New Year's Eve with your dog - don't panic with our expert tips

According to the Pyrotechnic Industry Association, over €180 million was spent on fireworks in 2022, compared to just €133 million in 2018 and 2019. And this is only likely to increase after the pandemic - which raises the question of the easiest way to organise New Year's Eve with a dog. For pets, New Year's Eve is not only a lot of noise, but also an extremely stressful situation, especially if your loved ones already have an anxious temperament. With our expert tips, it will still be a successful celebration for humans and animals.

Noise is particularly stressful for dogs on New Year's Eve

It is common knowledge that dogs have much finer hearing than humans. While we can perceive sounds up to around 20,000 hertz in the best years, dogs can hear sounds up to 1,000,000 hertz. For comparison: the tone for the telephone dialling tone in Germany is around 425 hertz. Sounds that we can no longer even register can still be heard by dogs. And it is precisely this background noise that is a major problem for dogs on New Year's Eve. While we can just barely hear the whistle of a rocket, your four-legged friend hears a whole sea of noise. But even the simple banging of firecrackers and other fireworks can frighten your dog and cause panic. Then there are all the other sensations such as the smell of burning fireworks, flashes of light from the rockets and much more. Even if you have exposed your dog to a lot of stimuli since he was a puppy, New Year's Eve is usually full of frightening experiences for him.

To make sure that nothing happens to you, your pet or your environment, we have put together a plan for you that will make New Year's Eve with your dog feasible.

Use the days before New Year's Eve with your dog to prepare

Of course, it's best if you spend New Year's Eve with your dog in a place where there is less noise. However, you should at least plan to keep your dog in a familiar place with familiar people. Never leave your dog alone on New Year's Eve and if you are out and about, you should always keep him on a lead.

To prepare, you can consider the following points:

• Provide your dog with a retreat or hiding place so that he feels safe during the fireworks. Of course, his favourite places are most suitable, as long as they are not too exposed. Dark places are also suitable, such as boxes. If there happens to be a box from a large household appliance, this will of course also do. Many animals also like to hide under blankets or improvised "caves".
• Make sure you can darken the windows on New Year's Eve to protect your dog from flashes of light.
• Get ear protection. There is a wide range of hearing protection for dogs and there is a suitable solution for every breed. Larger dogs can even wear hearing protection for humans! But be careful not to put anything in your dog's ears or ear canal, otherwise there is a risk of cotton wool or other objects getting stuck there. You should also get your dog used to the hearing protection in advance and not just "surprise" him with it on New Year's Eve.
• If your dog needs medication to calm him down, prepare it in advance. There are various tranquillisers for dogs, some of which need to be prescribed. It is best to consult your vet about this: They can recommend which tranquilliser is best for your furry friend.
• Buy snacks and treats that your dog likes. Snacks such as our organic dog snacks are ideal as a reward if your dog remains calm even in stressful situations. Chews such as rabbit ears with fur need to be chewed for a long time, which helps to reduce stress.
• On the lead, get set, go: Don't go for a walk without a lead in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. Although almost everywhere banging is only allowed on the 31st and New Year, this does not prevent most people from starting earlier. If there is a bang near an off-leash dog, its reaction is almost unpredictable: Intimidation, flight or even attack. Anything is possible and passers-by could be injured.
• But the most important thing is to train your dog. As many aids as there are, your dog must be used to all the measures beforehand so that he does not associate them only with stressful situations. You should test special toys, snacks and other aids with your four-legged friend in calm situations several weeks in advance so that he also associates calm with all of this on New Year's Eve.

How you should spend New Year's Eve with your dog

Good preparation is half the battle: Before things really get going, you should take your dog out to do his business and let him run around and play. The more exhausted he is, the calmer he will sleep! To avoid dangers in advance, the walk route should be planned so that there is no confrontation with firecrackers. For example, there will probably be more firecrackers on the path past the youth centre than in the public park next to the retirement home. If you have lived in the area for a while, you will probably know where it is quieter.

Back at home, everything should go its usual course so that the animal is not made nervous in advance with unfamiliar behaviour. It is best to leave a quiet source of noise on at this stage, be it the radio, TV or a CD. Later you can gradually increase the volume, but not louder than normal room volume. This may drown out the banging a little. Now you can also prepare all the other things, such as the retreat. You can also close blinds and the like. The dog should not go out when midnight is approaching. This applies not only to your pet, but also to you. You or another carer who is well known to your pet should always be in the house. If there is a bang and your pet is alone, it can easily panic.

Your dog will also notice your body language and behaviour: Behave confidently towards your dog - this will show him that everything is relaxed here. Reward him when he behaves without fear, but also be there for him when he is frightened. The old adage of ignoring him when he is scared is outdated and pointless. Be there for him and take his fears seriously and never punish your four-legged friend for anxious behaviour. This will only have the opposite effect and cause even more stress. As the owner, you should have a calming effect and not fuel any further fears so that your dog is not stressed beyond the normal New Year's Eve stress level.

You must not react negatively in the moment when there is a bang. Be a little bit happy about the noise. Give your dog a treat at the right moment and he will ask himself why he should be afraid if the leader is not afraid either. And don't be overly sympathetic. When the wet nose comes to you, look after it. Stroking, cuddling, playing etc. everything is allowed. But react normally to the dog. If you become overly worried or panicky yourself, this will certainly be transferred to the animal.

How do I recognise that my dog is afraid?

As already mentioned, not every training programme can prepare your dog perfectly for New Year's Eve. You should look out for the following signals:

• Pinned ears
• dilated pupils
• panting
• trembling
• Hiding
• barking
• uncleanliness
• pinched tail
• crouched posture
• Nervous licking of the nose

Depending on the context, these behaviours can show that your dog is not coping with the situation. You should then dig deeper into your bag of tricks.

Distract your dog on New Year's Eve

Distract your pet, for example with intelligence toys, snack balls or treat search games. You can hide a special treat such as liverwurst or treat snacks in a Kong. This distracts attention from the noise. You will see: Occupation relaxes.

If your pet shows strong reactions, try playing his favourite games with him or carrying out commands that he has already mastered perfectly. If your dog responds, he will certainly become calmer. The brain then simply no longer has time for fear reactions, it must then concentrate fully on the tasks set for it.

However, if your pet wants to hide away, it should be allowed to do so. Of course, its favourite places are the most suitable, as long as they are not too exposed. Keep a close eye on your dog's behaviour and react flexibly to its needs.

The day after New Year's Eve for your dog

Once you have got through New Year's Eve with your dog, you should still remain vigilant for a few days: Right on New Year's Eve, there is a high probability that the environment will be dirty. Broken bottles, plastic splinters and wooden sticks with iron clips from rockets etc. are potential dangers for four-pawed friends. Even "late bloomers" who want to shoot off their remaining stock of fireworks are still out and about on New Year's Day. So be sure to keep your dog on a lead so that he doesn't run too far in fright. You can also continue the training straight away: If your dog hardly reacts to loud noises, you can give training snacks here.

New Year's Eve with a dog: stressful, but doable

New Year's Eve is always stressful for dogs, cats, other pets and even wild animals. However, good preparation can help. If you take one thing away from this guide, then it should be the following: train your dog early on to remain relaxed and confident in stressful situations and get him used to various aids well before New Year's Eve. This will not only teach your four-legged friend the desired behaviour, but also that he is safe with you and doesn't need to be afraid.

We at Liebesgut wish you and your loved ones every success and a happy New Year!

Our recommendations for your four-legged friend:

Tasting packs for dogs

BIO dog food