4 Things Humans Do On The 4th Of July That Makes Dogs More Anxious

We’ve published a set of articles about keeping your dogs safe on the 4th of July, and how the 5th of July is the busiest day for animal shelters. We can change this, but it requires some effort.

Imagine you’re minding your own business and suddenly you hear loud noises, that are similar to gunshots, and strange lights from out of nowhere… what would you do? Run. Correct? You might hide if you’re inside your house, but if you’re outside, you will run for your life. The same logic applies to our dogs. Fireworks are scary to them, and if not properly secured, they will escape and, sometimes, get lost.

As responsible dog parents, we do everything we can to make sure our dogs are safe on Independence Day, but sometimes, we end up making our dogs’ fear worse. Of course, we don’t intend on doing so, because we do what we can to help soothe them with the best intentions in mind, but we end up making it worse.

Here are some things we do on the 4th of July that makes our dogs more anxious.

1. Acepromazine

Have you heard the term “Ace”? It’s the term people use when they talk about relaxing your dog. Ace is short for Acepromazine, a commonly prescribed drug that allegedly works as a sedative for dogs. This drug interferes with perception and can actually increase your dog’s sensitivity to noise, which means that your dog will be more reactive to loud sounds. Please speak to your vet before administering any medicine to your dog. They will also be able to tell you what option would work best for you and your dog.

2. Keeping them inside all day

Of course, as responsible dog parents, we want to make sure that our dogs are not frightened by unpredictable sounds, so we keep them inside all day. While we’re only trying to keep them safe, we’re actually making matters worse. A dog that has been cooped up all day is extremely active and the energy that they cannot drain only fuels their nervousness, making them more likely to escape during a fireworks show. Instead of locking them inside all day, best to let them get some exercise away from the chaos to help them release their energy. A tired dog is a happy dog on the 4th of July. The more tired they are, the more likely they will sleep through the fireworks show instead of being all stressed out and anxious.

How do you handle your dogs on the 4th of July? Let us know in the comments. Watch out for Part 2!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay