The dog is afraid of fireworks: what to do?

January 1st. New year's night. After the usual feast, many people take to the streets of their cities to go to a festive tree, light sparklers, and set off fireworks. Sound familiar? We think so. Such a pastime gives a person a lot of positive emotions, but what are our pets experiencing?

The dog is afraid of fireworks

We all know perfectly well that dogs have much sharper hearing than humans. Moreover, the ears of a quadruped are capable of picking up even those nuances that are generally inaccessible to us. Now imagine: a person from surprise often flinches and is frightened, hearing a sharp pop, seeing a sudden flash of bright light. And the dog experiences this in a several times increased volume.

Pets react to fireworks in different ways:

Are hammered into a corner;

Whine, bark;

Hiding behind the owner;

Trying to escape;

They rush frantically on the floor, on the ground;

Lie on the ground, etc.

Any of the above options are huge stress for the tailed beast. It is important for the owner to behave correctly in such a situation, so as not to encourage such behavior, and to calm the pet. Let's understand in more detail.

The dog is afraid of fireworks: what to do?

The owner's behavior will differ depending on where you are at the time of the fireworks: at home or on the street with the dog.

If you are at home and your tailed beast is huddled in a corner from fright, just do not touch it. This is, perhaps, one of the most favorable outcomes: the dog will sit out in its "shelter" terrible sounds. A person should not touch it, much less try to pull it out.

If during the fireworks your pet begins to howl or bark very strongly at home, do not scold him, but do not try to calm him down. Your hugs, strokes, the dog will perceive as encouragement and think that such a reaction is correct. Such an episode will simply have to wait out. A person, in turn, can carry out a distracting maneuver: deliberately do not pay attention to the dog for display, squat down, start looking at something on the floor, sofa. The pet will become interested, and he will be distracted from the terrible fireworks.

Quite often, during the fireworks, the dog tries to hide behind the owner's legs. In this she feels some kind of security, protection from a strong person. It is not necessary to deliberately aggressively push the dog away, scold. Wait a while, and then gently step to the side. The dog will remain alone with his fear and learn to cope with it.

The most frightening situation is the dog's attempt to escape from the fireworks. It is very important that she is on a leash at this moment. Otherwise, you risk losing your pet forever. This, by the way, is another reason why you should not walk your dog off a leash on the street. In such a situation, just hold on to the leash tightly and do not let the animal get off it.

If the four-footed person starts to panic and rush on the ground, you can take him by the withers (firmly and confidently). The dog should calm down. The main thing is no aggression. Everything should be as delicate as possible.

The most common mistake dog breeders make is an attempt to hug their pet, stroke them, calm them down with a soft voice. In no case should you do this! This is encouragement, not comfort. The animal will think that you are praising him and will accept this model of behavior as correct.

We hope that the New Year holidays will be very fun for you in the circle of your closest and dearest people. Our smaller brothers will brighten up cozy evenings by the tree with a cup of tea. Now you know what to do if fireworks suddenly start and you can show your dog that it's not scary!