Many of us love this time of year but let's face it, it can be a very stressful time for dogs. One of my own dogs Hazel is terrified of fireworks and November can be very stressful for her.
How as owners though can we help them through this season? Having a dog with noise phobia I have tried all sorts of ways to help so I thought I'd put my top 5 tips together.
1) Keep the curtains drawn, lights down low and have the TV or the radio on. This will of course block out any flashing lights and limit the noise they can hear. Of course, dogs hearing is much more sensitive than ours, but it will go some way to help.
2) Create a safe space for them. If you're dog is already crate trained then a crate is the perfect area to put them. Cover the crate with blankets to make it even more den like. If they are not crate trained perhaps, they have a table they like to hide under, my Hazel will put herself in the downstairs toilet. She feels safer here so I will let her do that. Put their bed in whatever area they choose so they have something familiar.
3) Have something for them to lick. Dogs find licking very calming and so providing something they can lick is a fun way to calm them. My go to is a Kong filled with dog friendly peanut butter, carrots and cucumber. I then freeze this so it will take them longer to eat.
4) Don't over fuss them. It sounds counter intuitive but don't over fuss them, giving them to much fuss can just re-enforce the fear. Try and go about your usual evening routine.
5) Take them for a decent walk before it gets dark, making sure they are tired may help them to settle more easily.