How To Reasure Your Dog During Fireworks or Thunderstorms

Everyone loves a holiday, and the fourth of July is a very special one for US citizens. But as every dog owner knows, loud, explosive noises - whether it’s fireworks or thunder - can be distressing and unsettling for our four-legged companions.

In this clip, Stuart Smith, Leo the Ridgeback and Raven the Doberman, share some of the techniques they’ve evolved over the years to keep them feeling calm - even during loud intermittent noise.

They’ve recorded this clip especially for dog owners and their canine companions as they approach another 4th of July, which can a tricky time in terms of noise-related stress.

Stuart shares some of the signs that dogs may show under such stress - like pacing, panting, destructive behaviours such as chewing, digging holes, or even aggressive ones such as growling and barking. Recognising these symptoms, rather than just reacting to them, can allow owners to take measures to relieve their pet’s distress in effective and humane ways.

Stuart cautions against the use of knee-jerk medications to sedate pets. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of taking a pharmaceutical short-cut when a behavioural approach may take more time and effort, but perhaps carry much less risk. Having said that, he does find supplements such as melatonin to have a helpful effect for Raven and Leo under certain circumstances, as do certain herbs. He reminds owners to always check the ingredients are right for their pet - they are dependent on our choices in this.

Another method is the use of pheromone collars, which mimic the effects of a mother’s hormones on a puppy. Raven and Leo haven’t found these especially useful, but many owners swear by them.

Noise reduction may also be useful, perhaps using mutt muffs - noise-reducing ear muffs that will muffle sound. Stuart makes the excellent and heartfelt point that pets are not an accessory, and that dressing them up, and posting pictures of them on social media is not a particularly kind or loving action.

He also discusses the ’T’ touch - Tellington TTouch - a massage technique that allows owners to use touch to help their dogs stay relaxed.

Of course, dogs will respond to their human’s own mental and emotional state - one of the greatest gifts we can give them is to remain calm ourselves.

Music can be helpful. Experiment to find out which kind of music best settles your dog.

A happy place - a place where your dogs feel at their most secure, may well be the spot that they weather the storm with the most resilience.

Ultimately, the key to dealing with the stresses of loud noise on our pets is to be alert ourselves to what our pet’s behaviour is communicating to us. Our dog friends give us so much unconditional love and companionship - the very least we can do is reciprocate, and do our best to help them feel safe.

As Stuart so wisely says - a little bit of love goes a long way.