Supporting Your Dogs During Halloween & Fireworks Season
Meesh Masters 
This time of year can be scary and unsettling for some of our environmentally sensitive overseas rescue dogs - especially if they're generally more anxious or fearful anyway.
First & foremost - please be sure to take all the necessary measures to keep your dogs safe and supported during Halloween & fireworks season.
So many dogs are reported missing this time of year because they've bolted out of open doors or panicked and escaped from gardens. Please make sure your microchip details and ID tags are up to date - Just in case the worst should happen.
Halloween can be as challenging as fireworks for many dogs - with lots of knocking on the door and strange voices, children out on the streets, strange looking costumes and decorations both inside and outside homes.
SAFETY & MANAGEMENT
SAFETY AT HOME
✅ SECURE SPACE: Ensure ALL family members know to secure your dog before opening the door. If you have children or young adults in the house who may open the door without thinking it may be better to put a pen/barrier around the front door to prevent your dog darting out if they open it without securing them first.
✅ INTERACTION: Ensure all family members (especially children) are aware that your dog may not want to be touched or stroked when in an anxious or fearful state. A dog who is highly stressed and trying to cope could have a lower tolerance threshold and may snap or bite someone who goes to touch them - even if they’re normally the best of friends.
Teach your children to give your dog space and if old enough to recognise the signs that your dog doesn’t want to be interacted with.
SAFETY IN THE GARDEN
✅ SUPERVISE: It can be a good idea to supervise your dogs in the garden at this time of year – especially of an evening (although, as we know, fireworks can be let of at any time of the day.) If you are there to offer them support should anything happen, it can help to minimize the impact and ensure they don’t try to escape in a panic.
For nervous and fearful dogs – it can be helpful to take them out on a long line if possible. For some dogs this can provide an added sense of safety, and it will be easier for you to support them calmly should something happen.
SAFETY ON WALKS
✅ WALKS: Walk your dog during daylight hours if possible. If you have to walk them of an evening, keep your walk as short as possible, do pees & poos (your dog not you!😅) and then head home and make up their walk time with alternative mentally stimulating activities and enrichment at home – which can also help settle them.
If you live in a busy and built-up area and have to walk your dog in the evenings, is it possible to drive them anywhere quieter for their walk, even a quieter neighbourhood where it's less likely to have lots of activity or fireworks being let off randomly.
✅ EQUIPMENT: Ensure your walk equipment is well-fitted, secure, and appropriate for your dog. Have them wear an additional safety back up if there is any danger of them panicking and escaping a collar or harness.
Have a double ended lead clipped on both a harness and a collar and if you think there is a very real danger of your dog escaping, use the back up of a slip lead but as a secondary measure (so your dog is not walked with the slip lead in play - it is only there in the event of an emergency)
BELT & BRACES ON WALKS THROUGHOUT THE HALLOWEEN & FIREWORKS SEASON
I usually recommend to people, especially those with anxious and nervous dogs, to be very careful or avoid letting your dog off lead for a week or so around Halloween and Bonfire night.
Even if you're walking your dog during the daytime - if they've been upset by people knocking on your door, or had a difficult time with fireworks going off, their nervous system could still be struggling and stress levels elevated - meaning they could be more likely to overreact to things they wouldn't normally.
This means any sudden noise, startling sound or event could be enough to have your dog running in a complete panic reaction.
Keep them on a long line attached to a harness ideally so they can still roam and sniff but will be safely attached to you.
Your dog won't die from not being let off lead for a week or so, but they could die from bolting in panic because something startles them when they're already in an elevated stress state.
👉 REMINDER: Make sure your microchip details and ID tags are up to date. Just in case the worst should happen.
ON THE DAY & DURING EVENTS
💊 MEDICATION: If you know your dog struggles with fireworks, please do speak to your Vet well ahead of time, to see if they can support your dog with some fast acting, situational anti-anxiety medication that could be given as and when needed.
🐕🦺 EXERCISE: Provide your dog with an appropriate amount of exercise during the day - this does not necessarily mean running them ragged or going for a crazy long walk. A nice sniffari walk can be just as stimulating and ‘settling’ as getting your dog ramped up with a highly arousing long & energetic walk
🚽 TOILETING: Take your dog for pees and poos late afternoon before all the activities start. Most dogs would be able to hold it then through the night, but if they need to, a quick visit to the garden as late as possible after everything has finished (hopefully!)
🦴FEEDING: Feed your dog a good hour before any fireworks are expected. The 'full tummy feeling' can help them feel calmer.
🙆♀️ SOCIAL REFERENCING - ACT NORMAL: Remain calm yourself and go about things as normal. Our body language and behaviour can have a significant impact on our dogs; they're very adept at social referencing.
If we are all antsy and worrying about them, our anxiety and weird behaviour can affect their emotional state. If you find you're feeling anxious because your dog is getting upset (which I totally get – I’ve been there) focus on yourself for a moment, take some deep belly breaths, relax & drop your shoulders, softening your face muscles to help release your own tension and anxiety.
I’ve been known to start giggling when a big bang goes off! And I have to say, in the space of less than 3 seconds my boy’s face went from ‘Shit! What was that bang!’ to ‘hey hang on she’s laughing!’ 😅
For some dogs it can be helpful to ‘narrate’ what is happening – just in a neutral tone, not in a gushy reassuring type of way. Literally just explain what is happening as it happens.
Neither of these may have any impact on a dog who suffers with true noise phobia or high-level anxiety, but for those that are only mildly affected it could be a useful interrupter and mood lightener.
💤 GENERAL RELAXATION & SLEEP PROMOTION: Provide your dog with additional relaxation and rebalancing opportunities during the daytime as well as the evenings (see below for some suggestions of activities)
SPACE MANAGEMENT & SAFE SPACES
✅ Keep all doors and windows closed and draw all the curtains to help minimize the impact of any external activity/noise/bangs.
✅ Turn on the lights to help reduce the effect of the flashes from fireworks.
✅ Create a safe space or den area ahead of time for your dog to get into if that’s what they choose but don't try to encourage them to get in there.
🐕 Cover a crate and fill with cosy bedding to make a den
🐕 Make a blanket den behind a chair or sofa
🐕 Throw a large blanket over a table and create a cosy area underneath
✅ Use some form of noise in the house to help mask external noise. Recommended options below 👇
✅ Allow your dog to choose what they want to do and where they want to be. Avoid trying to cajole them into doing something you feel will help them. Support them as best you can in the choices they make:
🐕 Some want to run and hide and be left alone
🐕 Some want to be cuddled tight
🐕 Some want to be with you or close to you - but not necessarily cuddled or touched
🐕 Play? If your dog is up for it absolutely, but if they're not, don't keep trying
Some dogs with lower level anxiety can be encouraged to engage in games with you, and it can be a great way to distract them and help them cope, but once again, please do not keep trying to get your dog to play if they’re clearly not showing interest in doing so, this will likely just add to their anxiety.
CALMING MUSIC, WHITE NOISE & NOISE MASKING OPTIONS
⌚ START YOUR NOISE MASKING EARLY: Whatever sound, music or white noise you choose, start playing it well before any planned fireworks are due to start, have it playing at a moderate level and then calmly increase the volume just before you know the fireworks are about to begin.
This can help prevent your dog getting into a panic state, rather than you quickly dashing around putting things on once your dog has already heard the fireworks and escalated into a stress state. Once escalated it can be harder for them to return to a calmer, relaxed state.
📺 TELEVISION: turn the TV up louder and if you have TVs in multiple rooms – turn them all up so if your dog moves around the house, the sound will be help mask the external noise wherever they choose to go.
🎵 MUSIC: Play moderate to loud music depending on your dog’s sensitivity. Many people recommend classical music, and although this has been found to have a calming effect on dogs, I personally use louder beat style music (rock, pop, trance) for fireworks and thunderstorms because I find it a lot more effective at drowning out the bangs (as long as your dog won’t be upset by the music.)
🔉 FANS: Fans can also be a great option for masking external noise – put them in the room where your dog will be (or is likely to be.)
With fans you not only have the noise of the fan but also the fan pushes the air around the room, bouncing it off the walls and breaking up the sound waves.
📻 WHITE NOISE: You could also try a white noise app such as ‘Rain Rain’ which has been found to be effective at masking the noises, and a member in our group also mentioned that Alexa has an app that provides a range of white noise options which may be useful for you to experiment with.
There are also reports of Taiko Drumming music being effective at both calming and masking the bangs of fireworks.
👉 CLICK HERE FOR A LINK to Taiko Drum Music
TOP TIP: Positioning your noise masking option (TV, music speakers, fans etc.)
in front of windows can help minimise the impact of external noise further.
🔉 OTHER NOISE MASKING OPTIONS: Putting the washing machine, dishwasher, or hoover on can also be a good noise masking activity, as long as your dog isn’t worried by these appliances.
☺️ GENERAL RELAXATION PROMOTION: I’ve also found that playing calming/frequency music just as part of daily life on a regular basis, can have a positive impact on helping environmentally sensitive dogs be less affected by things they hear - promoting relaxation and all-important restorative sleep.
We use Solfeggio frequency music a lot here at Dog’s PoV HQ – link below for you to check that out.
👉 CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO Solfeggio frequency music
👉 CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO 3 Hours of Relaxation Music specifically for dogs and animals
OPTIONS FOR ANXIETY SUPPORT
THUNDERSHIRTS or ANXIETY WRAPS
These can be highly effective for some dogs, and I know of quite a few overseas dogs who have shown a reduction in anxiety through simply wearing a jumper or one of the surgical suits you can get.
Again, this will be dependent on your dog as an individual, please do not force your dog to wear something if they’re not used to it – it could increase anxiety rather than decrease it.
HERBAL REMEDIES
You could start giving these a week or so before hand. These types of supplements are not likely to calm an highly anxious dog by themselves, but, alongside other measures, they can help support a dog who is struggling.
Things like:
- Bach’s Rescue Remedy
- Valerian & Scullcap
- Adaptil plug ins & Pet remedy sprays
TTOUCH OR MASSAGE
If your dog wants to be touched then doing TTouch or massage on them can be a great way to help them feel calmer and more relaxed - please bear in mind though, many dogs when in a fearful state don't want to be touched - know the signs.
Tramp always wants to be right next to me but doesn’t usually want to be stroked.
REASSURANCE
Go ahead and reassure your dog if that's what they need or seek from you. You will not reinforce their fear as some people suggest.
👉 Awesome short video here from the fabulous Suzanne Clothier on this topic
👉 Also a great article here by Patricia McConnell on this topic
Please do go ahead and support your dog’s when they are scared, anything else is just inhumane.
SELF-SOOTHING ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
If your dog is okay enough to be interested in food and eating - then a super tasty long lasting enrichment activity may be great at helping them settle and self-soothe.
Enrichment activities are not just about novel ways to feed treats or food; they encourage our dogs to engage in instinctive behaviours that can have a calming effect on them. Sniffing and snuffling, seeking, chewing and licking are all activities that can help our dogs to naturally relax themselves.
- Snuffle mats or sprinkled treats in a ‘scavenger hunt’ style round the room/house
- Folded or rolled up towels full of sprinkled treats - in all the folds so your dog has to rummage and snuffle
- Bowls or boxes filled with scrunched up paper, plastic balls or your dog’s toys, sprinkled with tasty treats so they have to rummage through the objects to snuffle out the treats.
- Stuffed & frozen Kongs or Bones
- Deer Antlers, Yak Chews and other such natural power chews
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once again, it’s important not to cajole or try and force your dog to get involved with enrichment or an activity if they’re not interested. Many anxious fearful dogs are not interested in food when they’re struggling, but if they are, these can be great options.
POST EVENT REBALANCING SUPPORT
Once the worst of the fireworks are over, calming or classical music can be ideal for helping soothe your dog and bring their anxiety levels back down.
If your dog enjoys physical interaction then again, a nice tension relieving massage (Tramps favourite) or some lighter TTouch can really help with rebalancing nervous systems.
If your dog doesn’t enjoy physical interaction – some long-lasting enrichment activities or a free work setup as explained above might be a good way to help them rebalance if they weren’t interested in food when they were stressed.
LONGER TERM SOLUTIONS
SOUND THERAPY: You can of course use sound therapy to begin desensitising and counter conditioning your dogs to fireworks, thunder etc. but this will be of little use if fireworks night is upon you. This work needs to be done over a long period and repeated often to ensure your dog is fully habituated and relaxed around the sounds.
👉There is some basic guidance on how to do this in this article by the Blue Cross HERE
LONG TERM MEDICATION SUPPORT: Some dogs are simply very sound sensitive and even with sound therapy can struggle to cope with fireworks and thunderstorms. I would recommend speaking to your Vet to discuss medication options that may support your dog through this period and for use as and when needed.
Please stay safe this Halloween and fireworks season and I hope these tips will help you to help your dog be less affected by all the shenanigans!
Links to Some Other Resources You May Find Helpful
👉 Living with Anxious or Sensitive Dogs
👉 Helping your Fearful Dog Webinar
👉 An Introduction to Ace Free Work
Categories: : Fearful Romanian Dogs, Living with Romanian Rescue Dogs, Understanding Your Romanian Dog
