The 4th of July is here! Happy 4th from Megan Blake, our Dog Trainer for Greensboro Downtown Parks and The Pet Lifestyle Coach®! We Begin Now Dog Training is all about where you and your dog are Now and what’s up Now! So with this super energized and noisy holiday upon us, here are Megan’s Top Five 4th of July Tips for you and your furry best friend.
1. Leave your dog home! The incredibly loud sounds on a dog's super sensitive ears can be traumatizing. The fire smells can send them into a panic, and extreme heat can be very dangerous and even deadly. If they are traumatized, the behavioral issues can have lasting effects.
2. Keep ‘em indoors - preferably with you at home with him. If you decide to stay home, just your presence will be reassuring. Or, if you are going out, make sure your dog is secured and can’t escape! More dogs are hit by cars on the 4th of July and New Years Eve than on any other night!
If they are crate trained, keep them in their crate. If they aren’t crate trained, don’t just try a crate for the first time on the 4th! Instead put them in the room where they sleep. Turn on a TV preferably to a channel that has happy people talking, not to a program with fireworks, guns or loud noises.
3. If you’re having guests over for the 4th, make sure with doors and gates opening and closing that your dog doesn’t get out! Even though he’s part of the family and he loves socializing, remember this is a noisy high energy holiday! So, we want to make sure he doesn’t become disoriented or frightened and bolt! So, Megan recommends that during your party, keep him in your bedroom or in a spare room where he can be isolated and quiet.
4. Definitely keep him away from sparklers, fireworks, and don’t let guests feed him! Scraps may contain bones or other foods that are poisonous to dogs like raisons, grapes or chocolate.
5. To prepare for the worst case scenario, him getting loose, make sure he’s wearing his collar and ID tag so you can find him as quickly as possible.
And remember to join Megan on Sundays 4:40 Live on Zoom for a great opportunity to learn new behaviors, practice and ask her questions in person! Email Megan at WeBeginNow8@MeganBlake.com to request the Zoom link and info.
Need a brush up on more from Megan? Check out more from her under the Pets tab of our blog.
And in case you missed it, check out Megan and Super Smiley’s 4th of July PSA below!
Super Smiley's 4th of July PSA
Have a wonderful 4th of July and Be Safe!
Megan and Super Smiley
The Pet Lifestyle Coach®, Megan Blake is a Greensboro Downtown Parks program partner. The work she does with us is critical to providing FREE pets programming to our park community. As we make our way through these unprecedented times, consider how you might support local Greensboro non-profits like us, as well as businesses like, artists, entrepreneurs, makers, and more. We'll continue to bring you free programming through our digital platforms and look forward to having you join us and Megan back in the parks soon!
GDPI Pets Programs are sponsored by Green Lincoln.
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