New Year’s Eve is a night of celebration, new beginnings and parties. But to make sure your year starts on a happy note please make sure your dog is happy and secure at home before you head out to share in the fun. Here in Sydney, like many cities around the world, we have a massive fireworks display that I love but the dogs are definitely not big fans. We live a few kilometres from the city centre and while the fireworks are not overhead they can be clearly heard by me so I imagine they are loud for the dogs.
So here are a few tips to help your dog get through New Year’s Eve safe and sound.
Dog-friendly NYE tips:
- Take your dog out for some vigorous exercise during the day, so it is tired and does not have a lot of pent up energy.
- Before the fireworks and parties begin give your dogs their evening meal, a full tummy also makes them happy and more sleepy!
- The best place for your dogs on a night filled with loud noises from fireworks and parties is indoors in a quiet place. If you have to leave your dog outside make sure your yard is completely secure. Based on the number of dogs that end up at local shelters I would recommend that this is the one night you make an exception and leave your pooch in the relative peace and quiet of your home, even if it is the garage, laundry or bathroom with their bed and some towels.
- Let your dogs hide if they want to. Our dogs often like to get under the doona when feeling anxious 🙂
- Distract your pet with their favourite toys and games but don’t reward any anxious behaviour by fussing, giving them treats or hugging them. Staying happy and in control lets them know everything is okay.
- Leave the TV or radio on as it can drown out some of the loud noises.
- Just to be safe make sure your dog has all its ID tags on just in case it somehow does escape so they can be identified and returned quickly.
Cress and Eddie’s resolutions for the coming year include less chasing of the cats and better sharing of treats, so they’ll be indoors with our cats enjoying the new year from the comfort of their beds.
Happy New Year from Puppy Tales!
Lisa Miller
Lisa Miller is a blogger, digital strategist, business coach, zoologist and crazy dog-lady! Lisa lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, two kids, two dogs and two cats. That equates to a lot of fun and vacuuming. Her dog’s names are Cresswell and Edwina (or Cress and Eddie).
