November isn’t an easy time for pet owners, because although fireworks night can be fun, nervous pets can make it really stressful. The problem with fireworks is that they are loud and unpredictable which means that they can startle your dog at any time – and they aren’t anyways just on the 5th of November either. Displays and people setting off fireworks in the garden around firework night mean that there are plenty of opportunities for your pets to get a scare – and no one wants that. Thankfully,
There are some tips you can follow that can help keep your dog relaxed during fireworks.
1. Create a Safe Space
Your dog probably already has their preferred safe spaces at home, but making sure that these are accessible and extra cosy can help. If there are chew treats or toys that they love then placing these inside their safe space area can help too.
2. Walk Them Early

Tired dogs tend to be less grouchy anyway and firework night is certainly no exception. Forget your routine for a day or two and walk them before it gets dark. Fireworks tend to be set off after the sun has set so taking your day for an early evening walk means they get to burn off some energy without being scared of the noises that fireworks make.
Feeling tired from a walk will mean that they are much more likely to sleep well when they’re at home.
3. Work on Distractions
Distractions are a good way to make sure that they’re not too bothered by noise. Background noise such as playing music can help. Betway recently looked into how dogs relax and what we can do to help them relax even more. They found they playing music can help.
In fact, their study said “Looking at dogs’ sleep percentage scores, you can expect your dog to have a fantastic score of 88% after listening to folk music the night before. One dog, in particular, scored a near-perfect score of 92% after listening to folk music, the highest sleep score recorded. “
4. Block out the Noise
As well as distracting them with music playing, doing what you can to block out the noise can help too. Having the TV volume up loud if you’re not playing music for example. Having windows and curtains closed also can help to ensure that any noise from outside is as quiet as possible.
5. Act like Normal
Whilst it is important to take steps to keep your dog calm it is also important to remember that they pick up on our stress and this can feed their anxiety. So, take some steps to implement calmness as above but everything else should continue the same.
Have your dinner, give them their dinner and settle down for the evening. Remember fireworks are just a couple of nights a year and then it will be over so try not to stress and just do the best for both you and your pooch.
Also read: 7 Tips for Training a Protective Dog