New Year’s Eve with an Anxious Dog – 10 Tips

It’s January 1st, and we’ve survived another New Year’s Eve. At least partly, as the fireworks still have our already strained nerves on edge. Does it feel the same for you and your dog? Then you’ll find practical tips here to make the next New Year’s Eve a bit more pleasant.

10 Tips for New Year’s Eve with a Dog

Saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new one could be such a joyous occasion. However, for pets and their owners, it has increasingly become a nerve-wracking challenge. In many places, the fireworks don’t just last a few hours after midnight, but extend over days or even weeks.

Do you also have a dog at home who is panting with stress, trembling, or unable to relieve itself outside? Does it jump at every sound or wake up startled from sleep? You’re not alone. Despite the rising costs of fireworks, which many people complain about being unaffordable, the sale of fireworks in Germany e.g. continues to thrive.

In 2022 alone, 180 million euros were spent on fireworks and other explosive devices. Illegal imports like Polish fireworks add to the total. That’s a lot of ammunition, which creates a war-like atmosphere acoustically, and presents a serious problem for many living creatures. Pets, farm animals, wild animals – from horses to birds, hedgehogs waking up from hibernation, and even zoo or shelter animals – New Year’s Eve largely means fear for animals and their owners.

However, you have several options to minimize the stress for both you and your dog.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #1: Create a Panic Room

This might sound extreme, but it could be the simplest, most effective, and affordable solution. For many dogs, the noise and flashes of light on New Year’s Eve are a huge problem. Both can be easily shut out if you secure a space in your home.

An ideal space would be a small, windowless room. In apartments, this often means a bathroom or storage closet. This principle can be applied to any room and offers several benefits that extend beyond just New Year’s Eve.

You’ll need soundproofing materials for the walls, ceiling, and doors. Acoustic tiles, panels, or fleece materials are now available in various styles. There’s something for every taste and budget.

In particularly noisy or poorly insulated rooms, additional drywall with insulation might be beneficial. While it reduces the available floor space, the benefits are worth it:

Increased privacy: If you enjoy loud music, surround sound for movies, playing an instrument, or just want to be louder in general, soundproofing will give you a private sanctuary.
Lower energy costs: Acoustic panels not only reduce noise but also help with thermal insulation, saving you money on heating and cooling.
Easier relaxation: If you hear more noise than you’d like from street sounds, neighbors, or passersby, true relaxation can be hard to achieve. Soundproofing solves this issue.

For windows, there are special curtains that darken the room while also providing soundproofing, as well as insulating against heat and cold.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #2: Treat Yourself to a Hotel Stay

Fearful or even panicked dogs are very common on New Year’s Eve. Hotel and guesthouse owners have recognized this and are capitalizing on it. Remote hotels are increasingly offering stays for dog owners – for an additional fee, of course.

Whether it’s in the middle of nowhere, near a highway, or at an airport, these locations can be a real advantage due to the lack of fireworks. Just make sure beforehand that the hotel is genuinely firework-free and prioritizes peace for all guests.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #3: Plan a Road Trip

Have you ever spent New Year’s Eve on the highway or at a rest stop? While fireworks and corks are popping in villages and cities at midnight, highways and rest areas tend to be surprisingly calm and peaceful.

The benefit here is that, aside from fuel costs, you have no other expenses, and you’re flexible – if it gets too loud, just keep driving.

The downside is that this tip only works for dogs who enjoy car rides.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #4: Go on Vacation

A quiet village, a remote holiday house at a lake, or a cozy cabin in the mountains: Areas without fireworks and whistling rockets can make the New Year’s Eve transition far more pleasant and relaxing for both you and your dog.

You may need to travel a longer distance, but it also provides a clear break from everyday life.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #5: Alcohol as a Solution

Eggnog or beer should be off-limits for dogs, but in small amounts, they can have a relaxing effect on your dog on New Year’s Eve. Depending on the size, give only a very small amount, from a teaspoon to a tablespoon, to find the right dosage.

Wait between doses, as the effect sets in slowly, and your dog shouldn’t start the new year with a hangover or being poisoned.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #6: Hearing Protection for Dogs

Whether it’s fireworks, thunderstorms, or the noise of a nearby construction site – loud sounds can harm both us and our dogs. A cost-effective solution is dog ear protection.

Noise-reducing headphones and earplugs integrated into neckerchiefs significantly reduce the volume and, after a little adjustment, offer real advantages.

These provide mobile noise insulation, whether indoors, outdoors, or in any room. Compared to a vacation, hotel stay, or fully soundproofed room, this option is more affordable and flexible.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #7: Spoil Them with Treats

If your dog is still calm enough to eat, you can offer tasty rewards with every bang or rocket. Special treats like sausages and cheese, as well as lick mats, sniffle mats, or chewing treats that are rare, work well.

This method is gentle, inexpensive, and can be done anywhere – a fun experience for your dog. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for all dogs.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #8: Use Medication

From Bach flower remedies to calming medications, there are various products that can help ease anxiety and promote relaxation. Consult your veterinarian for advice.

Not all products are suitable for every dog, and in some cases, different medications must be tested before the right one is found.

Keep in mind that some products need time to work and may be sold out just before New Year’s Eve, so it’s best to see your vet in the fall to be prepared.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #9: Drown Out the Fireworks

Television, washing machines, hairdryers, music, and conversations can create a noise backdrop that at least slightly masks the fireworks. This method is easy to implement but doesn’t guarantee success.

The constant noise might also become annoying over time. If fireworks in your area are especially loud and continuous, this may not be the best option or might not work alone.

New Year’s Eve Tip for Dog Owners #10: Support the Ban of Fireworks

Fireworks are often defended as a tradition that only takes place once a year. If it were only for a few hours on December 31st and January 1st, the stress associated with it would be far less.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. In some areas, fireworks begin days or weeks before the New Year and continue well into the weeks that follow.

Additionally, more and more people seem to use fireworks to release their frustrations. Houses, stables, shelters, zoos, and wildlife habitats are bombarded year after year. Even forests and nature reserves are not spared.

People injure themselves with fireworks or use them as weapons. Emergency rooms, police, and rescue teams are regularly overwhelmed. Fireworks no longer have anything to do with fun and festive parties.

Nor with the tradition or the superstitious belief behind it – that the noise at New Year’s Eve should drive away evil spirits for a safer and better start to the year. I highly doubt that the neighbor next door is opening his tenth pack of fireworks to chase away Casper, the unfriendly ghost. What is indisputable, however, are the effects on the lives of people and animals, and on the environment.

Each year, wildlife is driven into panic, increasing their risk of injury and even posing a danger to their lives. Animals are disturbed from hibernation, which is exhausting and potentially deadly. Birds fly in panic until they collapse from exhaustion or fall dead from the sky. Not to mention the impact of fireworks through smoke, dust, and toxic residue on the ground.

People are traumatized, re-traumatized, or physically injured. All this is accepted because there is a lot of money to be made from the sale of fireworks, and bans or restrictions are often not enforced.

Fireworks Are A Menace – But It Doesn’t Have to Stay That Way

Despite all this, many people are clearly against fireworks and are taking action. You can join them or act on your own. Sign petitions, start your own project, contact your city or municipality, and look at countries or cities without private fireworks as examples.

The more people who participate, the better the chances of achieving something. Awareness of the consequences and impact is growing.

While change won’t happen overnight, improvements always start small and only succeed when continuously worked on.

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