Let’s make sure you and your dog have a 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 as well? Are you feeling anxious just thinking about it? Here are some tips to get you and your dog prepared.
Fulfillment:
Dogs who are fulfilled are able to go into a resting and relaxed state far more easily than dogs who are not fulfilled. Fulfilling your dog is more than simply exercising them until they are physically exhausted. In fact, oftentimes this has the opposite effect. Have you ever taken your dog for a long hike, two hours of fetch, or a playdate with other dogs only to come home and have your dog begging to play fetch inside your home all evening, having zoomies all over your couch, or destroying your couch cushions? What’s happening is that the type of exercise owners are providing often lacks structure, so they accidentally create an adrenalized athlete who can play for hours, but unfortunately has no “off switch.” This often presents as a dog who is unable to settle in the home and is always on high alert. This doesn’t feel good to our dogs.
Adding structure to your dog’s exercise routine helps to slow them down and allows them to connect with you rather than connecting with the environment instead of you (i.e. ignoring your recall command because they found a dog friend, interesting smell, or something dead to roll in.)
Examples of structure to add into your daily routine:
-waiting politely at all thresholds (crate door, front door, garden gate, car door, etc.)
-working some obedience into your fetch game (leave it, drop it, heeling, recall, obedience commands, etc.)
-placework on a tree stump, boulder, or bench during your hike to add calmness to your hike/walk
All dogs require daily fulfillment. In the days leading up to Canada Day, fulfill your dog every day. Make the time. Be sure you are fulfilling your dog’s breed needs and remembering to take into consideration their age, health, and the outdoor temperature as well.
On Canada Day, begin with a nice walk before breakfast. Make time to fulfill your dog’s needs throughout the day, so that when the fireworks begin your dog is relaxed, not wired.
Fulfilling your dog’s breed 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.
Placework is another amazing activity to do with your dog which provides a great mental workout. Placework helps teach our dogs how to be calm. Placework shows your dog what to do instead of pacing, barking, jumping on guests, and being on high alert in your home.
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.
If you’re outside on a walk, 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. Since fireworks are very loud, I would recommend taking a stroll somewhere where fireworks will be going off in the distance, as opposed to right near where the fireworks are being set off.
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 of fireworks by playing it on your phone at a very low level prior to and during enjoyable activities (eg. while you are working on obedience commands and tricks using your dog’s meal ration as her reward, doing longline work, or even playing fetch in your home.) 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 training, 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.)