Dogs and fireworks / Bonfire Night

It's a well known fact that a significant number of dogs are terrified of fireworks, or indeed unexpected loud sounds in general...quite understandable really considering that we can't explain to them what they are or why they are happening!

The three dogs I knew closest when I was growing up (my Aunt and Uncle's two dogs Jack the Beagle, Chip the adopted Doberman cross, and my other Aunt's dog that I was very close to Ellie, a collie cross) have all been very scared of fireworks. Ellie was by far the worst; her eyes would double in size and her legs would turn to jelly. Nothing you could do would help her - or so I thought back then.

So, I thought in the lead up to Bonfire night, I would create a thread about firework fear and how to manage / improve it. Believe it or not there are A LOT of things out there to help fearful dogs, and plenty of things you can do at home too! It's quite possible to help a dog overcome their fear of fireworks through counter conditioning, where you pair the sound (at a volume where the dog isn't afraid) with a very good reward!

Here are some things well worth trying if your dog is afraid of fireworks...

1) Create a den where your dog can hide and take comfort
Build your dog a safe area, a 'den'. This can be your dogs' crate if he is already crate trained, behind the couch, under a table, anywhere your dog feels safe! You can put blankets and towels on the top, draped over the sides, to help the space feel safe and enclosed. Add cushions, blankets, a dog bed and toys to help it feel as cosy as possible! Make the den in advance, so your dog can be taught it's a positive place (feed treats and praise when he goes near it)...by the time bonfire night arrives he will see it as a safe haven!

2)Turn the TV / radio up slightly louder than usual and close the curtains
This is very easy to do, and can make a surprising difference. If your dog cannot really see or hear the fireworks, he will be oblivious! And if the bangs are faint he will probably be less perturbed than usual.

3)Give your dog a long-lasting 'fun' thing
If your dog is scared of fireworks, but not scared enough to refuse food, give him something really good to keep him busy and distracted. Ideas such as a frozen Kong (with peanut butter, cream cheese, wet dog food in or similar), a hide chew, a stuffed hide chew (eg filled with tripe) or a new exciting toy. Encourage play.

4) Keep calm yourself.
If you are uptight or worried yourself, this will show and stress your dog out further. Remain calm and relaxed. If your dog is acting fearful of the bangs, don't feel the need to ignore his behaviour. I've heard so often that rewarding a dog's behaviour when he is scared is rewarding the fear, which will make it worse, or is showing that there is a reason for him to be scared...nope, it will just make him feel that little bit better! Extra love, treats and big fun play sessions are a must!

5)Get your dog used to these sounds in advance!
There are plenty of 'puppy socialisation' CD's out there. They have the noises of vacuums, washing machines, fireworks etc on them and can be used to slowly introduce your puppy or new dog to sounds that could be scary. Here are some YouTube videos of many containing firework noises:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD5QSP6pg68

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ4KNrOsRLU

To counter condition a dog that is scared of such noises, you want to start with the volume down very low. Reward the dog for being relaxed (any fearful behaviour and you want to turn the volume down lower still). Lots of good treats and praise. Then gradually up the volume, making sure each time that the dog is comfortable.

6)Thundershirts, DAP Diffusers, Magicalm etc
These are for dogs that are moderately and above afraid of fireworks. Thundershirts are tight fitting shirts that wrap around your dog, very similar to the way swaddling can calm babies. Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP) Diffusers are supposed to work amazingly well at calming stressed dogs, and come highly recommended. You can also get pheromone collars to help reduce stress and panic.

7)Medication
For dogs that have real phobias of fireworks, it's always worth a visit to your vet for advice. S/he can then prescribe medication such as sedatives if none of the other options are successful for your dog/s.

Good luck this bonfire night!

Oh, also if anybody is wondering, Kasper isn't afraid of fireworks, we are very lucky in that respect. Hoovers and hair dryers, yes, fireworks, no!

We do, however, play a firework soundtrack before New Years and Bonfire Night, and chuck kibble at him whilst this is on. He is slightly perturbed by the rockets that whistle as they go up, so extra kibble is thrown when they are on the soundtrack. We stay with him on Bonfire Night, with the TV up louder, but he has been out on walks when fireworks have erupted above us (thanks Bingley Music Live festival ) and coped amazingly well, so we're not too worried!!

Red you are such a help I will most definitly pass this onto my son to work with benny. They have had some fireworks last night and my son said Benny isn't afraid more startled so I'm sure this will be so helpful, thank you.