Prepare your pet for New Year Eve's Celebration

New Year's Eve is just around the corner, which often brings visitors and loud noises, something that many pets find very stressful....my dogs included. So, it is important to prepare and have a plan for your pets for this upcoming celebration. Here are a few ideas that can be helpful: 

1. Make sure to give your dog plenty of exercise during the day. A nice long walk, maybe even on a long line, that allows your dog plenty of options to sniff, is truly the best. Being anxious and fearful takes energy, so a long walk/run combined with the sniffing, can really help tire your dog out physically as well as mentally, and help them rest better for the remainder of the evening. If a long walk is not an option due to the weather, consider increasing your dog's mental stimulation through training sessions and enrichment activities, such as "hide and seek food in the house", "roll out the towel" game, and much more. Get your dog tired, but no with any high arousal games. 
2. Play calming music. Did you know that there is calming music specifically for dogs? There are several CD's with music specifically composed to have an calming effect on anxious dogs. And now you can find a lot of this music on YouTube, Amazon music or Spotify. Try this link for a playlist on Spotify
3. Give your dog a chew, like a bully stick, or a "no hide rawhide.  Or you can make a stuffed, frozen Kong, or use a licky-mat with smeared yogurt or peanut butter on. Freeze it so it will last longer. The action of chewing and/or licking can be a great stress relief for most dogs.
4. Use calming chews. I have found that CBD calming chews specifically designed for dogs, has really helped Cedar take some of his "edge" off. I know there are thousands of different CBD products for dogs available online, which can all be very confusing. Instead I recommend, that you go to your local pet store, and talk to them directly about their experiences with the different CBD products they sell. 
   
5. If your dog gets so anxious, that it can not find rest anywhere in the house, or even when close to you, I highly recommend that you talk to your vet about pharmaceutical short-term options. Our dogs don't understand, why it sounds like the sky is falling down, so sometimes, this option is truly the best way to give them as much relief as possible.

I hope this was helpful.
​Happy New Year - I wish the best for you and your pet in the new year.