With Guy Fawkes season coming up, you may be feeling anxious about the impact it will have on your pet, as so many animals are scared of fireworks. Noise phobias are a problem we treat frequently in our Behaviour Clinic, as it can cause immense distress.
I know how awful it is to see your beloved pet scared, so I’ve put together some tips on how to keep your pet safe and feeling as calm as possible when the fireworks kick off this year.
Why are animals scared of fireworks?
Generally an animal can become phobic of certain noises if they weren’t exposed to those sounds early on in life, when their brains were developing and learning what is a normal and expected part of life. Fireworks is a very common noise phobia, because often pets don’t get a chance to hear these unique noises while they are young, unlike other common household sounds. Any sounds that emit at high energy levels can be frightening to animals if not desensitised early in life, and sudden very loud onsets are often more frightening especially as animals don’t understand where they come from or why.
How to prevent your pet developing noise phobia
If you’re raising a puppy, I recommend you regularly play fireworks noises to them through a speaker from a very young age, starting just a few days after you bring them home. Begin at a very low volume then slowly increase the volume to a realistic level, while using a clicker and high value food rewards to click and reward them for being calm and accepting of the sounds. This will help build their resilience for real fireworks displays in future. If you don’t have a clicker, you can just give pieces of high value food such as chicken or cheese, but a clicker does aid in the desensitisation process.
With a kitten, you can also play fireworks noises to them in the same way while feeding them a favourite treat like licking butter off the back of a spoon.
You can find these sounds on YouTube or streaming services.
How to handle Guy Fawkes night with a fearful pet
If your pet is already fearful or you’re uncertain as to how they might feel or react, here I’ve put together a few tips and tricks to get everyone ready for the night as comfortably as possible. The key is to get them through the night with as little distress as possible, so that it doesn’t increase their trauma.
Tips to help your pets on Guy Fawkes night
I hope this helps your pets to feel a bit more comfortable when there are fireworks about![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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