fire works ----dogs

[Dave]

one of my dogs has just decided he fireworks are not for him
last two years he has been fine
he has been taking hebal calming down pills for a week
when do they kick in?
do they work ?
anyone got any other idears?
he seems more jumpy
being a springer i would have thought he would have been ok with bangs like i say hes been fine the last two years

[wendy]

First don't reassure, as although you think you are helping. The dog misinterprets the message and thinks you are saying it is OK to behave like that and the problem gets worse.
That maybe what has happened, he was spooked and someone stroked him and it has gone on from there.
The calming pills may help. They also do ferronomes [s] in oils that you can burn or I think you can get sprays.
Other than that TV on loud, curtains tighly pulled. Act jolly, singing and laughing, all the time [that is an old remedy, but it works]
Good luck Dave, this is a pain this time of the year.
Strangely enough I have never had it in any of the 15 dogs I have had LOL
Wendy

[b_cos_1_can]

my mums dog is the same but hes not nervous, hes a wreck! got him from battersea dogs home and he had this noise phobia when he came to her.

like Wendy said, dont pander to them! you have to pretend like its an everyday thing (it is round here at the moment) and act as 'normal' as possible. its really hard and we feel really cruel but we know its for the best!

it doesnt work with Sidney, hes so old and so used to being scared that its in him. we still do our every day stuff and pretend like its not any different, in the hope that eventually he might come to terms with it!

good luck dave! hang in there!

kat xxxx

[Gwenoakes]

Our Staffie Bella was Ok with fireworks until 3 years ago we were out walking some weeks before Nov 5th and a really loud rocket that banged umpteen times went off not far away from us. From then on she hated fireworks.
We desensetised (sp) her. There was an ad in our local paper for Lincoln University requesting dogs that were frightened of fireworks to go along and be assessed, then to go on a programme.
We took Bell and they tested her with a cd of fireworks, she was petrified. They started us on a (think it was 6 week programme), had loads of paperwork to do. Came home with a dap defuser for dogs, a cd of fireworks and also loads of questionaires to fill in.
The plan was to play the cd as many times as you could throughout the day, starting really quietly then increasing sound. We were told to NEVER touch/fuss/take notice of her if she was panicking, but to ignore and to be honest that was the hardest part. I then filled in the questionaire. Questions were, would she play with her toys when cd was on, would she take a tit bit, where did she try to hid, did she tremble, was she aggresive, did she dribble and loads more, far too numerous to mention them all.
By the end of the 6 week period, the cd was played on the loudest sound, we gave her a treat from her daily rations when she was calm and quiet and the cd was played randomly. We made a massive fuss of her when she was calm and played with toys when calm.
There were about 50 dogs on this programme and for 90% of them it worked!
When bonfire night came we played the cd all day and then during the evening as well. It was very noisy in our house that day , but it worked. She even went outside in the garden to do her business.
I would recommend anyone with a nervous dog doing this. It is time consuming, I was playing it upto 10 times a day and anything from 10 mins to 1 hour by the end of the six weeks. I had to be with the her all the while it was played and make notes and time things, interesting to say the least.
There is nothing to stop anyone from putting firework noise onto a cd and playing it to get the dog used to it and without the paperwork that I did it would be a doddle.

[melons]

What a fab idea & even better results

[wendy]

Yes Gwen it does really work. But a little late for those who are panicking now LOL
But you can get the cd now and start for next year,
Wendy

[lancashire lass]

When my dog Pepper was just a puppy on Bonfire night, I had her out in the back yard while watching a spectular display across the valley. She never batted an eye lid and was too busy sniffing and chewing something in the dark with the cat watching her! At the very end when I thought it was finished, a minute later there was an almighty bang which made me squeal in surprise, and both my cat & dog jumped as well.

I never thought any more of it until the following year when she would jump up at me whenever the local kids were setting off bangers (which are more like bombs these days!) I made the mistake of trying to calm her down but when I read up that it was the last thing I should have done, I now ignore her. At the start of the firework season she is nervous and it is sad to watch her get up with tail between her legs trying to hide but by the 5th November when it sounds like world war 3 (that is, just constant noise), she is so relaxed, I've even heard her snoring in her sleep!

[Willow]

Our Tash barks at the fireworks and rushes outside if she can... Tyler the Terrier cross is absolutely petrified and will go and hide.. Its so sad to see. :cry:

[Dave]

we think jim took a kicking from some little bast"%&
that tryed to get into our house last year
since then any noise and off he goes(bless him)
where can i get a cd of fireworks from
i will give it a try after this years fireworks have all been done and dusted
and he has settled down a bit

[wendy]

How awful Dave. Poor little soul.
Your vet I would think should know where. But I think the company of animals [on the interenet] will have them.
I mine from a dog paper.
Wendy

[Dave]

i will enquire

[ged]

Hi Dave,
I hope things get sorted for your brave dog.
atb
ged

[Lynne]

Hi Dave

I have had three dogs over the years. ALL of them were initially fine with fireworks. It was only when they got older, 3 - 4 , that they started to get distressed by them. My Westie barks her head off for the whole night. I'm wondering what it will be like in our new house because we have no near neighbours, but it is my guess the village will have some sort of communal thing which will no doubt be 5 times worse than normal! If it is only one night, you can just about put up with it, but unfortunately, in some areas, the fireworks are going off for weeks and dogs/cats are distressed night after night.
Last year, my daughter's vet told her to try the plug in thing *feliway* (I think) for her cats. It worked wonders. I'm not sure if there is a dog equivalent.

[PetHeaven]

I honestly hate fireworks-because of what happens to animals and some of the sick humans that we share the planet with. My last Springer was terrified of fireworks until he became quite deaf, then he just slept through it all! My latest Springer isn't bothered and he's 9 now. We got him last year as a rescue dog, but he came from a loving family and I think they must have sorted out the fireworks thing. You can also try Bach Rescue Remedy on animals (please ask your vet) it even works on injured wildlife. It's supposed to work very well for firework noise problems in dogs.