Surviving the 4th of July With Dogs

Hello, today I wished to show you my routine for surviving the 4th of July with dogs. (Also works for surviving new Year’s Eve fireworks with dogs.)

My “brave” weimaraner Remy is not scared of gunshots when he’s running around in a field sniffing.

However, when he’s in the home as well as hears fireworks or thunder (or even a strong wind!), he tail tucks it as well as hides in my office.

So I believed I’d share our 4th of July routine in situation it will assist provide you some concepts for your own canine or somebody you understand (please share this article).

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*Get my suggestions on exactly how to assist a canine who’s frightened of fireworks. ចុច​ទីនេះ។

Surviving the fourth of July with dogs

1. Take your canine for a long walk the morning of July 4th.

The morning of July 4th, Remy as well as I will head out early in the morning for at least a 45 minute walk, ideally 60 or 90 minutes.

I’ll put him in his Mighty Paw harness as well as utilize my long 50 ft inspect cord as well as just walk along the peaceful roads as well as fields near our home. I’ll let him sniff as well as run as well as just be a dog.

Sarah Stremming from Cognitive Canine utilizes the term “decompression walks” as well as I like this!

She just explains taking a long walk in nature a number of times a week to enable the canine to relocation freely, sniff, run as well as be a dog.

Of course, a long walk will not magically eliminate all of your dog’s additional energy or eliminate her stress and anxiety around fireworks. But, the additional long walk as well as time to decompress will assist her offer with the tension of fireworks much easier.

A true “decompression walk” ought to be done either off leash or on a long leash with a harness to enable the most totally free motion as possible.

Obviously because we’re handling prospective fireworks, I suggest you keep your canine leashed for safety. method as well numerous dogs get lost over the 4th of July.

Lost dogs July 4th

Some dogs bolt as well as get away when they’re scared.

I’ve had my canine bolt in worry before as well as when he’s really frightened it’s like he doesn’t even understand where he’s running off to.

So be conscious of that possibility.

Use the collar or harness that you’re utilized to so you can assurance your canine won’t slip out as well as bolt if he gets scared.

Get your walk in early in the morning before fireworks start. Make sure your canine is using ID labels on a collar or harness that will NOT slip off. Make sure his microchip information is as much as date.

2. Prepare a “safe room” for your canine during fireworks.

We have an AC system in our bedroom, making that space extremely great with a great deal of white noise. That is where I’ll set up Remy’s kennel with a comfy canine bed as well as blanket. I’ll begin the AC early, around 4pm to get that space good as well as cool.

But keep in mind that your canine gets to choose which space is the “safest.” He is the one who is scared, not you.

So, if you believe your canine ought to be in your bedroom during fireworks however he wishes to hide in the basement or under a desk or in a bathroom, then I would let him select his own “safe place.”

Remy typically prefers to run downstairs to my office when he gets scared. So, even though I’m going to try to get him to hang out in our bedroom, my office will be the backup “safe room” if that’s what Remy prefers.

3. Prepare frozen Kongs or other special chews for your canine to have during fireworks.

Remy likes rubber Kong toys stuffed with mashed-up bananas as well as peanut butter. I’ll have two of those frozen as well as prepared to go!

Other choices for your canine might be Himalayan cheese chews, bully sicks or puzzle toys like the Kong Wobbler or a snuffle mat.

You may even purchase your canine a brand new toy special for the 4th of July! perhaps a new squeaky toy or a luxurious toy to rip up, as long as he’s not going to take in it!

Remy

4. Anti-anxiety medication for dogs during fireworks.

I utilized to believe anti-anxiety medication ought to be utilized as a last resort for fearful dogs.

That was before I had a fearful canine in my family.

Last year I provided Remy a strong dose of Trazodone, a medication utilized to decrease stress and anxiety in dogs.

It worked extremely well, as well as I suggest you go that path if it is an choice for your dog. If not, no worries. just ask your vet about it for next year.

Ideally, you would want to try providing the medication a couple of times before the 4th of July anyway to get the dosing right.

For example, Remy took Trazodone for stress and anxiety before going in to his vet visits. That assisted me figure out exactly how much he needed.

Does Trazodone work for dogs during fireworks?

A high dose of Trazodone does work for my canine during fireworks. Trazodone makes Remy extremely sleepy as well as he just slept in his kennel during fireworks last year.

This year, I’m going to utilize Trazodone once again however I believe I’ll provide him a somewhat lighter dose since it truly knocked him out last year!

I’ll provide this around 5pm or so before the fireworks truly get going in our area. I’ll take him out for a potty break at this time, too.

If your canine does not have or requirement a prescription medication for anxiety, you can try some over the counter choices such as:

Benadryl
Rescue treatment
or a Thundershirt

5. during the actual fireworks, try to be house with your dog, if possible.

I recognize all of us have plans for the 4th of July however if you are able to stay house with your dog, that would be a good thing to do.

If you can’t, then doing all of the above steps ought to ideally assist your canine work out in okay while you’re gone.

The fireworks are truly crazy right here from about 7 pm to midnight, so that’s when Remy will hunker down in his kennel in our bedroom with his Kongs.

I may hang out in there viewing TV with him or I may not. however I plan to be at house this year.

At some point, I’ll try to get him outside for one last potty break before bed whenever the fireworks don’t seem as well crazy. however they can go on into the early morning around here.

That’s about it!

Monday morning July 5th, we’ll go out for one more long decompression walk.

Done! We survived the 4th!

Let me understand if you have anything in your 4th of July routine that may assist other dogs!

-Lindsay & Remy

*Get my suggestions on exactly how to assist a canine who’s frightened of fireworks. ចុច​ទីនេះ។

អត្ថបទ​ដែល​ទាក់ទង:

Dogs with extreme fireworks anxiety

Does affection strengthen a dog’s fears?

Thundershirt evaluations pros as well as cons

Lindsay Stordahl is the creator of That Mutt. She composes about canine training, canine exercise as well as feeding a healthy raw diet.