5 Natural Aids for Calm Dogs This 4th!

Do you want to know something you shouldn’t overlook?

If you’re not sure how your dog is going to react to fireworks, maybe don’t schedule a dogsitting gig over the fourth of July in America. And then schedule a virtual dog training for that evening.

As I write this, it is Saturday, July 4th, 2020. Or, as I like to call it, the-year-authors-got-a-taste-of-their-own-medicine.

In writing, it is a universal truth that:

“Characters are like geodes; you have to break them to see what’s inside.”

–some wise writer-Yoda, probably.

Anywho, I’m doing live-in dogsitting two dogs. Not all that surprisingly, these dogs get nervous about loud noises. 

Two nights ago we had a bit of a rainstorm, and the dogs weren’t fans of it. There was some barking, some shaking, some hiding. Once one of them starts barking, it signifies that this thing needs all the borks.

Last night, there were some practice fireworks going off. Again, this resulted in barking, shaking, and hiding–not necessarily in that order–from them both.

Which brings us to tonight: Independence Day.

No man is an island; there are ways to help doggos. 

Option 1: CBD supplements

Yes, I’m counting CBD as natural. 🙂

This is one way I’ve heard works well, though I’ve admittedly never tried it with dogs. Me? Yeah. Dogs? Not yet. The humans of the dogs I’m sitting for have, as have some of my friends, and they all say they work well. Personally, I’m nervous I’ll overdose them. Is that possible? If you know, please let me know down in the comments!

Option 2: Positive Reinforcement

Associating the fireworks with good things–treats, as it were–is something I’ve heard recommended from several sources–including Amanda.

In the middle of that thunder shower, I’d had enough and figured, hey, what’s the worst that could happen? It doesn’t work. Or, I Pavlov him into thinking thunder means treats. If that happens, I’ve weaned him off treats in other cases. For example, I no longer treat him for looking at me when I say his name. He also doesn’t always get a treat for sitting.

When the fireworks go off–and before your dog can react–toss treats (I used kibble) out on the floor for them to find. Their mind focuses on something besides the loud noise and they’re treated for calm simultaneously. Rinse and repeat.

It didn’t take these three long to settle down after that. Who doesn’t love treats raining down around you? If chocolate rained down around me every time I did something scary, it would become a lot less scary a lot quicker.

Tonight, it took fewer times to get them to settle down. That may also be because I was using the next option at the same time.

Option 3: Wholetones

I’ve used this one with Yaha and Cor as well as dogs I dogsit, and it works in such a way that it is almost freaky.

This isn’t a traditional way of calming dogs down. However, I’ve kind of left “traditional” in the dust in my life.

There’s quite a bit to explain about this, but it’s a bit of a rabbit trail. And controversial. Feel free to explore or to wait on my review coming Monday!

In a word, it’s healing music. Yes, it sounds hippy-dippy; no, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. 396 hz music has been shown to have a calming effect on people and animals. It sounds ridiculous and like snake oil, but this technique and tactic has been around since the ancients. If you want to try it out for free, there’s music at this frequency on YouTube. You can also find very intentional cuts and edits through the link.

Option 4: Under

I don’t know how many this will help, but it’s what gets Cor to settle down fastest. It is what it sounds like, really: you lure the dog under your chair or legs, and have them stay. The small space is reminiscent of a protective crate or cave. Because this blocks them from being snuck up on behind, it allows them to mentally relax.

Option 5: Thundershirt

The mindset behind this one is similar to what is behind Under, except this is portable. One of the aspects of why Cor behaves so much better in vest than out of it is because the vest hugs him. This pressure, as strange as it sounds, is calming to the dog and helps them focus. Thundershirts–which you can find at just about any petstore, work on the same principle. They hug the dog tight, and makes them feel safe and secure.

So. Strap on your pup’s thundershirt, grab some kibble and calming treats, click to YouTube with me, and may you and your doggos have a great fourth of July–this can be a fun holiday for your pups as well!

💜 You were not born to fail! 💜

LaurynW