Dog Fireworks Advice

Fireworks season is upon us as I write this, so I thought I’d post some advice for dog owners whose dog behaviour problem is that they have a dog scared of fireworks.

Dog firework fear is relatively common and manifests itself in different ways from cowering and whimpering to barking but it can be alleviated or fixed completely if you employ a few simple dog training techniques in advance combined with some tactics on the night. In a short article, I can only scratch the surface really – But here are my ‘starters for ten’ for you:

• I like sound therapy CD’s for dog firework fear. But, as ever with dog behaviour improvements, it’s HOW you do it rather that what you use. I have a dog training CD which I bought on Ebay for £8 with several firework and other loud noises in its soundtracks. Play the tracks whilst the dog is eating but at a very low level – almost imperceptible, in fact. The dog begins to associate the sound with something good – food – rather than the usual negative associations of fear or guarding responses. Over a period of a couple of weeks, raise the volume little by little so that you finish with normal sound levels for fireworks and the dog happily eating away. The trick is to increase sound levels by such small increments that the dog doesn’t react. This kind of technique is known to the dog behaviourist as counter conditioning.

• At the same time, you could use a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) plug-in spray to calm the dog. They only ever seem to work if used in conjunction with behavioural techniques, by the way, but they can be a useful complimentary therapy to go with your CD technique, as can herbal calming pills containing valerian and skullcap. These things rarely work on their own in my experience – There’s no magic answer to the problem of ‘dog scared of fireworks’, but combinations of things applied consistently do work. I’m not a great fan of the sedatives that vets frequently prescribe unless they are used to help with dog behaviour techniques. It’s always best to fix the root cause if you can

• Lastly, at night try to make sure that your dog has had their walk before fireworks start going off. Let them have a big walk in the morning and a short one when you get home from work, for example, so that you can avoid being out walking a dog when they go off. (Don't stop walking the dog just because the dark nights are here, by the way - that's not fair!) Find your dog a nice place in the middle of the house and make sure windows are closed to minimise noise. Leave the radio or TV on if you go out.

• If your dog does show a frightened response, DON’T hug and cuddle them or try to reassure them with your voice as you might for a frightened human child. You risk making it much worse. If you’d like to know why this is and how you MUST react for your dog to overcome their fear of fireworks - or any other fear reaction - please contact The Dogfather to discuss a booking today so that we can sit down over a cup of tea to plan the way forward for you and your dog/s. Like people, they are all individual!

(I work in Northamptonshire and surrounding counties every day but travel anywhere by arrangement - I've been from Dorset to North Yorkshire recently)

Graeme