Keeping your dog safe on New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve is upon us and for many it’s time for celebration and fireworks. However for dogs it is a time of stress and fear. To help your dog cope with New Year’s Eve I have put together the following tips,

• If you are going out for the night, do a thorough check of the yard. Make sure all gates and fencing are secure as well as making sure the yard is clear of hazards. If possible, secure off part of the yard and create a den like area for the dog to hide away in with plenty of bedding and a couple of favourite toys to distract.

• Make sure your dogs are micro-chipped and have securely fastened collars with ID tags.

• Do not take your dog with you to an event that has fireworks thinking this is safer to have them with you.

• If you’re at home, keep your dog inside and go about your normal routine. Don't stress about your dog and how it will cope, they will sense it, keep yourself calm and assertive

• If you’re going away for the New Year’s, it is best to have your dog put in a kennel where facilities are well prepared for this time of year and ensures that your dog is safe and secure. If you find it difficult to organise boarding in time, make sure you leave your dog with someone who can stay with your pet.

• Go for an extra-long walk before sunset, get em' dog tired as they say. This way your dog will most probably be happily snoring their way into the New Year.

• If your dog becomes frightened and they start to search for hiding place or start to yelp, let them go with it. Don't force them out of their comfort zone. Let them run to your bedroom to hide or have a bit of a complain, just make sure that they can see that your calm and you have no problem with it at all.

• Drown out the noise with your TV or radio. My dog usually spends most nights on her mat next to the TV so she is quite use to it, so when you know the fireworks are about to start, crank the volume up (not the channel with fireworks on) and mask those bad sounds with TV or music that dogs are more used to.

• In most severe cases of fear of fireworks, vets can prescribe a sedative, however it is highly recommended that you consult your vet for advice if you feel that this would be your only option.

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Greg

P.S  Would love to hear some of your tips to share  in the comments area below