cAs often happens, what amuses us doesn’t amuse them: it applies to travel, sudden visits from friends, and it also applies to the Christmas and New Year holidays. It is clear that the relationship between barrels and animals is not an easy one. But there is also the climate of confusion in the house, the parcels of gifts and the balls (which for them are strictly prohibited, from the “look and don’t touch” series): there are many causes of Christmas stress for our pets. So how protect dogs from noiselike reassure the cats yet another sudden visit that disturbs their routine?
Confusion, barrels and animals, the stress of the Holidays is bestial
«Breaking the routine can be fun for a puppy while it can make an adult or elderly dog uncomfortable» observes Sabrina Giussani, Veterinary Doctor Expert in Animal Behavior and past President of SISCA (Italian Society of Animal Behavior Sciences). «Then there is the issue of confusion at home, guests and changes in the layout of the home. The decorations, so fascinating but off limits for them, and above all the violent noises of barrels and fireworks that every year create extreme discomfort in many dogs, reaching in some cases to constitute a danger to their health and safety ” .
How to understand if the dog is afraid?
First, it’s worth figuring out if the pet’s stress level is rising beyond the danger level. Generally, when a dog feels fear, he shivers. Another fairly unequivocal signal is the search for proximity to the human referent. But also, vice versa, hiding and isolating yourself in an area of the house that he feels is “safe”. And often this place is the bathroom or walk-in closet. Some dogs go on to have a real panic attack, with loss of saliva, vomiting and emotional urinations and defecations (in the house, without warning). Then there are dogs that, even once the violent noise that is a source of stress has ended, take a long time to regain calm.
Hiding, on the other hand, is the most common reaction to stress and fear in cats. c‘then it’s those who pee outside the box, those who show aggression, those who scratch household objects more and stop eating.
Barrels and animals: how to help cats and dogs deal with loud noises
When the noisy event is expected and it is known that it will occur, such as the Christmas period and New Year’s Eve in particular, some precautions can be taken in advance to give the dog greater serenity.
So here are 4 ways to celebrate while minimizing stress.
1. Set up the shelter room. Choose the room furthest from the source of the noise, and set it up as a real refuge, with the windows and shutters closed and soft light.
2. Background noise. Leave a slight background noise in the room to drown out external noise, such as the music you usually listen to.
3. Activating the relationship, in the case of the dog: reassuring him if he shows difficulty and also entertaining him by reading a few pages of a book aloud. The cat, by his nature, usually gets along better with the facts than him.
4. Get help from pheromones. Pheromones, available in the form of a diffuser for the environment or in the form of a collar, are natural substances with proven efficacy in restoring serenity in stressful situations, such as in the case of loud noises.
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