The Fourth of July is usually filled with festive, fun activities for humans: hot dogs, hamburgers, parades, beer and the beach — but for dogs, the Fourth is filled with fireworks and fear.
Last year, around July 4, I heard the snap, crackle and pop, pop, pop of impromptu fireworks. What did I hear next? The jingle jangle of my dog’s collars as they quickly bolted from the couch, where they had been happily napping, and fled to their kennels in an effort to get away from the loud noises and take shelter in their safe spot.
In addition to being an Executive Producer for CBS News 24/7, I’m also a volunteer trainer for Canine Companions, which provides expertly-trained service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities — free of charge. I’m frequently asked for dog training and socialization tips, and am happy to share what I’ve learned from my time with Canine Companions.
Canine Companions encourages its volunteer puppy raisers to expose their furry friends to a variety of experiences, sights and sounds, as they are important to help prepare the dogs for their service. After all, when they’re working service animals, they will need to maintain focus through all distractions.
Here’s what they recommend for all pet owners who want to keep their dogs calm during fireworks:
First and foremost, don’t take your dog to a fireworks show if you can avoid it. Some dogs are great around loud noises, but it’s too risky a situation if something goes wrong. Remember, dogs have much more sensitive hearing than humans and are able to hear sounds four times farther away than we can, and fireworks are very loud.
It’s also a good idea to exercise your puppy or dog earlier in the day. Physical and mental stimulation are both great ways to tire puppies out and prepare them to spend the evening in their kennel at home. Some fun ideas for mental stimulation include:
- Playing hide and seek in the house. To do this, leave your dog in a sit or down, then hide somewhere in the house. Call them to you, and be ready to praise and reward when they find you.
- Give their meal (or part of their meal) as a frozen Kong, or other toy, to occupy and stimulate them as they concentrate on getting their food. To make a frozen Kong, take a portion of the dog’s meal and soak it in warm water for about 20-30 minutes until it has increased in size. Then, stuff the soaked kibble into the center of a Kong or similar toy and freeze. We recommend doing this a day or two in advance so it’s already frozen when you need to use it.
- Have a few fun training sessions throughout the day! Work on some things that may require them to move a bit more, like jump, touch, recalls, etc.
If you have a dog that has shown sensitivity to noises, or if this is a puppy’s first Fourth of July and you’re not sure how they will react, here are some helpful tips to make it a good experience:
- Use a kennel! Give them treats (even before the fireworks start) to reward them for calm behavior.
- Play music or TV in the background to help drown out the noise of fireworks.
- Move the kennel to the quietest room in your house — maybe a bathroom towards the center of your house or a room with the fewest windows.
- Put a blanket over the kennel to help keep the noise out. It also then feels even more like a den for them, which they like.
- Remain calm and confident. If the dog startles or shows fear, it is important for us to remain confident and not coddle them. They will feed off of our body language. Confidently tell them it’s OK, act like it’s not a big deal and give them some kibble to try to distract them.
- Each time a firework goes off, give them a piece of kibble. The more you can associate the loud noise with something fun and tasty, the better!
