If your dog struggles with anxiety, the festive season can be difficult for him. However, the festive season comes with many beautiful moments — from packing and planning road trips with the family and spending time with loved ones — memories and laughter are what it’s all about.
Yet, with the holiday season, animal lovers everywhere can’t help but get this little niggly feeling in the back of their minds because they are worried about the wellbeing of their dog.
Going on holiday means travel time in the car, which might mean a nervous Bruno. Also, the fireworks over the festive season are not an enjoyable time for your dog, and your holiday experience is dampened too. But before we look at how you can help your dog deal with the stress and anxieties of the festive season, we need to understand why dogs get anxious.
Here are five reasons why dogs may struggle with anxiety:
Anxiety is a common condition among dogs, and it can often be triggered by loud noises such as thunderstorms, fireworks, or even car rides.
Anxiety is experienced because of the anticipation of potential dangers from unknown sources, meaning that your dog is afraid of what might happen.
Take car rides, for example, your dog might think he is going to the vet, but now that it is the festive season, there might be fireworks or loud noise involved making the entire experience highly stressful for your dog.
Here are signs of anxiety in dogs:
- seeking comfort or affection
- licking or chewing excessively
- searching or hiding for solitude
- shaking and panting, or
- becoming aggressive.
So, how can you help your anxious dog?
1. Distract your dog
If your dog is scared of fireworks, distraction is a great way to help them stay busy and calm. Using an interactive toy such as a Snuffle Mat will allow them to palace all their focus on finding the treats.
2. Try a thunder shirt for dogs
This is another natural way to assist your nervous dog, a thunder shirt “distributes pressure over the back and sides of the dog’s chest, serving as a calming hug.” This will have a calming effect on your furry friend.
3. Comfort your dog
You can set up a little corner for your dog with blankets and their bed and try and blackout the area so that your dog can’t see the flashes from the fireworks. You can sit next to your dog on the floor and put on dog TV on your phone to help keep them calm.
It is also important not to react to the fireworks’ sounds to help your dog stay calm.
4. Use sound training
You can use sound training to accustom your dog to the sound of fireworks. For example, you can start by playing firework sounds on your phone at a low level and reward your dog for not reacting with yummy treats.
Continue doing this for a few days until your dog looks at you, knowing what to expect. Keep doing this until your dog shows no signs of anxiety or distress. Then you can start gradually turning up the volume, helping your dog get used to the sound.
So, when the actual fireworks begin, your dog might seem more at ease and calm.
5. Talk to your vet
If none of these options seems to work or you just want to provide a different way to comfort your dog, you can talk to your vet about potential anxiety medication. For example, your vet might recommend anti-anxiety medication just for the festive season to help your fur baby cope better.
You can also speak to your vet about natural anti-anxiety medication such as CalmEze or Anxitane. The vet will assist you in finding the proper remedy for your fur kid.
We hope this creates a happy and calm festive environment for you and your furry loved ones.
Yours in affordable pet insurance,
Oneplan
