Happy Canada Day! (Photo: fireworks in the sky about a city skyline)
Are you dreading Canada Day? Do fireworks go off in your neighbourhood throughout the day, and sometimes on the following day? Here are some tips to get you and your dog prepared.
Physical Exercise:
Tired dogs go into a resting and relaxed state far more easily than dogs who are not exercised.
All dogs require daily exercise. Some require low-key walks, while others require hours of running, agility, and fetch to properly tire them out. In the days leading up to Canada Day, exercise your dog for an extra hour each day. On Canada Day, begin with a long walk before breakfast. After lunch, go for a nice long hike and explore nature with your pup. Make time for fetch, swimming, or a bike ride.
Fulfilling your dog’s exercise needs is a great way to prepare for fireworks (Photo: person biking with an off-leash dog)
Mental Exercise:
Dogs are intelligent animals who need mental stimulation. Searching for food, doing obedience, and having fun with new tricks are all ways of draining your dog’s mental energy.
Why not teach your dog a few life-saving skills, like “come,” “leave it,” and “drop it?” Not only will these activities tire your pup out, they could save your pup’s life.
Nosework is a great way to drain your dog’s mental energy (Photo: dachshund sniffing the sand at a beach)
Calmness:
I quote former Navy SEAL, Dan Crenshaw, all the time for a reason: because this quotation sums up how to live with dogs — “Calm breeds calm. Panic breeds panic.”
If you overreact to fireworks, your dog will overreact to fireworks.
Your dog is looking to you for your reaction. If she looks at you and sees a worried pack leader, she will become worried too.
Communicate calmness to your dog by acting calm and confident while the fireworks are going off.
Exposure:
If you have a new puppy, now is your chance to let them learn that fireworks are no big deal. If you’re out and about in the evening, keep moving and keep your own energy calm and confident. Your puppy is a master of reading your energy and your body language. Show your pup there’s nothing to fear.
Do not stop and comfort your puppy as you would a young child. They are not human. If you join them in a soft state of mind and pet them while they’re acting fearful you will reward a fearful state of mind and teach them fireworks are to be feared. No baby talk. Just walk.
If you’re outside, you’ll be allowing your puppy to learn in a way that is natural to her: nose, eyes, ears. She will be able to get used to the way the fireworks smell, how they look, and what they sound like.
Teach your puppy to be calm around the things you wish them to be calm around as an adult (Photo: person walking a dog at sunset)
Prevention:
Be sure to have your dog’s tags on, in case she runs away. Call your microchip company and ensure that they have your address up to date in their system.
If you are reading this article several weeks prior to fireworks, you can begin to desensitize your dog to the sound by playing it at a low level prior to enjoyable activities, like going for a walk or eating a meal. Gradually increase the volume and remember to simply act calm and confident when you do this activity.
How to keep yourself calm?
Tell yourself that this year’s fireworks are going to be the best ones ever for you and your dog. Mindset is so important. If you spend all day baby-talking to your dog and acting strangely, she will be on edge. If you cringe the moment you hear the first firework of the evening, you’re setting your dog up to be afraid.
Exercise, breathe, and remind yourself that you can do this.
Happy Canada Day, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Happy Canada Day! (Photo: moose with mountains in the backdrop)
Photos by: maggie hung @maggie__1105 (fireworks in the sky about a city skyline,) Patrick Hendry
@worldsbetweenlines (person biking with an off-leash dog,) Emma Charles
@emmacharles (dachshund sniffing the sand at a beach,) Helen Cramer
@helencramer (person walking a dog at sunset) Cora Leach
@coramaureen (moose with mountains in the backdrop.)