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sioux
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06-08-2013, 05:19 PM

How to help my dog overcome his fear of fireworks?

Barney is my 7 year old Black lab/GSD cross, and the poor love is terrified of fireworks. He crawls into a corner and quite literally shakes with fear.

I've tried leaving a radio or tv on if I'm not in when they're going off, but he can still hear them. He won't come to me for comfort, but hides away and refuses to come out.

It's the end of Ramadan next weekend, so there's bound to be some going off by me... any tried and tested methods I can use to help him?
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Lacey10
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06-08-2013, 05:31 PM
Poor Barney
Looking forward to hearing tips myself,Mine is a nightmare too Thankfully firework season won' t start here till end of October,basically I can't leave her side,she's that petrified.I really feel for them.
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lablover21
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07-08-2013, 01:22 PM
Oh how we all hate that word fireworks, poor Barney.
My old boy sadly not with us hated them but last year with my new dog found this site dogsandfireworks.com it by a good behaviour counsellor Karen Wild.
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Jenny
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07-08-2013, 01:46 PM
My last dog was terrified of fireworks and I ended up buying a CD from our vets which had the noise of fireworks on (amongst other noises such as plaines, trains, hoovers, thunder and lightning etc etc. This won't help you for this Ramadan but will help for this coming November.

You start by playing it very quietly and just carry on your normal routine with the CD on in the background. Do not make a fuss of your dog at all and never comfort him if he's worried as that is just telling him that there is something to worry about! Ignore him completely. Gradually as he accepts the noise turn the CD up until eventually you can have the noise loud and it won't worry him.

I played it to my two when they were 8 weeks old for a few days and they don't bat an eyelid with any noises however loud.

For the imminent Ramadan fireworks have an area where he can go and hide and then just ignore him. My last dog would hid behind the sofa. We would always have lots of lights on, the curtains closed and TV very loud.

Good luck and try and get the CD to help him through all the November fireworks.
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sioux
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07-08-2013, 02:18 PM
Thank you Jenny, I'll call the vets and see if they have one! Sounds ideal
And I'kll look at that website too lablover
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ruralex
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07-08-2013, 05:54 PM
There is also something called a "Thundershirt" that is supposed to help with this. It's similar to swaddling a baby. I know they can be ordered online.
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Tang
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07-08-2013, 06:54 PM
I couldn't possibly leave Bella alone if I know there will be loud fireworks.

She won't let me comfort her at all. She just runs under my bed and stays there.

The only time she acted differently was when I went outside to see if I could see which direction they were coming from (as I hadn't a clue what the occasion was) she must have got so worried that I'd gone outside that she actually came out there and started scampering up and scratching at my legs all worried looking like she was trying to say 'come in mum - come in!' bless her. I went in and she went back under my bed.

It's a big decider on leaving her in the boarding I use too - it is so remote and away from traffic and even housing (in the middle of cattle farming land) that there's no chance she will be scared by fireworks when I am not there.
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Lynn
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07-08-2013, 07:31 PM
My Ollie was the same I used Valerian tincture.
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Tang
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07-08-2013, 11:29 PM
Originally Posted by Lynn View Post
My Ollie was the same I used Valerian tincture.
That's interesting Lynn. How is this applied to the dog?
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FluffHippo
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08-08-2013, 03:11 PM
I was going to suggest the CD too. I bought a fireworks track from iTunes and played it once. Mika didn't bat an eyelid
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