As fireworks night is coming.

[TheresaW]

More questions, apologies in advance.

Aled has really settled in, is much happier around the horses, although we don't let him get too close, but he enjoys coming up there, and gets plenty of exercise chasing his ball with OH or D whilst I do my jobs. He will come up to the fence and just watch them, until Ollie (it's always Ollie) comes to say hello, and he will have a little growl and walk away. Before, he was full on snarling and snapping. We are not pushing him at all.

Anyway, when he came to us, we were told that he doesn't like fireworks or storms. Where the horses are kept, we can often hear gunshots. Have no idea if it's shooting season, or there's a firing range somewhere, but today was particularly bad. We are surrounded by fields and woodland. Today, he and D came up to the horses with me. Aled jumped out of the car as he usually does, and quite a few shots went off. He immediately jumped back in the car, and was cowering on the back seat. D coaxed him out again, tried keeping his attention and playing with him, but Aled just didn't enjoy being there, so the pair of them sat in the car until I was done.

Fireworks night is coming, and we are worried about how to deal with him. The horses and our cats have never been bothered by them, so this is new to us. My last dog never really took any notice either. How do we help him through it. So far at home, there haven't been any fireworks going off, and we maybe lucky and not have it to be bad, but as we didn't live here last year, I really don't know.

Any help/advice greatly appreciated.

 

[cremedemonthe]

One of mine was bad for storms, fireworks and bird scarers.
I put him in an Anxiety Wrap (better than the Thundershirt which is a similar copy), we also had the plug in DAP diffuser to calm him and Rescue Remedy.
It never eliminated the fear, just helped him manage it better.Instead of shredding the place to pieces in a panic, he'd go in his bed or behind the sofa and go to sleep.
We tried the desensitising CD's too but he ignored those yet was scared of the real thing, it was like he knew the difference!
In the end it got so bad in Surrey with fireworks at ANY time whether 3 am or 3 pm in broad daylight we simply couldn't predict when they were going off or cope with it, so we moved to rural Wales
It's just thundered outside, he's on the sofa ignoring it and no Anxiety Wrap on or any thing else to calm him down.
We have had no fireworks since we've been here and it's heaven!
Good luck with yours, Oz

 

[Clodagh]

We just shut them in a safe room and ignore them. Obviously the labs are OK but Sash hates them.

 

[TheresaW]

Thank you. We used a feliway diffuser for the cats when we first moved here as they are quite old and we worried about the stress of the move. We also had a couple plugged in when Aled first came, as although we knew he was fine with cats, we weren't sure about the other way around. As it happens we needn't have worried, they've all settled really well together. Will look at one for dogs, and can you buy them in spray form? We had a spray too for the cats to use on the beds, sofa etc.

He is rarely on his own, he goes to mum during the day when we are at work, so someone will always be with him.

 

[Teaselmeg]

Thundershirt might help, some dogs ( mine included) are helped by them, some are not. Always put them on when there is not going to be a scary noise a few times, so they don't associate the shirt with something scary about to happen. I use Pet Remedy rather than Adaptil, I have found it better, but again each dog may be different. TTouch is also helpful and rescue remedy in his water.

I tried several over the counter calmers and found Serene Um the best, start now, if you are doing to go down that road.

Make a den for him ( crate with a blanket over it etc, lots of dogs get comfort from a dark place to retreat to.

In the days around firework night, I give mine a really long walk and add cooked pasta to their dinner to make them feel full and satisfied and sleepy !

In regards to shooting ( yes the season started at the beginning of this month), My little girl ( no longer with me) used to run back to the car if she heard any shooting, so I paired the sound of a shot with a yummy treat ( chicken/sausage) and she only got the treat when there was a bang ( build up slowly) and it really helped her out on a walk and with fireworks.

Lastly, don't ignore him if he wants comfort from you, fear is an emotion not a behaviour, you cant reinforce it by giving comfort.

 

[Moobli]

Collies are often sound sensitive. Thankfully we live in the middle of nowhere so never hear any fireworks, but we do live on a shooting estate and some of our collies are scared of the sound of gunshot when not working (their drive for work seems to override their fear when at sheep).

As well as rescue remedy and a DAP diffuser, there are a few other things you can try which may help Aled.

In the run up to Bonfire Night, you could try playing a sound CD with firework noises (or on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ4KNrOsRLU). Start at a low level initially to let your dog get used to the sound in the background while he is happy doing something else (such as eating a bone or stuffed kong). Gradually increase the level, but try not to go over his threshold and if he looks stressed then turn it down again.

On Bonfire night (and any other time that fireworks are going off near your house) close the curtains and turn the television or radio up to mask the noise and try to act as cheery and normal as possible. It is fine if he comes to you for comfort though. If he has his own bed then put it in a quiet place, where he can feel safe if need be. He may be even more comfortable in a crate that you can cover with a blanket. My sister's dog used to hide under the bed.

If he enjoys playing with a ball or toy then that may help distract him.

If he is really bad then the vet can prescribe medication, but I would think that would be a last resort.

 

[gunnergundog]

If you know anyone that has a dog that is rock steady to fireworks or even thinks they are fun and must be watched, then invite them around as a steadying influence. One of mine holds the paw of a local mallinois when fireworks abound, even though said mal is rock steady to a starting pistol. You can get a dog steady to all-sorts but it is sometimes hard to get them to generalise and they do discriminate. (My best ever dog would run for cover at the sound of said starting pistol for instance!)

Not sure how old/big your dog is but chewing on a large bone I know some have found therapeutic.

I would advise exercising your dog until he is knackered; I would feed a high-carb meal in the evening an hour or so before you anticipate the start of the fireworks; provide a den/secluded place; keep curtains closed and music turned up (1812 overture is good!)

I know some people use Valerian to take the edge off their dogs - have a google to investigate.

I would also be wary of SOME of the medication that vets prescribe - I believe that some of the meds work by paralysing the body, so the fear is still there, they are just unable to run from it. Not 100% sure how true this is as have never (fortunately) had to resort to meds myself so have never fully researched it. Perhaps Aru could comment if she reads this? Would be interested to know.

Have no experience of the wraps some people recommend personally. Distraction is always good, but many dogs go beyond that.

Best of luck for this year's Nov 5th, BUT keep working on the issue for Diwali, new year and next year's Nov 5th! Too many people think their dog's issues can be solved one week prior to the event.

 

[TheresaW]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

A few things, he's an 11yo border collie, who is grossly overweight, so exercise is being carefully monitored. He does have guarding aggression, and we are being very careful to not let him get into situations, but he will steal things and take them into a den. He isn't interested in his own bed, sleeps on the sofa when we go to bed, or just flops down on the floor wherever he fancies when he's with us. He likes to curl up between the end of the sofa and the wall, and we leave him be, and if he feels safe there, that's fine with us. He's welcome to sleep upstairs with us and the cats if he wants to, but he previously lived in a bungalow, and has shown no interest in going upstairs.

We really don't want to medicate him if we don't have to, but appreciate fireworks seem to go on from pretty much now until January.