will reduce stress levels in a wide range of pets, even in humans too!
Beds & (lots of) Blankets
Beds and blankets can be a really simple way of reducing your dog’s stress. They can provide a safe place for your dog to hide from anything that is causing stress. Whether this is under a table, in a crate or simply in the corner of the room. If you wash their blanket with your laundry detergent then snuggle up with it on the sofa for a few nights, it should start to smell like you and therefore your dog will associate it with safety. Great for burying under and creating a warm space to hide in all evening!
We hope this blog will help those of you who are concerned about your dog's anxiety in the lead up to bonfire night. For more tips & advice, send us a message or pop in store for a chat.