Tips to keep your Dog calm this firework season

Like many other pet owners across the UK, we dread this time of year as it can be stressful for our pets.

With four pooches in the household, we have plans in place for firework night to keep them as calm and relaxed as possible, to avoid any unnecessary panic and stress.

We have two rescue dogs, Pops and Pomegranate, who can react badly and unpredictably to loud noises and bright flashes. Pomegranate tends to cry and hide, whilst Pops will shake uncontrollably and become so stressed and on edge it can make her very poorly. With Pops getting older, we are extra cautious and will do all we can to keep her chilled and happy.

Our big boy, Puggy Smalls is deaf, so he isn’t fazed by fireworks themselves, but naturally, he will feed off the energy from the girls and will pace, become restless and very stressed.

We also have our new pup, YumYum! This will be his very first firework night, so we are yet to find out how he will react. So we want to tread very carefully so he can remain happy and care free and not become fearful and anxious.

We have teamed up yet again with our favourite London Pet Store, Pet Pavilion to give some tips and tricks to make this very scary season more manageable for pets and owners.

Of course all the usual tips a tricks apply! Keep to a normal routine, double check your dogs microchip chip details, walk them before nightfall, try to keep them indoors as much as possible etc…. But here’s some bits and bobs we found at Pet Pavilion, that have really helped to calm our dogs down and ease their anxieties, helping us feel prepared for the impending doom of firework night.

This ones a no brainer! Make a safe haven for your pooch! Shut the curtains, get the tv on nice and loud and make a safe, snuggly space for your pooch to hide away from all the drama! Classic FM regularly air playlists specifically designed to calm pets, so this is always worth a shot!

Pet Pavilion have a huge range of fluffy beds, snuggle sacks and blankets to help make your dog feel calmer and protected for when the noises become too much! Don’t forget to snuggle your dog up with their favourite toys, to give them some extra comfort! We are particularly impressed with this super cute plush warming puppy toy. Although inititally intended for our pup, all the dogs get great comfort from this toy – you simply remove the inner uch and place it in the microwave for hours of warm cosy cuddles!

Puggy likes to curl up with us humans on the sofa, in a big fluffy blanket, while Pops prefers to have a fort built for her, either in a donut bed or under the coffee table, draped with blankets and kept warm with a hot water bottle. Whatever works best for your pooch, pet Pavilion will have it covered! There are heaps of gorgeous beds and blankets at various price points to help your doggo relax and get some much needed comfort during this very tense time of year.

Sometimes with dogs, distraction is the best method! I have found that giving them long lasting chewy treats, that really take some work seem to help! Our dogs are so focussed on the chewy that they don’t absorb anything else going on around them! Their favourite long-term chews are Pet Pavilions Yak Milk chew sticks, or the Earth Animal rawhide free chews and they really love the natural dried pigs ears too! We have recently discovered the True life dental sticks for dogs too, long lasting, great for their teeth and infused with green tea and hemp seed oil to really help them remain calm.

Just make sure there is plenty of drinking water for your pooch and if they are like ours, they will be kept busy for hours!

The brain training toys are an awesome distraction for dogs on firework night. They are using their brains and focusing on getting treats from puzzle toys, instead of focussing on their anxieties during firework night.

All our pooches LOVE their brain puzzle toys from Pet Pavilion. There is a massive selection to choose from in store, but their favourites are the hollow treat dispensing ball and the adjustable toy trunk.

For added calmness, we filled the brain training toys with Pet pavilion calming treats, perfect to help to relax dogs as they contain all natural calming oils such as lavendar to help your dog relax from the inside out!

Puggy tends to bash his puzzle toy around the house, which leads to one very sleepy pug. Whilst Pops will gnore and poke her treat dispensing toy for hours, by the time they are both done, they both melt into a very calm, long snooze, without any care given to outside noises!

We also use pheromones, such as the incredible Adaptil wall plug ins, or sprays for your home to help your dog achieve a sense of calm, start using these a few weeks before firework night, so the pheromones have a chance to build up and work their calming magic. Just ask at any Pet Pavilion store, as these are widely stocked here also!

Finally, if you find your pooch is getting super anxious, a compressing anxiety shirt will definitely help. It’s like offering them a tight, comforting hug the whole time they are wearing it. With a wide range of sizes available, pop in to any Pet Pavilion store and let their pet experts help fit your doggo with the perfect size!

Before the big night, help to desensitise your pooch by playing firework sound effects at a low level to your dog, to get them to memorise and process the sounds. Slowly increase the volume over a few days to help them adapt slowly without shock on the big night. Familiarity will help to make things less frightening.

All items available at Pet Pavilion.