Summertime – and The Living is NOISY
Yes, we are in the summer months – the thunderstorm months, the time of year we are revving up our motorcycles, and when we celebrate with fireworks for the fourth of July. All noises people can easily identify, but our animals can’t. Some are able to cope with loud noises, others are terrorized by them.
Whatever the noise that frightens our pets, we want them to feel secure. How do we do this? This post touches upon some of the things that can be done to soothe your pet and some cautions. I will refer to dogs, as I am most knowledgeable about dogs. But these options can apply to cats as well.
The most common problem behaviors associated with fear of loud noises include shaking, destruction and escaping. If your pet is accustomed to being crated, that may be the best location for them during a loud event. Some go into the closet, some in the bathtub – but they tend to find a “safe place” where they feel a little more comfortable. Allow them to have their “safe place” – and have family members leave them alone while they are there.
If your pet cannot find a place that helps them feel more secure, or if you want to add to their sense of security, a new pheromone calming spray from Sentry can help tremendously. It uses a pheromone that not only helps soothe them, but is so effective it actually lowers the elevated heart rate in dogs that are extremely anxious or nervous. Just a few sprays in your dog or cat’s crate or bed, or wherever they’ve decided they feel best, will surround them with these pheromones and help them feel better. You can pick these up at pet specialty stores like PetSmart and they are very affordable. There is a calming spray for dogs and a calming spray for cats. You really have to see them in action – you’ll see the effects clearly. There are also pheromone calming collars which are good in situations like this, but also if your pet seems stressed or exhibits anxious behavior regularly.
Some dogs respond well to calming petwear as well, which swaddles them and gives them a sense of security. Others can learn to cope with a TV or radio on – music can be very soothing to them. Condition them to the music early – let them hear it long before the thunderstorm or fireworks start. Finally there are medications that you can obtain from your veterinarian to mildly sedate your pet – yet this should be the last resort to try to help your frightened animal. With the new pheromone products and other options now available, sedation is becoming less necessary for many pets.
Remember that your dog feels the changes in atmosphere before the thunderstorm arrives at your location. Always be pro-active with the remedy you are using – that includes spraying the pheromone calming spray in their ‘safe place’ hours before festivities and putting the calming petwear on before the fireworks start or before the weather becomes threatening.
Take your dog out for a walk before the thunderstorm comes, or before the fireworks start in your area. Getting a good workout will help them reduce stress and rid them of pent up anxiety that could make matters worse later. Always keep them on a leash when outside for walks and make sure they have tags on at all times in case they decide to become a Houdini and disappear. If there is the slightest chance of fireworks at a picnic you are attending, leave your dog at home (preferably with someone there.)
What have you discovered that has helped your pet in these situations? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I always look for new and innovative ways of helping those who adopt from our shelter. Frightened dogs are unpredictable dogs – always use extreme caution when working with them. The good news, however, is that there are some very good, proven options to help them now!
Photo Credit: Feature image from flickr by Muffet.
Great tips, Barbara! My dog is super scared of fireworks. If he’s outside and he hears ANYTHING that might sound similar to a firework going off, he instantly puts his tail between his legs and runs to the door to be let in. It’s really sad. I am going to try these products from Sentry this year. I am excited that there is something that will be of help. Even when Chief is inside he can (obviously) hear the fireworks each year. He usually hides in our room and waits for the noise to stop. Unfortunately, we live outside the city limits. The noise never stops! We will also keep your other tips in mind. I didn’t realize that walking him before could help reduce some stress. I really appreciate the tips. I can’t wait to read your next post!
Great post, Barbara! We’ve had very good luck in the past few years putting Cami in a Thundershirt to calm her during thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.
Great post. I’m going to try the spray. I was finally able to get my 2 greyhounds some “thundershirts” this year (one of the swaddling type products) and so far, we’ve seen a huge reduction in anxious behavior at fireworks time– and we have at least 1 night a month during the summer months here in Ontario. I can also recommend a product called BioCalm (not sure if you have it in the US)– it’s homepathic, made of various vitamins and other nutritional elements (i.e no pharmaceutical sedatives) and seems to work for our 2, at least to a certain degree. In combination with the thundershirts, we did much better this year (so far) than last. I’m hoping adding a pheremone spray will be the final touch in our strategy!
Great post! I really like the calmming collars. It seems like they work best when worn full-time, but that could just be my experience.
Thundershirts– I’ve seen some dogs who love them and some who don’t. I suppose it depends on how body-sensitive the dogs are.
The collars worked well on my older Male GSD who had a lot of separation anxiety issues, and my mother likes them for her Weimaraner. I’d love to try the sprays sometime. Nothing really phases Nestle though, so I’ll keep them in mind for the next dog if he or she needs that kind of thing.
I conditioned my dog early on (accidentally) to enjoy thunder and fireworks. I love thunder storms so when Max was a puppy, we would sit outside under the sun-setter and enjoy it. Now, two years later when it storms he comes to get me to go sit outside under the awning in our favorite chair. Same with fireworks; I never ever made a big deal out of it and he must have sensed my love for these things. Last year up north for the 4th, he fell asleep on my lap as the fireworks display happened.
The Thundershirt makes a huge difference for Blizz with fireworks, strong winds and storms. If the storms are more severe, it still calms her a bit. Sometimes it’s not enough. Great thing about the Thundershirts is that they are guaranteed for the first 45 days. If it doesn’t work for your dog, return it for a full refund and they donate the returned ones to shelters and rescues!
While the calming sprays are of some use, what has made the most striking difference for our dog is her ThunderShirt. It has been amazing.
My cat is afraid of large trucks when outside for a walk (on a leash and harness) and she will try to bolt and run home if I don’t walk over to her and pet her while the noisy car passes. At first she needed to be picked up, now touching her shoulder is enough
anything for a show dog that doesnt want her tail up
An interesting article. Let’s remember that Sergeant’s sponsors this site and it is the maker of the Sentry product, so this report is not unbaised. I urge you to use caution with topical products on your companion animals. However, the Thundershirt gets rave reviews and has helped many pets feel safe. Do your own research. Google Sergeant’s Pet Care Products Complaints and Reviews to make your own informed decisions.
I have just learn some great information to use for my cat im going to try this im sure she will be so much better when we have the thunder storms..thank you this is great thanks
..i was hoping for more general ‘noise’ issues like the sound of a cell phone getting a text, the computer sending an email .. etc (yes, she is a bit of a chicken)…
during a storm i use a homeopathic treatment called calm for storms…
Our old dog taught my Aussie to be afraid of noises. Now she gets so terrified she squirms through the cat door to get inside if we are gone & can’t let her in. Will have to try the spray.
Hi Mari. Thanks for your comments and interaction. I can’t speak for Barbara, but as someone who writes and offers up medical advice for Sergeant’s, I can say that they really value writer input and don’t dictate what we say when we write these pieces. They want to inform the public and highlight their products, but we are free to say what we feel is important for pet owners to know. Any company that makes products for public is prone to having some less-than-stellar reviews from time to time, but the Sergeant’s folks take any feedback very seriously and do a great job of responding and figuring out what the circumstances are behind any application that does not go as planned. You are right, though – caution is warranted with any topical product! I have some seen some very serious reactions in the ER, to both over-the-counter products AND products you’d usually buy from the veterinarian, which can be due to allergies a specific pet might have or the product not being applied correctly. It isn’t necessarily because it is not a good product. That said, going with tried and true products is always a good bet but make sure you read the label! A dog product applied to a cat can lead to extremely serious complications, as can a host of other common application errors. Thanks for highlighting this very important point.
My dog is so afraid of noise, she shake’s and clings to me, I am going try the spray &collar to hope it will work, I ‘ve lost alot of sleep!!
thanks for the info-one of our dogs-a rescue golden ret/mix is 8, and skittish frequently. Her new little buddy, Harvey likes her face compulsively and he helps her now, My Australian shepard mix-a pound puppy rescue gets afraid at times and comes next to me or follows me everywhere. Fireworks are difficult. I try and be w/ them inside in a/c during that entire day/evening. I would love to try the sweaters-afraid they may not wear.
Interesting article although familiar with, both for those who don’t know it’s grt. someone cares enough to inform lovers of our dogs.
take a fabric softner and rub it over your dog and this will do a calming effect too…………….
timmys down the well
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