Welcome!
I'm so excited to share with you how to calm your dog during fireworks and of course your animals of any other species too.
Read on for 5 top tips to help your pets relax and release any stress so that they can move calmly through this firework season.
Fireworks are beautiful and I used to love watching the bright loud colorful displays with my human family.
But at the same time I always worried about the animals especially if there was a sleepy hedgehog nestled in the bonfire leaves.
The trouble is that the flashing lights and huge surprising bangs, crackles and screeches replicate natural extreme weather conditions.
Many animals are therefore instinctually fearful during firework season so the question is how can we support them best.
Personally I feel that reducing stress completely for everyone and ensuring that there are no fireworks would be best.
However they are still prevalent in many places so here are 5 simple steps that you can take to support your animals and pets at home in preparation for and throughout firework season:
1) Acknowledge what is going on for them. Put yourself in their shoes and see how the experience is from their point of view.
Take time to relax release and rebalance together to build your relationship bond.
Notice how their current stress base line is and invite them to naturally lower it with you.
2) Ensure that they have access to a safe space. Naturally many animals will have a bolt hole. Somewhere to run to and hide from any perceived danger.
Safe spaces can be created easily with their current petsafe bedding or even a pet safe cardboard box.
If the have favourite petsafe toys these can be placed in there to help them acclimatise in the safe space.
It's also a great idea to introduce any new hiding areas as far before you need them so that they have tested them out and enjoyed them first.
Never introduce anything new whilst the animal is showing heightened stress especially to external triggers such as fireworks as they could link the new nice thing with the scary experience and not benefit from it at all.
3) Offer them opportunities to relax, release and process their stress and emotions naturally.
For dogs licking, chewing, digging, sniffing are all ways that they've processed and released stress, triggers and emotions for generations.
Dens can be replicated at home by placing a petsafe towel or blanket over a permanent gap between furniture or over a table.
4) Give them choices to react instinctively in a safe environment.
If they do go into instinctive fearful behaviour it's important to let them choose what to do.
Ensuring that they have safe known spaces to hide in will help them flee and naturally release their stress.
It's important to observe them and consult your vet with any concerns that you have.
5) Have safe trusted company for them if possible either yourself, someone else that they feel calm around or another animal that they can relax with.
This is especially important for young, fearful or street rescues as they won't realise that they're safe.
Your role is then to show them that you're all safe.
If you have fear of fireworks having someone to calm you and help you feel safe is very useful.
You could even set up a video call with someone or make sure that you're doing something focussed to distract you from the fireworks.
Check out the complimentary Calm Connection Vault below for a Calming Firework PDF plus Relaxing Release Meditations to help relax and calm your animals this firework season and beyond.
With so much love, light and gratitude for you exactly as you are now and always,
Liz xx
Gently guiding you, your loved ones and your clients (of all species) to calm
P.S. Enjoy complimentary calming support here: