[NAGDU] Fireworks

[Danielle Sykora]

Here is what I tried, in order, with my thunder and firework phobic dog.

1. Counter conditioning. when the scary noise happens, the dog gets
its favorite things. Favorite toys, high value treats, extra
attention--whatever the dog likes best. It is not true that giving
your dog attention when they are fearful will cause them to be
fearful, and thus ignoring them will solve fear issues; however, your
actions can help the dog respond to their emotions in a different way.
In order to not inadvertently reward a fear response, I would give a
treat before the dog had a chance to react, or would have the dog do
really basic obedience for treats. The dog got rewarded with amazing
things for very basic behaviors in the presence of something
unpleasant.
2. Desensitization. Use a recording of fireworks. Play it at a very
low volume, and gradually increase the volume and duration over a
period of a few weeks. You can pair this with meal times and play
sessions to help it go faster. This ideally is done when the dog won't
be exposed to fireworks in real life.
3. Try a thunder shirt/anxiety wrap, herbal calming supplements, or
CBD oil. This can be paired with the first two techniques for quicker
results if the anxiety is severe, or used as a management tool long
term.
4. Use a prescription anti-anxiety medication from the vet. This could
be a short term solution until you can really work through it
behaviorally, or a long term management strategy. Not all medications
are conducive with working though due to their sedating effect.

I personally did not find counter conditioning, desensitization,
herbal calming supplements, or the anxiety wrap to be helpful with my
thunder/firework phobic dog. CBD and prescription meds help somewhat,
but this phobia only got progressively worse and caused the dog to
retire (and is still progressing in retirement). I do find herbal
calming supplements to be very helpful with one pet dog's anxiety
however, so it really just depends on the dog and the severity of the
problem.

Danielle, Thai, and Jackie


On 11/24/19, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> My friend found the thunder shirt helpful for her pet who was afraid of
> fireworks and thunder.  It's a snug vest.  The pressure is supposed to calm
> the dog.  Sounds odd, but it worked pretty well for her.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan Gallacher
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2019 6:09 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Jordan Gallacher
> Subject: [NAGDU] Fireworks
>
> Anyone have any ideas on how to calm a dog down when fireworks are going
> off?  I had this problem with another dog who did not like fireworks or
> other loud noises, but I have forgotten how I got him to not completely
> freak out from loud noises or fireworks.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jordan
>
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