Bangers / fireworks

Dirk Gently

For the past few weeks and for the next month or so too there will be bangers going off outside. Is there anything at all that can be done for a dog who is scared to death of the noise?

In the evenings when the odd one goes off outside my dog jumps up and runs for cover, either running upstairs and scurrying under my bed or running under a computer desk downstairs. he literally shakes and just hunches down and stares at the wall under the desk, wont come out for at least 30 minutes. Then as soon as another one goes off he hides again, shaking and looking terrified. He wont make eye contact generally any more and always looks down or away towards a wall or the floor even when they're not letting off fireworks.

I was hoping he'd get use to it after a while but 3 weeks now and he's getting worse. It's affecting his confidence too as he's timid all the time now which pisses me off because he was nervous when I got him back in the summer and it took a few months to build him up into a happy confident dog. He's reverted back into his shell again now.

Is there anything at all that can be done to ease the dogs fear of bangers bar chopping the hands off the kids letting them off in the park across the road?

TooManyDogs

You can buy a fireworks cd to desensitise him to the sound of the fireworks. You firstly play it at a barely audible volume and when he gets used to it you turn it up a little bit and start again! Eventually you should be able to play the cd at full volume without him getting freaked out but only if you take the time and do it slowly.
Also don't cuddle him or pet him when he's freaked out, you're only confirming to him that he should be afraid of fireworks, cuddle him when he's calm to re-inforce that being calm is the correct reaction.

You can also get DAP diffusers, they give out a pheromone that relaxes dogs, it's the same as a mother dog gives out. You can get plug in diffusers or sprays so you can put a bandana around your dog's neck and spray the DAP on it.

ANother thing you can do is create a safe enclosed area for him to go to, like a covered crate or a bed down the side/back of the sofa.

Cutie18Ireland

Maybe this is worth a try thundershirt

kylith

Mine aren't too bad indoors but Tegan is terrified the second we get outside; she's glued to my side looking pathetic. This is the first year that there's been this reaction, and my neighbour says this is the first year she's had any trouble with her dog too. I wonder why there's such a change this year.

Allgäuerin

Cutie18Ireland wrote: »

Maybe this is worth a try thundershirt

i have many friends where it is really working on their dogs!:)

kildare.17hmr

My 2 dogs that live out the back are gun dogs so well used to bangs so wont be affected except maybe wondering why they are not out hunting when they hear the bangs going off! But when introducing them to the noise of the gun going off its very important to do it slowly. I had a freind take the dog on the lead and i went far away and fired a shot, eventually we were moving closer and closer untill the dogs were beside me and not bothered at all. At the start the dog was scared but my friend just stood there and payed no attention so the dog realised it was ok.

Similar to the CD sugestion BUT,

Maybe bring the dog for a walk away from the fireworks but so he can hear them, let him see you are not scared and dont pay attention to him trying to get away and dont give him any comfort or reassurance at all. Just ignor him. Start to move closer and closer and he should get used to it. this time of year can be very stressful for dogs but if you put in a bit of effort you will have your happy dog back soon!

Good luck with it.

What kind of dog is it by the way?

tazwaz

TooManyDogs wrote: »

You can buy a fireworks cd to desensitise him to the sound of the fireworks. You firstly play it at a barely audible volume and when he gets used to it you turn it up a little bit and start again! Eventually you should be able to play the cd at full volume without him getting freaked out but only if you take the time and do it slowly.



hi, would you happen to know the name of that cd please and when i could get it? might be a bit too late for me this year but worth a try.
going to get the dap collar/diffuser tomor, these fireworks are driving my dog crazy and we have another few wks of it to come yet

dammitjanet

My childhood dog was terrified of firewords, she's work herself up into a panic and crawl under my bed to a point where we couldn't get her out. As she got older we were terrified she'd have a heart attack.
We ended up having to bring her to the vets every halloween to get her a sedative to calm her down for the night.
I wish they'd thundershirts back then

tk123

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Y
Also don't cuddle him or pet him when he's freaked out, you're only confirming to him that he should be afraid of fireworks, cuddle him when he's calm to re-inforce that being calm is the correct reaction.
.

+1 on this. There seems to be a fine line between reassuring and rewarding/reinforcing the reaction. My dog is afraid of loads of things and at this stage (he's 2 now) I can reassure him that everything is ok and there's nothing to be scared of without encouraging him to be afriad if that makes sense. His friend is terrified of fireworks and shakes if they go off but his owners cuddle and coo over him a bit when he's scared which is making matters worse imo. We were so lucky last year - we were out playing with him a good few times when fireworks were let off and we just didn't react at all and continued playing when he stopped and looked at us for a reaction so he doesn't care about them. The dog who is afraid of tin foil isn't afriad of fireworks.:rolleyes::pac:

You can get the CD and DAP from most online stores - eg http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=fireworks

TooManyDogs

tazwaz wrote: »

hi, would you happen to know the name of that cd please and when i could get it? might be a bit too late for me this year but worth a try.
going to get the dap collar/diffuser tomor, these fireworks are driving my dog crazy and we have another few wks of it to come yet

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clix-Therapy-Fireworks-Desensitisation-Training/dp/B000VNL7BW

tazwaz

thanks for that link, just ordered one. it's too late for this year but at least i'll have him used to it by next year :-)

the vet gave me kalm aid today to use in the evenings and said she'd give him some valium for halloween night if needed.
i'm going to have to stop giving him cuddles, every time they went off i'd be rubbing him telling him all was ok :eek:. it's hard though cause he practically jumps into my arms when the fireworks go off.

Groom!

Rescue Remedy works well too but ditto on the staying calm when they go off!

Zapperzy

You could try zylkene http://www.zylkene.co.uk/ I buy mine from vetuk.co.uk but they only sell in boxes of 100, but you should be able to buy in smaller quantities if you ring around a few vets. It's bit like DAP in that it works for some animals and not for others so it could be a bit hit and miss. Never tried the thundershirt personally but have heard some really good reviews from people (or rather their dogs ) who have used it.

DBB

I have a bit of a different take on the whole idea of cuddling your dog in fireworks season.
I agree that if the dog jumps out of his skin, and each time gets showered with attention for doing so, that you'd reinforce the nervous behaviour.
However, I settle my firework-phobic dog in the evenings, letting her squish up close to me, before the fireworks get going. There she stays for the night. When a loud firework goes off, she might look around and let out a little yipping bark, but otherwise she remains relatively calm, never reaching that awful frenzied panic people often describe. She used to, but not any more.
I don't feel this reinforces nervous behaviour, because the nervous behaviour is minimised in any case, and the dog is not getting attention specifically at the moment when the fireworks go off. It's a kind of holistic approach!
I think, and indeed it has been shown by research, that nervous dogs get a lot of comfort being near their owner, so I think its perfectly okay to snuggle up to a firework-phobic dog, as long as it's done in a way that doesn't reinforce nervousness.
Re desensitisation CDs, they need to be brought into action months before Halloween. Whilst they have their uses, I think that many dogs react not just to the noise, but to an environmental effect of fireworks: deaf people, for example, report that they can "feel" when a firework goes off, its like a feeling of a sudden vacuum in the air. I think dogs feel this too, its part of what frightens them, and its impossible to replicate at different levels for desensitisation purposes.

are you serious

for the noises i will be just using youtube video's to get my dog's used to the noise!!

@ were running around with their pockets full (not literally) of bangers, ever 3 or 4 minutes a screamer or banger was going off. in fairness my 2 were not too bad but the other pup we were stopped with was only out on her 1st walk and she was freaking out

TooManyDogs

DBB wrote: »

I have a bit of a different take on the whole idea of cuddling your dog in fireworks season.

No one said not to cuddle dogs during firework season, they said not to comfort them as a direct action to the dog having a frightened reaction to one going off. So we're all saying the same thing

DBB

TooManyDogs wrote: »

DBB wrote: »

I have a bit of a different take on the whole idea of cuddling your dog in fireworks season.

No one said not to cuddle dogs during firework season, they said not to comfort them as a direct action to the dog having a frightened reaction to one going off. So we're all saying the same thing

I was merely stating that it's okay for an owner to provide comfort for their frightened dog. Nobody else had suggested keeping the dog calm from the start, as opposed to trying to calm an already panicking dog. I was merely putting a slightly a slightly different spin on things.

Dirk Gently

quick update,

I blocked off the places where the dog ran and hid when a fire work went off (under the computer desk / table). He initially still got a fright and attempted to run and hide but as the areas where blocked he either went back to his original spot or lay down at my feet for a few minutes. Seems to work better than letting him hide and be terrified under the table, he seems more calm now.

I also pre-emptively sat with him on the sofa for a while before any go off in the evenings and when they eventually do he does initially get a fright but settles back down fairly quickly as he knows there's no where to run and is as well just staying on the sofa with me.

He seems to be much better now, maybe a combination of getting use to them and also me not letting him disappear to a dark corner to sulk. The most important thing is his general confidence is back.

tk123

DBB wrote: »

I was merely stating that it's okay for an owner to provide comfort for their frightened dog. Nobody else had suggested keeping the dog calm from the start, as opposed to trying to calm an already panicking dog. I was merely putting a slightly a slightly different spin on things.

I think we're all saying the same thing - obviously different dogs need different approaches. EG with my guy to comfort/reassure him I just say "It's/You're ok" or distract him when he's scared but I know other people and eg a banger goes off "Oh are you a scared oh you poor baby come here to me!! mwah mwah mwah there's good dog!! Do you want a treat?!?!" and hugging and kissing them - I think more to comfort themselves cos the dog is scared than comfort the actual dog. :pac:

EDIT - OP glad you've made some progress with your dog!

ShaShaBear

I have the exact same problem with my boy, I don't live at home any more, but my mother's close to tears with the lack of sleep and for worrying. He hears one, and he'll scatter - behind the TV, under the bed, into the bath, under the desk, behind the couch. He'll only settle in a spot until another goes off. I'm guessing he thinks they've found him. I've offered to take him for the month because it's a lot quieter where I live and there's less damage he can do here. But I'm very curious about these Thundershirts... anyone got personal experience with them? Just watched the video on the site link from another poster and the way that terrier sort of fell over when the coat went on was a little unnerving if I'm honest.

tazwaz

hi, i gave my guy some kalm aid yest eve in case we had some fireworks last night, which of course we did...he did react to them but no where near as bad as he normally would. i dont know if that was cause of the kalm aid or because i took the advice not to be cuddling him straight away.
theres a fireworks display happening around this area halloween night so the vet has said she'll give me valium for him. has anyone used valium on their dog before? i'm slighty aprehensive about it but for the one night i'm sure it'll be fine. we left the house with him last year for the fireworks display but it seemed where ever we went there were fireworks going off so theres no point..

LucyBliss

I have a Thundershirt for one of mine. He gets very excited over the least thing and I find it has worked brilliantly for getting him to calm down a notch. He doesn't fall over when it's on him - far from it! - but it does work. For example, when the hurricane was passing over us, it was very windy and he was freaking out barking at the sound of the letterbox flapping in the wind and the bins that were flying about outside. I put the thundershirt on him and almost immediately his reaction was to go investigate the noise but he no longer wanted to bark at it. Or anything, which was great.

It quietens him down to a point where I can redirect him or get him to focus on me whereas before he'd be so caught up in his own excitable state that I might as well have been talking to the wall.

So I really recommend them for a dog that might need to feel a bit more secure about their surroundings.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Dirk Gently wrote: »

For the past few weeks and for the next month or so too there will be bangers going off outside. Is there anything at all that can be done for a dog who is scared to death of the noise?

In the evenings when the odd one goes off outside my dog jumps up and runs for cover, either running upstairs and scurrying under my bed or running under a computer desk downstairs. he literally shakes and just hunches down and stares at the wall under the desk, wont come out for at least 30 minutes. Then as soon as another one goes off he hides again, shaking and looking terrified. He wont make eye contact generally any more and always looks down or away towards a wall or the floor even when they're not letting off fireworks.

Sounds exactly like my poor girl, its awful to see her in such a state of fright.

I've been using Kalm Aid the last few weeks (and last year) and its brilliant - she'd literally sit through the blitz a few minutes after taking it.

Ruby tried getting into an open washing machine last week, its really upsetting to see.

too little too late

I exercise my dogs three or four hours before the fireworks start so they will both be tired out, and hopefully less stressed, later. also feed your dog a big meal an hour or two before the fireworks start so he won't be too nervous. Keep your dogs inside the house all that day - in case a banger lands near them.

divot

It's a horrible problem, we're very lucky with our JRT - she pays them very little attention, even when dogs all over the neighbourhood are going nuts.

The biggest thing we noticed was - when she first heard them, her first reaction was to look straight at us. You don't jump, they start to doubt their worries. Agree with the previous posters recommending not to soothe them either - they know that something that justifies soothing must justify concern, so soothing can preclude getting them really ok with it. Obviously, you need to judge the situation with your dog - if they're freaking out obviously soothe them as much as is required! I'd say go with the minimum soothing you think of as appropriate, and try to reduce over time.

The CDs to acclimatise are supposed to be really good - and I'd say as well as practicing your own no-reaction, is probably the best approach if you have a dog who already has a 'thing' about fireworks noise.

One thing I'd definitely say is do not, under any circumstances, sedate the dog so they lie quietly through it. What those products do is stop the dog moving around, but don't actually make them calm inside - so the dog is freaking out, but cannot move - totally terrifying for them.

So if there's an issue already, I'd go with the CD acclimatisation and serious practising not jumping at all yourself (not easy when there's munitions going off outside, I know myself!!). Good luck!!

tazwaz

The CDs to acclimatise are supposed to be really good - and I'd say as well as practicing your own no-reaction, is probably the best approach if you have a dog who already has a 'thing' about fireworks noise.

hi, i ordered the sound cd a few weeks ago and it only arrived yesterday so its a bit late for this year :-( will be handy for next year though.


One thing I'd definitely say is do not, under any circumstances, sedate the dog so they lie quietly through it. What those products do is stop the dog moving around, but don't actually make them calm inside - so the dog is freaking out, but cannot move - totally terrifying for them.

my vet has given me valium for my dog for this weekend, she told me to give him a trial run last weekend cause it could relax him or make him hyper. it all went well, he was very much alert to his surroundings but relaxed. i was hoping some fireworks would go off while he had the valium to make sure he would be ok but of course it was the one quiet night!! is the valium ok to give him cause i'd hate to think he was freaking out and i wouldnt know

axle108

Found this today, probably a bit late for desensitising this year. The fireworks sounds can be played or downloaded, might help for anyone looking to try it for next year.

http://www.activevetcare.ie/news/is-your-pet-terrified-of-fireworks

Dusty87

One extreme to the other here... Mine break my heart thinking they are going hunting. The howls would wake the dead:rolleyes:
The aunt had two shepards, that never got right. Sympathies OP.

Discodog

Last night my neighbour had some fireworks. He told me & the other local animal owners well in advance & he wasn't surprised when I turned up with my dogs !

So, before someone phones the ISPCA, I will explain. When I moved here I had a bombproof Boxer & a nervous rescue Saluki. I deliberately walked them at night, on a hill, so that they could see & hear fireworks. With every bang the Saluki would jump & then realise that the Boxer hadn't even noticed. A week later I took her to a friends fireworks & she had a great time. Lots of playful barks & masses of tail wagging. I turned it into a game & she reacted.

Then my Greyhound arrived & she was even more nervous so I repeated the procedure the following Halloween & cured her. Last night it was my youngsters turn & he assumed that each rocket was a ball !. As each firework went off all the dogs got a treat. Very funny to watch three dogs heads rising to follow a firework. We were all chilled & the dogs responded. As each firework was about to be lit I was doing the "ready doggies here it comes routine".

I am convinced that when a dog is afraid it looks to it's companions & owner for a guide as to how to react. Another neighbour's dog is apparently terrified of fireworks except when I take her for a walk with my three.