Why is your dog suddenly afraid of fireworks?
- Changes in the brain As your dog gets older they experience shifts in brain chemistry, just like humans do. This can affect their ability to cope with stress.
- Declining senses Sights and sound alter with age too. Those loud bangs and flashes of light cause discomfort and stress to a previously unworried dog.
- Trigger stacking This is when your seemingly coping dog can no longer do just that. For years they may have been subtly showing signs of distress but finding ways to self soothe. When they find no relief from the trigger, and potentially combined with the above aging decline, they become stacked. It all suddenly looks and feels like too much.
- Pain There is a big correlation between pain and noise sensitivity[1], it has been linked to gastrointestinal pain, thyroid, and musculoskeletal issues.[2] As our dogs age they may experience age related illnesses, though even young dogs can experience pain and discomfort. Bracing at the sound of a firework may cause an already affected area to hurt more so. Your dog can then start to anticipate more noise and more pain - starting a vicious circle.
Fear is experienced in the moment. Anxiety is the predictor of what might happen due to previous learning.
Recognising your dog might be struggling
We’ll start with the subtle signs
- Lip licking / tongue flick
- Stress yawn (different to a tired yawn)
- Dry pant (the tongue doesn't hang out like a warm dog)
- Refusing meals or to take treats
- Not responding to things you ask as they normally would
Moderate signs
- Moving around more frequently (pacing, following you around, under your feet!)
- Refusing cuddles
- Less tolerant
More severe
- Trembling
- Attempting to dig their way out of a crate, room, window or door way, resulting in harm to paw pads or nails.
- Trying to hide / climb into something (my previous dog tried to get into the washing machine to escape the sound of my love birds)
N.B. The above lists some of the signs as a guide. It is not an exhaustive list of all signs of anxiety and fear.
Fight flight freeze is a natural response we all have to a predicted or imminent threat. We might run and try to escape by whatever means possible, fight our way out, or we may just shut down and freeze, becoming still and unresponsive.
How can we support our dogs through the fireworks season and bonfire night?
It can be extremely distressing to see your dog in a state of panic and fear. Feeling at a loss as all your attempts to pacify your nervous dog fail. You may feel you cannot leave the dog unattended. It may be frustrating for you as they cannot work out what is wrong with the dog due to them being able to hear frequencies we can’t.
There are a lot of measures we can implement to support and manage the environment.
- Changes to walks Earlier walks before dark. Shorter walks, slower sniffy walks. No walks at all for a few days. This goes for after the season has ended too.
- More decompression This can take the form of chews and sniffing / scattering food to find.
- Calming sounds Taiko drums, white noise or classical music are great options. Start to play these way before bonfire night, playing them at a very low level and increase as the days pass. Always ensure your dog doesn't show signs of distress, increasing the volume slowly should eliminate this risk. Taiko Drums in particular help dogs during fireworks because their deep heavy bass acts as effective white noise. This low-frequency sound drowns out the sharp, terrifying cracks of outdoor bangs. Playing the sounds on a speaker is great if you have one as this mimics the way in which sound would echo around the house. Playing 2 speakers at slightly different times can help block out the sound further.
- Create a safe space for your dog to go and hide Allow your dog free movement of the house wherever safe to do so and see where they find the most comfort. Then make a safe space for them there. Make it a dark space, if you have a crate you could put heavy blankets or throws over it. However, avoid confinement unless your dog really does do better in a secure space which they choose to go to.
Look into the following
- Adaptil Adaptil or similar pheromone plug-ins and collars emit calming scents which have been known to help relax dogs. These need to be commenced before the season starts to take effect.
- Thundershirts These apply mild constant pressure which lowers an elevated heart rate.
- T Touch There are different types of T Touch. The link takes you to a post for calming and uses small circular movements. You can also stroke the ear from the base to the tip - finger and thumb either side of the ear, applying light pressure and stroke the ear.
Prescription medication
If your dog doesn't respond well to all of the above it would be wise to seek veterinary advice. This should ideally be done in advance as firework season as they may prescribe anxiety medication which can take a while to have an effect.
There are 2 types of medication. Medication used for noise sensitivities includes short term and long term medication.
- Short term / fast acting trazodone Sileo, gabapentin, diazepam.
- Long term Fluoxetine, alprazolam
Any medication should generally be given before the event takes place, but your vet will be able to give you specific guidance on how to administer it. This is quite easy to predict around bonfire night as the evenings are dark early on and this usually predicts that people will set off fireworks soon after.
N.B. We are not trained vets. Please speak to your vet before administering any medication to your dog.
How can I support my dog after fireworks?
It can take a few hours to a few days, maybe even a week for your dog to recover from the effects of firework season. Think of how you might feel after a mega crazy weekend or holiday. You just need some time to rest and regroup.
Signs to look for that your dog might still be carrying some of that stress after the event
- Panting more
- Following you
- More eager to greet you on your return home
- Showing some reactions to outside encounters that they haven’t previously (barking, backing away,recall or loose lead gone a bit wayward)
- Goofing around (this can actually be a stress response)
- Shaking off more frequently (a big shake like a dog would when wet)
Your dog may still be recovering, especially as fireworks are becoming more frequent throughout the year. Some dogs will bounce back quickly, some will take a little longer.
You can continue to utilise the calming techniques described in this blog to help them readjust as well as keep the shorter, sniffer, quieter walks. A secure dog park where they can just let go, no constraints other than the safety of the establishment may help.
Want to talk things through?
Book a 30 minute session with Sam for personalised guidance. We're here to help so you can support your dog through upcoming and future firework seasons.
References
- [1] Lengyel, K. (2018) Noise Aversion May Indicate Pain in Dogs. Article. dvm360. Available at: https://www.dvm360.com/view/noise-aversion-may-indicate-pain-in-dogs.
- [2] Lopes Fagundes, A.L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K.J., Zulch, H. and Mills, D.S. (2018) Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Article. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, p.17. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5816950/.