How will you be celebrating New Years Eve with your dog? After the chaos of Christmas, NYE can be the icing on the cake of stress and overstimulation for our dogs. In this post we’ll be looking at how you can best prepare your dog for parties and fireworks so you can all enjoy the celebrations.
New Years Eve Parties with your dog
If you’re hosting a NYE party yourself, the same rules apply as at Christmas time. These include making sure your dog has a safe place to retreat to if they need to. Don’t expect or force them to interact with visitors if they don’t want to and making sure their needs are met beforehand. Also, keep potentially toxic party food well out of their reach. You can read more about preparing for Christmas with your dog here.
If you’re attending a NYE party and wondering whether to bring your dog along with you, here’s a few things to consider:
- Will your dog be able to relax and settle at this house/venue? You could bring their bed and a long lasting chew along to help. But, a NYE party is not the time to be trying to train this behaviour so err on the side of caution if you’re not sure.
- Are there likely to be any potential triggers for your dog? If your host has a bouncy young puppy and you’ve got a dog reactive dog, it’s not a good idea to bring yours along. Same goes for taking a dog who is scared of children to a house party where there’s likely to be a bunch of young kids running around.
- If you’ve got a puppy, don’t use this occasion as an opportunity for socialisation. Unless of course you’re happy to bring them home after half an hour or so.
- Consider the training struggles you’re currently working through with your dog. Are they likely to have opportunities to practise unwanted behaviours in this environment? For example, counter surfing and stealing food, jumping up at people, resource guarding.
You are allowed to have a nice time without your dog. If bringing your dog along to a party with you is likely to be stressful for all of you, it’s probably not worth it. You could arrange a professional dog sitter or trusted friend to stay home with your dog. Or if you’re like us, use the dog as an excuse not to go to the party at all!
Fireworks
The other big thing to think about when it comes to NYE is how your dog copes with fireworks. Here’s some tips for helping your dog cope in the short term and how you can help prepare for next year too.
- Walk your dog earlier in the day before it gets dark and the fireworks start.
- Prepare some enrichment to help your dog relax once the noise starts. Long lasting chews and toys that encourage sniffing can help dogs relax.
- Comfort your dog, if they need and want it. There’s a common misconception that comforting your dog when they’re scared somehow reinforces their fear. This is untrue – you cannot reinforce emotions, you can only reinforce behaviour. Go ahead and snuggle up with your dog if that makes them (and you!) feel better.
- Block out loud bangs and flashes as much as possible. Close the windows and curtains and turn the TV up a little bit. You don’t have to hunker down, but why not take the opportunity to get cosy?!
- Make sure your property is secure and your dogs microchip and id tag are up to date in case they get spooked and attempt to bolt.
- Try herbal solutions to help your dog cope with fireworks. Adaptil and PetRemedy are two brands that offer a range of stress relieving herbal products for pets. If you’re local to Folkestone, you can pop into Not for Human’s on the Old High Street as they have a great range of herbal solutions.
Prepare for the next New Years Eve with your dog
If your dog is terrified of fireworks and other loud noises, it’s worth getting them checked out by the vet for any pain. Scientific studies show there is often a link between noise phobia and pain. Work with a dog trainer or behaviourist and your vet on helping your dog overcome their fears. There is lots we can do to help dogs learn to cope with fireworks and loud noises. Treatment can include medication and behaviour modification training (We can help if your dog is fearful of fireworks!)
All of us at Doherty Dog Services would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Have a wonderful time with your dog 🙂