Our friend Meg, with the Denver Alternative Pet Medicine Examiner wrote up a very helpful article about alternative or aromatherapy options to help those of us whose dogs don't do so well with the fireworks.
"It's probably too late to work on deconditioning or desensitzing your animal to loud noises in time for the big noisy day, July 4th. Still, the most important thing to remember is that you should never reinforce the fear. As your dog's guardian, you should not reward the behavior (cowering in fear) with extra attention to the dog through stroking it, or trying to reassure it in any other way. The opposite approach of becoming angry or reproaching the dog will also be counterproductive. One tactic that may be useful is playing a game with the dog to distract it from the fireworks, or having it play with another dog (as long as the other dog does not have the same fear).
Sometimes, exposure to loud noises is just unavoidable. Here are some natural remedies that might help your dog overcome, or at least deal sufficiently with the noise not to be traumatized too badly..."
Read the rest: Does your dog dread July 4th?
