Desensitizing Your Dog to Fireworks and Thunderstorms

With the summer storms and Fourth of July coming in just a few weeks, now is a great time to start desensitizing your dog to loud booming sounds. There’s nothing scarier than a very sudden loud noise as the unexpectedness is the perfect mix for triggering any noise-sensitive pet. 

Help your pet this summer by gradually exposing them to the noises that cause so much anxiety with the iCalm Canine Noise Phobia, Fireworks and Thunderstorm CDs. Both CDs come with multiple tracks of soothing music overlaid with the noises of storms or fireworks. By combining the music and the sounds that create the panic response, your dog will start to associate the noises with calm instead of panic and fear. Each CD track varies in intensity, starting with very faint background triggers until it almost matches the volume of the ‘scary’ noises. It’s also good to note your dog may not get used to the noises right away. To help acclimate your dog slower, start each track at half, or even a fourth of the regular volume, even if it’s not labeled ‘intense’. The more time you give your dog to get used to each track, the more positively they’ll react over time.

Giving your pet a calming supplement, like the Herbsmith July Third Calming Treats or the HomeoPet Fireworks Drops can also help with this desensitization process. Having your dog enter a subdued state coupled with desensitizing music will help them associate the noise with nothing but complete serenity. The July Third Calming Treats are made of naturally found calming herbs like chamomile. Give these to your dog a couple of hours before you start the noise desensitization to give it time to kick in. The same goes for the HomeoPet Fireworks Drops- squeeze the allotted amount onto your dog’s food or water and give it an hour or two to kick in. 

Sticking with this routine will and even adding some calming treats will have your dog desensitized in no time!

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