How can you help keep your pet relaxed for The 4th of July?

I know I’m not alone in saying that July is not my favorite month of the year. Why? Truthfully, I am not a fan of fireworks. I wish I could say I was, but unfortunately, I just don’t care for them - mainly because of my babies. I hate watching them suffer from the loud booms. Our pets hear noises much louder than we do, so the loud boom to us, is MUCH louder and scarier to them. BUT! There are many ways you can help your pet through this!

When mine were all babies (I currently have an 8-, 10-, and 11-year-old), they all did super well on the fourth of July. That’s because when they were young, I desensitized them immediately. I didn’t want them to fear fireworks, because let’s face it: they’re never going away. Summer = fireworks. Anyway, to desensitize them I always rewarded them when small fireworks went off around the neighborhood. I ALWAYS had treats ready around the house in case someone set small ones off during the day so I could immediately reward the noise. By doing that, it taught them the noise is not scary, in fact, it’s positive! I did baby steps. After so much rewarding from a-far, I started taking them on walks around the neighborhood during the day, and if anyone set a firework off my dogs got a reward. After much patience and repetition every year around the 4^th of July, they were great! The 4^th of July was NEVER an issue in my house.

Once my babies started aging though, it started becoming too much. My chihuahuas just couldn’t handle the booms, so I started leaning on natural products. Calming chews and CBD. It worked WONDERS! I would give them our CBD chews an hour before I knew any fireworks were going to start, and by the time they started my dogs were already in a calm state of mind and didn’t mind the fireworks at all. I still did small things for them by trying to help block the noise. I’d have the TV or a fan on for noise, and that really seemed to help as well.

Flash forward to now, my chihuahuas just really cannot handle it anymore, and unfortunately, this is the first year we have come to try medication. Why medication? Ollie gets so worked up and nervous that he can hurt himself. The last thing I want is for him to be that uncomfortable for the night, so medication helps him get through the night safely. This is something I worked with my vet with.

Do I recommend you just immediately jump to medication for the 4^th of July? No. Unless your dog is in a state of mind that he could potentially hurt himself or something severe could potentially happen, as many dogs get so scared and run away. You need to do what is safe for your pet. If their reaction isn’t as severe, the CBD chews can help relax them and keep them calm for the night.

So… what can you do for your pet to prepare for the 4^th? Stop in Hungry Hound. We have MANY calming products. You will want to start early as you want to find the right product that will work for your dog. That means a week before, not the day before! What calming chew may calm my chihuahua down may not work for yours. It’s important to find the right one, as every dog is different is important. You want to make sure it works before the day comes. The plus side is our products are guaranteed! If you purchase something and see absolutely no difference, you can bring it on back and we can help you find something else that may help instead. Also, make sure those ID tags are up-to-date!

I am currently at a campground, so fireworks are even more extreme. Here is what I did to help my pups for Memorial Day weekend:

1)      That morning, we went for an exceptionally long walk. We went for a small hike in the woods, which gave them extra stimulation in a new place and was a little more exciting to them.

2)      During the evening when I knew the fireworks were a few hours away, we went on another walk. Nothing crazy, but a decent walk to tire them out.

3)      When we came back, they all got a dose of CBD and I made some special lickimats.

4)      About 30 minutes before the fireworks started, I gave them their extra special lickimats full of their favorite foods, and they spent a lot of time on them. As small fireworks were going off, they didn’t even care, they were too worried about getting the delicious sweet potato off the lickimat!

5)      After they were finished and the fireworks were started going off, the TV was on and I tried to drown out noises as much as I could.

Between the long walks of the day, the CBD, and the stimulation of the lickimats, they were ALL out cold during the fireworks. They didn’t bother them at all. It was fabulous. Medication was not even needed for my pup who really needed it the most.

It is especially important that your pet’s needs are met when it comes to stimulation on the 4^th of July. If they are in a tired and calm state, it won’t bother them as much. Remember to reward the noises! The Lickimat helped reward them during the fireworks, but if you hear small booms give them a quick treat. After a while, they’ll hear those booms and look at you like “hey! Where’s my treat?” When using calming chews (which I HIGHLY recommend), always try to give them an hour before any loud noises. It helps bring them to a calm state before it happens. It’s much harder and almost impossible to calm them down when they are already extremely stressed. Preparation is key.

My best piece of advice - stay calm. Your pets feel your energy. If you get nervous for them because you know they don’t do well with fireworks, it only makes the situation worse. They look to you for everything. Dogs rely on our energy. If you’re calm and relaxed, they will be too.