How to manage your dog's firework anxiety on New Year's Eve

With New Year's fast approaching, you may be thinking about your plans for how you'd like to ring in the new year. After the 4th of July, New Year's Eve is one of the most popular evenings for fireworks. If your dog is afraid or anxious around fireworks and/or loud noises, you will want to plan ahead for how to help your pup manage their fear/anxiety that evening. Here are a few tips that have worked for us - links to purchase these items are included at the end of the post:

• A thunder shirt This is a calming wrap made specifically for pets - it works by applying pressure to their body, similar to swaddling a baby. Put the thunder shirt on your dog before the fireworks start to help keep them in a calm state.

• Establish a safe space for them This should include some of their favorite comfort items, such as a bed or bedding and toys/stuffed animals. If there's a specific room or part of your home that they like the most, make this their safe space. You may want to consider a sound machine to help block out the loud sounds of the fireworks as well. You could also play a calming music playlist - we often use Calming Music for Pets on Amazon music. Make sure this space is accessible to them throughout the evening in case they need it.

• CBD and/or medications from their veterinarian CBD can help with a variety of issues, including anxiety and fearfulness in dogs. If you'd like to use CBD to help keep your dog calm on NYE, you will want to start this several days in advance so that it has time to build up in their system. Many pet stores sell CBD treats and oils of various strengths. You'll want to check the recommended dosing to determine the strength you should buy (you don't want to have to give your 100 lb dog 10 treats or an entire bottle of CBD oil, although your dog may want you to). We've included information about our favorite CBD product at the end of this post. Many veterinarians will prescribe medications to use as needed for severe anxiety in dogs. Reach out to yours to see what your options are, and follow any of their recommendations around timing and dosing of these medications.

Additional considerations

Some dogs will flee when they are afraid, so be cautious when letting your dog outside during fireworks. You may want to make sure their collar is on and they are on a leash so that they can't run away. It's also important to keep yourself calm that evening - our pups can pick up on our emotional states, so if they sense that you are anxious, that will make them more anxious.

Is there anything else you've tried that has been helpful for keeping your pets calm during fireworks? Let us know in the comments below!

Product recommendations:

Thundershirt at Chewy.com: https://rstyle.me/+Dvi_K1YJKA75CM-B2ZTWzw

Sound Machine at Amazon: https://rstyle.me/+gZaacvCXKQzsHr0kj5I46Q

Furbud Foods Wagnificent CBD & Probiotic powder (use code Milo&Arya10 for 10% off): https://www.furbudfoods.com/furbudspoils

This post contains some affiliate links, but all products recommended have been tried and tested by us & are ones we truly recommend.