How To Prepare Your Dog For Bonfire Night

As Bonfire Night approaches, many pet parents are faced with the dilemma of attempting to figure out how best to prepare their dog for bonfire night. 

With the anticipation of not only bonfire night being filled with loud bangs of the fireworks but often the nights leading up to it as well, it can be a distressing time for our beloved dogs. This is often due to their hearing being a lot more sensitive than us hoomans and the fear of the unknown and the potential danger that it might mean for them. 

Being Pet Parents, one of our main roles is to ensure that our dogs feel safe, so to help you prepare, we’ve written up some tips and tricks that may help you on how to prepare your dog for bonfire night.

via GIPHY

How To Prepare Your Dog For Bonfire Night

• In the days leading up to Bonfire Night, begin walking your dog a little earlier before it gets dark. This ensures they still get their daily exercise, but the risk of fireworks being set off at the same time is dramatically reduced.
  
  Even taking your dog out earlier and for a longer walk may be beneficial if you’re able. This is because the additional exercise may make them tired so that they’ll sleep through the fireworks rather than being disturbed.
  
• Begin setting up a safe space for your dog within the home. Somewhere they can retreat to when the fireworks do start but know that it’s safe for them too.
  
  Grab some blankets, too, and make the space as comfortable and dark as possible for your pup, so make sure to close the curtains and blinds as this will also help muffle the sound of fireworks.
  
• Be prepared to stay with your dog in their safe space and provide them with the reassurance and support they need. This is especially important for dogs that may suffer from separation anxiety anyway as they’ll need additional reassurance, too help them feel calm.
  
• You may find that your dog won’t settle in the safe space you’ve created for them. Instead of trying to encourage them to back there, let them wander to where they may feel comfortable at the moment within your home.
  
• If your dog’s fear of fireworks increases, it would be advisable to speak to a vet who will provide more guidance regarding whether it would be beneficial for you to work with a specific behaviouralist or consider medication. 

We hope that you found all our tips and tricks in this post helpful in preparing your dog for Bonfire Night. If you’re looking for more advice on how best to prepare your dog for bonfire night then check out our talk with Kimberly, The CityDogExpert, on her tips and advice on how to prepare your dog for bonfire night.

Additional Information Links: 

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/fireworks