Babara Bush
For a long time not a single holiday, be it New Year or birthday, is complete without the use of firecrackers, firecrackers, and fireworks. However, not all pets calmly react to the launch of fireworks and other pyrotechnics. Often, its thoughtless use leads to completely joyless situations: the dog can not only get scared but also get injured or run away. For this reason, in order for the holiday to bring only positive emotions, you need to understand why the dog is afraid of fireworks and what can be done about it.
Causes of fear
The reason a dog is afraid of firecrackers and fireworks is in its hearing – a dog hears sounds 4 times louder than a person. Just imagine how loud the explosion of a simple firecracker seems to a dog. The instinct of self-preservation forces the animal to quickly hide away from the source of the sound.
Frequently, the fear of loud sounds is acquired. For example, if one day a dog was greatly frightened by something sharp and loud (thunderstorm, champagne cork, etc.), it is highly likely that it will be afraid of loud sounds all its life.
Also, fear can be due to the increased sensitivity of the animal. In such cases, the dog may become afraid of even relatively quiet noises.
What to do?
When a dog is under stress, it primarily seeks support from its owner. For this reason, you should always remain calm and have a good relationship with your pet. This will help the dog overcome the fear with little or no consequence.
In no case should you yell at your pet and scold him for his natural reaction. In a stressful situation, you need to calmly stroke him and talk to him.
There is a technique that helps to train your dog to loud sounds, but this should only be done under the guidance of an experienced trainer since careless and incorrect actions can lead to the opposite result: your pet will feel even more fear.
Memo for the owner
On holidays, animals experience great stress due to noisy companies, explosions of firecrackers, and other sounds unpleasant to sensitive ears. It will be better if you give up the use of pyrotechnics, although often it depends not only on you. Many people go out to celebrate and set off volley after volley of fireworks. It is not in your power to stop them, but you can ensure your pet is as safe and comfortable as possible during the holidays.
If on a festive evening you go for a walk and leave the dog at home, it is necessary that the windows in the apartment be tightly closed. Do not close the doors to other rooms – this will allow her to choose the most comfortable corner herself. Do not forget to leave the pet with fresh water, you can still turn on melodic music, this will distract from the noise on the street;
You can build a secluded house for your pet in advance, in which his favorite toys will lie. You can put something with your own scent there to make the dog feel calmer;
If you are celebrating in a noisy company, make sure that the dog has the opportunity to go to a secluded place if he feels uncomfortable;
The most important thing is that your dog always has a token with the owner’s nickname and phone number on the collar.
In any stressful situation for a dog, the most important thing is that its owner remains calm. Animals do not understand explanations, they feel and adopt our emotions, and it is in our power to calm them down and make it clear that they are not in danger.