fireworks

Fear of loud noises, e.g thunderstorms, fireworks is a relatively common problem with dogs. It is more common in herding breeds e.g. Border Collie, Shetland Sheepdogs, German Shepherd Dogs and their cross breeds but can happen in any breed. Some times a triggering experience can be pinpointed but not always. The phobias can start before the dog is even a year old and can increase in severity as the dog ages. Dogs vary in how they show noise phobia. Your dog may only appear restless or may show panting, trembling, pacing, barking, frantic escaping, loss of bladder and/or bowel control and destruction of property.

Bash Dibra, known as the "Dog Trainer to the Stars," whose clientele includes Henry Kissinger, Joan Rivers, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin, Mia Farrow, and Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker states:-

"Dogs are pack animals, and, before they were domesticated, they found their security with the pack and in their caves or dens. So, it's not surprising that when a dog is frightened by fireworks his instinct is to run into a closet or hide under the bed. For the dog, the bed or closet is serving as a kind of pseudo den or cave.

"Rather than drag your dog out of the closet or out from under the bed in the hopes of getting him used to the noise of the fireworks, work with the dog's needs. He'll probably never get used to the noise, so the best thing you can do for him is to keep him as free from stress and panic as possible."

"The best way to do this," advises Bash, "is to build on his instincts for safety. If he's hiding in the closet or under the bed, help him make his cave as comfortable as possible. Put soft pillow and bedding down, with some water and a favorite toy. If the dog has chosen the closet as his den, make certain you leave the door open, so it's well ventilated.

"You may also find your dog is jumping into the bathtub," acknowledges Bash. "Dogs always enjoy lying on cold tile in the summer, and if he's frightened and trying to dig a hole, as dogs will sometimes do, the bathroom is perfect—it's cool and indestructible. So, if the dog is choosing the bathroom as his den, again, make it comfortable, keep the door open and well-ventilated. Also, keep the light off. As with the closet, the bathroom setting plays on the dog's need for safety in a cave, and the darkness will add a calming, soothing effect. Try not to be outside with your dog during fireworks.

Prevention is always easier than trying to cure a long established phobia, so taking precautionary steps with young dogs on their first Bonfire night or thunderstorm in April seems like a good idea.

1. A tired dog can often be more relaxed, so go for a long walk in the afternoon on November 5th or before a bad thunderstorm is predicted.

2. KEEP CALM YOURSELF. Dogs are exceptionally good at reading body language and if you are worried you dog will be also. Don't reassure your dog, as this makes him focus on how worried he is feeling. Either hang around your pet's refuge area quietly getting on with things or pretend to be having a ball. After all modeling calm and/or bold behaviour really is one of the best ways we have of helping our pets cope with such times.

3. Never leave your dog alone on Bonfire night, especially if it is the first one. Try to keep the excitement of children and visitors to a minimum untill they have left the house, as your dog will be more excited and therefore more easily roused into a panic attack.

4. Put your dogs bed, food and water into a room that is central in the house with ideally no windows to the outside. This helps to reduce noise levels for your pet. If windows cannot be avoided remember to close the curtains. If worse comes to the worst, just pulling a sofa away from the corner where internal walls meet, and noise absorption is at its best, can be remarkably helpful to a dog that feels the need to 'burrow' because, together with 'flight' this is natural canine behaviour in the face of threat. Avoid leaving your dog in the conservatory or kitchen, where noise tends to echo. Background noise in the form of a radio or TV can help drown scary noises. Choose the programme with care - noisy war and disaster movies are not the best choice on these occasions.

5. Use distractions if your dog is starting to be a bit nervous. Do some basic obedience training, play a game, hunt for treats or anything else that will concentrate your dog's mind on you and not on the noises from outside. It gives anxious pets something to focus on and can actually make those that haven't learn't to be scared think fireworks can be fun! You can also have really tasty food around because, although very fearful or anxious canines don't eat, if we start young enough we can condition positive not negative associations with potentially stressful events such as fireworks. It may be the time to introduce a new squeaky toy. If your dog is in two minds whether to run behind the sofa or not, seeing the owner having a great game with his toy can make the difference between hiding or joining in.

If all goes well you will hopefully have a laid back dog that never goes on to develop noise phobia. This unfortunately is not always the case and the earlier remedial treatment is given the more chance of success you have.

There are also a number of other ways you can help your dog to cope with this fear:

1. Sedation
Traditional sedation by injection has now been proved to actually increase a dog's stress levels. Sedation relaxes the muscles of the dog to the extent that the animal can no longer control its body or flee from unpleasant experiences. Their brains however, still recieve the frightening sounds and stimuli, thereby increasing the animals feeling of helplessness and fear.

2. Herbal Remedies
Valerian is made from the plant of the same name and has been used for hundreds of years to help allay stress and excitability in both humans and animals without causing drowsiness. Dorwest Herbs produce their own Scullcap(another well known calming plant) and Valerian tablets and these can be very helpfull in calming the anxious dog. Dorwest's Valerian compound is available in liquid form and can be used as a top up when loud noises occur suddenly.

Rescue Remedy is another herbal product which has been found useful in calming dogs who are experiencing anxious moments. It contains five flower essences - Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, Rock Rose and Clematis. Four drops on the tongue is all that is needed to calm an anxious dog.

It is advisable to consult with your vet before using these products as they may interefere with any particular medication that your dog is taking.

3. DAP
The Dog Appeasing Pheromone plug in is another invaluable source of reassurance for the anxious pet. It mimics the properties of the naturally occuring appeasing pheromones of the lactating bitch. By replicating this signal of wellbeing the DAP helps alleviate fear and stress related signs in the puppy and adult dog by providing a feeling of comfort, safety and reassurance. It is best to use it at least two weeks before and two weeks after firework night.

4. Desensitiving Sound Therapy
One of the best ways of doing this is to get your pet gradually used to the noises over a period of time. There are some really good CD's on the market these days and they come with complete instructions which should be carried out to the letter in order to gain the correct benefit from them.

5. The Tellington TTouch Technique
This ia a technique that uses specific movements to increase awareness and reduce tension through the body. Working with TTouch enables you to help your dog overcome a variety of health and behavioural problems. For more information on TTouch and to find out about workshops and clinics contact tel. 01761 471182 or visit www.ttouchteam.co.uk.

Fear of Fireworks

Treatment for Phobic Pets

Body Wraps for Phobic Pets

A bumper sticker that I would love says, "Hugs, not drugs". It is known that a hug releases natural endorphins - feel-good chemicals that lower anxiety, help with pain-relief & allow you to cope with life better. I’d prefer a hug to medication any day!

Dogs, however, can find our hugging them distressing. They need to know that they can flee if they need to. How would it be if you could give them a portable hug? You can. Using an Ace wrap or T-shirt. Both of these give your dog a sense of their bodies, where their body ends & the world begins.

Many people are sceptical about them to start, but very quickly see how their companion settles down.

"My Stafford coped really well with the fireworks for the first time since I had him, he slept on the floor, only occasionally looking up for a big bang. I’d only ever known him to cower behind the sofa, & not come out for some time after the noise had stopped. I can now take him out for a wee!"

An added benefit to the wrap & the degree of relaxation it brings is to reduce pain. One dog has had his Metacam dose cut in half for a trapped nerve.

Another dog who suffers from seizures has dramatically reduced the number & duration of seizures, & the recovery time is down to 30 minutes. There are no signs of the usual exhaustion, & she wants to go out for exercise soon after an episode instead of resting for 24 hours.

Trips to the vet can be far less traumatic, allowing your dog to feel calm, & learn to think about the whole experience, instead of thinking "Vet bad"!

Sue Williams from Coventry says, "My dogs enjoy wearing their wraps. They queue up & wait to have them put on! I’ve been telling everyone about Body Wraps - they’re marvellous!".

HELP WITH SOUND SENSITIVITY & GENERAL CONFIDENCE

Body wraps are being used around the world to bring an animals awareness to their body & away from the source of the fear (e.g. thunder, fireworks, etc..). The sense of security given by the wrap also brings confidence, allowing them to release habitual responses and behavioural patterns, allowing them to observe the world around them and respond rather than react to stimuli.

An elasticized strong bandage that has the versatility to be adapted to your animals needs. E.g. If you have a dog who seems disconnected from their rear-end, two wraps can be joined together to make a "full wrap", i.e. one that goes around both front and rear ends. This can also help dogs with hip-displacia & general stiffness (used for short periods only). You can use just one Ace wrap for a "half-wrap" around the chest & ribs. It is not advisable to leave an animal un-attended whilst wearing a wrap. (Comes with securing pin).
Ace wrap widths:
2" - toy & small dogs (up to small Cairn Terrier) £4.00
3" - medium dogs (up to Collie or small Labrador) £4.80
4" - large dogs (up to GSD or Great Dane) £5.20

The T-Shirt

95% cotton, 5% spandex.
Made by Equafleece
This well made t-shirt is shaped to fit your dog snugly, but not tightly.
The t-shirt can also be used to help with contact allergies (grass seed etc..).
It currently comes in two colours -
Black or Camo (Greeny-brown)

Measure from the chest bone around the shoulder to level with the tail.

14 inch	18 inch	22 inch	24 inch	28 inch
£12	£12	£15	£15	£18

Purchase Here www.mekuti.co.uk

Reprinted with kind permission from Rachael Manns
Tellington TTouch P2 www.mekuti.co.uk
www.animalsense.co.uk

**********************

Storm Phobias	Calming Bands	Herbs for relaxing your pet	Big Bang Theories
Fear of Fireworks	Protect Your Pet This Firework Night		DAP
Zylkene	Calm Down	Sounds for Therapy CD	Storm Phobia

Canine Fear of Fireworks and Thunder

Fear of Fireworks

Treatment for Phobic Pets

Body Wraps for Phobic Pets

The T-Shirt