How to Ease Dog Anxiety on the Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is great fun for humans, featuring parades, cookouts, time with family and friends, and, of course, fireworks. But while we ooh and aah over the rockets’ red glare, our pets are absolutely terrified of the bombs bursting in air. And it’s not just the big professional pyrotechnics, either; because a dog’s ears are so much more sensitive than ours, the pop of distant firecrackers and bottle rockets can fray a dog’s nerves to the breaking point. So what can you do?

Here are few steps you can take to lessen your dog’s stress when there are fireworks going off:

1. Bring the dog inside, to a quiet interior room.
2. Put the dog in its crate, with a treat that takes a while to eat (a bone, a Kong, etc.).
3. Turn on the tv or radio.
4. Talk to the dog in soothing tones.
5. You can also wrap the dog in a Thundershirt, a tight-fitting garment that helps with anxiety.

Because there is so much stress, the weeks around the Fourth are also a time when many dogs run away, and shelters usually see a big increase in strays. This is a great reason to have your dog microchipped, but you should also be extra diligent about keeping the dog close-by and indoors.