When it comes to fight or flight, most dogs choose flight on July Fourth.
Fireworks can scare them senseless, experts say.
In fact, more pets go missing on Independence Day due to loud noises from fireworks than any other time of year.
So keeping your dog indoors during July Fourth — or whenever fireworks are scheduled — is essential to maintaining a sense of calm, said Sam Bass, merchandise and inventory manager at PetSmart in Mankato.
“Unfortunately, a lot of dogs don’t understand what it is,” Bass said of fireworks.
“Think about their hearing capability compared to ours, how much greater it is.
If fireworks are loud to us, they’re even louder to dogs.
They tend to not understand what’s going on.
“When an animal hears a noise like that, their natural instinct is to bolt away from it,” he said.
“They get scared and then flee and run outside.”
After the first, and most obvious, tip for instilling calm in your dog during July Fourth or other festivities — that being keeping them indoors — Bass and Dr.
Ken Ambrose, veterinarian at Minnesota Valley Pet Hospital, have an array of suggestions for pet owners to follow as fireworks light up the sky.
While it’s too late to buy medication from your vet, at PetSmart you can still purchase what Bass calls “calming solutions” for animal anxiety produced by fireworks.
PetSmart is open 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m.
Thursday if a calming solution is something you’d like to have on hand for your dog.
(Mankato's fireworks display has been rescheduled for Friday because of weather concerns.)
Next up, wrap up your pup in an anxiety vest such as the Thundershirt, Ambrose said.
This, he said, is essentially a weighted blanket that aims to reduce anxiety and stress.
Bass said PetSmart stocks Thundershirts in all sizes.
Another tip is to put some music or TV on in the background, to lessen the noise of fireworks.
“People can definitely try noise diffusers,” Bass said.
YouTube has different dog relaxing sounds you can play, too, he said.
“Play something in the background to keep it a calm environment.”
It also helps to wear your dog out before the fireworks begin.
“It never hurts to have a busy day,” Ambrose said, “and have a tired, exercised dog.”
If dogs are spent by the time fireworks begin, they won’t have energy to be anxious, Bass said.
Ambrose said providing your dog company can also help reduce agitation from fireworks.
“Fireworks are sudden.
Unpredictable booming,” he said.
“It gets them worked up.”
Above all, maintain your own calm composure, Bass said.
“I would No.
1, not feed into their anxiety,” he said.
“Try to keep as calm of a presence as you can around the dog.”
Also try to redirect your dog by giving them a task to work on, such as a Kong treat dispenser.
“That can distract them from a stressful situation or get them tired before they start to feel anxious,” Bass said.
“If they’re worn out, that can help quite a bit.”