How to Keep Your Pet Calm & Relaxed on Bonfire Night

Signs of stress in pets

Before we dive into tips, it’s good to know the warning signs:

• Pacing or restlessness

• Panting or drooling

• Hiding or trying to escape

• Soiling the house

If your pet is showing any of these behaviours, it’s time to take action to keep them calm.

Top tips to help pets during fireworks

Plan ahead

Before the night, you may want to consider getting some extras that will help your pet stay calm. An audio track of firework noise can be used to ensure they get used to the sounds. Pheromone diffusers can also help with mild cases. These are plug-ins that release pheromones to help them feel secure. For pets with severe anxiety, it’s a good idea to consult your vet for advice.

Walk your dog earlier in the day

If you have a dog, take them for a good long walk during daylight hours, before the fireworks start. A tired dog is less likely to get anxious and will be more content to stay indoors while the evening celebrations happen.

Try to mask the sound of fireworks

There’s no helping the fact that fireworks will be booming away outside all night, but there are ways to hide the sound. First, the most obvious step is to keep all your windows and curtains closed. This will help muffle the fireworks, making it harder for your pet to pick up the high pitch sound. Also, you can try turning up the volume on the TV or radio to further hide the noise of the bonfire celebrations.

Create a safe haven

When it comes to the sound of fireworks, sometimes pets will want to do nothing more than hide themselves away and make themselves feel safe. That’s why you must have prepared for your pet to head for their hiding place by making their path to this place as easy as possible. Whether it’s their favourite room, under the dinner table or a quiet corner of the house, make sure nothing is blocking your pet from getting to where they feel most secure.

Make it as comfortable as you possibly can by placing some toys, water, food and even some of your clothes in there. As for cats, it is more than likely that they will also find a place to hide and it is wise to leave them be and try not to tempt them out.

Make sure their toys are nearby

Not only will your pet want something to help them feel safe, but they’ll also need some kind of activity to take their mind off the noise outside. That’s why your pet’s favourite toy must be always nearby, as no matter where your pet is, they’ll always need their toys to play with. You should also try to keep their bed as nearby as possible, as this is an area that they will feel most comfortable around.

Avoid over-attention

It can be hard to ignore your animals when they are in a time of need, but it is essential that you avoid giving any extra attention. This is because it will make things worse in the long run as they will think it is normal to behave like this. By leaving them alone, they will find their own coping mechanisms and discover what is best for them, or simply grow out of it.

You must remember to stay calm around your pets! Their reaction to the loud surroundings is completely normal and shouting will only make their behaviour worse.

Feed them their favourite treats

Feeding them their favourite treats could help in calming them down and relaxing them. However, treats with artificial additives could cause over-excitement and extra stress so we recommend our Webbox naturals treats as they are free from gluten and don’t contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Make sure they’re tagged

Ensure that your cat or dog is wearing an ID tag that has clear contact information on as this will increase the chances of them being returned to you if they do get spooked and run off. It is now also a legal requirement that your dogs are microchipped.