Preparation For The Coming Season
Desensitization
Leading up to New Year season, preparation is key! It can really help to get your pet used to sounds they may experience. Playing Firework noises over a speaker is a great way to slowly introduce our furry friends to all the strange sounds they may hear over the season. Smart devices, YouTube and some rescue organisations have firework sounds readily available just for this purpose.
Start small and gradually increase the volume so your pet becomes used to the sounds in a calm environment.
Communicating With Neighbours
Finding out if and when there are any large displays planned near you will help you to prepare for or avoid them if possible.
Liaising with neighbours so you know if anyone is planning on having their own at home display or explaining the effect of fireworks on your livestock is a great way to find a good compromise or syncing your schedules.
Routine
Like us, many animals benefit from a daily routine! Preparing your pet in advance for an early walk or bringing inside will allow them to adjust to the new routine in advance and accept the change in a relaxed manner.
On The Night
Early Doors
As all the noises begin after dark, It helps to do all your outdoor activities before sunset!
- Try to take your dogs out for their evening walkies a little early.
- Call cats into the house or keep them in if that is your preference.
- Ensure horses are settled where they will be spending the night, be stabled or turned out.
- Bring small animals inside if possible.
Drowning out noise
Having some calming music playing to drown out firework sounds or leaving the television or radio on can make the sudden noises less surprising for our furry friends.
Classic FM dedicate a pet friendly evening of calming music on New Years Eve which you can play on most devices.
Safe space
Providing a safe haven is a great way to give our pets comfort. A blanket covered crate can make a great hideaway to benefit our indoor pets, leaving the door open to allow them to come and go as they wish.
Reducing Run Offs!
Once the New Year celebrations are in full swing, its great to get those evening walks finished, furry friends indoors and horses where they will be staying the night before the sun sets. This allows your pets to be settled and calm before any noises begin.
If you need to take your pet outside to do their business, keep them on a lead to avoid the chance of running off if startled. Make sure your microchip is up to date and your pet has their tag on their collar with your contact details on just in case!
Calming Activities
Sniffing, licking and chewing helps to reduce cortisol levels and increases dopamine and opioid neurochemical. In short these following activities can help to calm your dog and offer them mental stimulation. Dogs should always be supervised when using the following products.
- Licki Mat : Smearing products such as doggy safe peanut butter or soaked biscuits onto Licki Mats is a great way to make your dogs dinner into a fun and calming activity.
- Kong: The famous Kong is a fabulous way to turn your dogs treats into a tasty mind game. Top tip! Freezing the Kong with tasty treats inside will make it last twice as long!
- Natural Chews : There is a variety of natural treats available for all ages! Anco do a full range of tasty treats such as Bully Sticks or Pizzles. Yakkers, Antlers, Roots and Buffalo horns are all top selling natural chews!
- Snuffle Mats : Perfect to get the nose working, the Snuffle Mat is made of a variety of fleece strips to hide your dog or cats favourite treats! Using their nose to seek out the treats is great mental stimulation for a variety of animals!
- Brain Games : Entertain and distract your pet by hiding tasty snacks inside a maze or treat dispensing toy and watch them figure out how to retrieve it. Puzzle games, Treat balls or Wobblers for larger dogs.
- Training tricks : If your looking for something you can simply do without having any extra equipment, teaching your pet a new trick is a great way to get them thinking and distracted! Positive reinforcement and shape training can be great fun for our furry friends and we only need some training treats or a reward i.e. ball!
- Ponies & Horses : Not forgetting our stabled friends, mental stimulation and foraging behaviours are great for calming and distracting them. Boredom breakers such as Likits, Swingers, Forage Blocks or Treat Balls can keep them entertained for hours!
Comforting Your Pet
Some pets are still unsettled, try to set a good example. Stay calm, don’t panic, speak in a low calm voice and give them some calm fuss if they want some company. Reassuring your furry friend that everything is okay will help them see you are not afraid and feed off your calm atmosphere. “Safety in numbers” is a phrase very true for many animals. Horses especially are herd animals and feel much safer when they can see or touch other animals they know.
Pheromones and Herbal Calmers
There are many products available on the market to help our pets keep calm and deal with the firework season.
- Pheromone products such as Adaptil plug ins or Feliway plug ins send odourless, comforting messages released into the air from a plug in diffuser. These messages mimic a mothers pheromones and provide a strong signal of security and comfort for your pet.
- YuMove Calming Care contains natural scientifically proven ingredients to help your dog cope better with stress. Containing lemon balm, L-theanine, B vitamins and blend of natural fish protein hydroysates, all to support your dogs ability to deal with stress.
- Dorwest Scullcap & Valerian Tablets naturally relax your pet, reducing their stress, anxiety and excitability. Scullcap & Valerian tablets are non drowsy and can be given daily to dogs or cats for the duration of firework season. Dorwest also make Valerian Compound, a quick acting liquid which helps to reduce stress and anxiety in as little as 20 minutes.
- Pet Remedy produce a variety of products clinically proven to help calm and sooth stressed pets. Suitable for a wide variety of animals from horses to hamsters and even our feathered friends! Pet Remedy contains a special blend of essential oils which work alongside the brains natural “Messengers” called neurotransmitters, to send calming signals signals and reduce stress. Available as a plug in, spray or calming wipes you can apply directly to your pet.
