Fireworks....and so it begins....

Yes that time of year is here again. I've always considered myself very fortunate that my dogs have never had a fear of fireworks. Someone blinks at Cain wrongly and he'll react but really loud noises have never bothered him. I always sit and listen to the fireworks and worry for the dogs who are terrified My friend has five, who all sit in the house and shake. My old boss' dog actually died of a heart attack caused by fear or fireworks

Well Diwali is here and the fireworks have started and I imagine that they'll be here now until well past New Year. They've even been affecting Cain this year. I was walking him down an alley behind an estate when someone let off a banger right on the other side of the wall, it literally exploded over our heads. Both me and Cain jumped put if our skins! Then last night fireworks were going off for hours quite close to us. He ignores them if they are in the distance, but these must have only been a few houses away. The bangs were keeping me awake anyway and poor Cain got really worked up and was bombing around the house barking at all the windows. I had to shut him in my room to stop him in the end. Sigh. Only three more months of this to go..... I hope other Dogsey dogs are faring well.

Fortunately none of my dogs have ever had issues with fireworks, I am not sure why, whether it has anything to do with introducing the gun to them early on by walking past the clay shoot etc.

But none have ever been bothered. Thank goodness.

This is a wonderful free advice booklet written by some reputable behaviourists, with just about everything a dog owner needs to know for the fireworks season:

http://www.dogsandfireworks.com/down..._fireworks.pdf

There is a downloadable fireworks noise recording on there, with specific instructions on how to use it, but it will be too late to start this now - but may be good to start after the New Year celebrations I'd have thought.

Hth Moons Mum.

Wys
x

Interestingly, my dog was brought up by her breeder to be fine with fireworks, as she used a fireworks recording regularly, and she was happy with the fireworks until about the age of 4, when some teenagers used to let off very very loud bangers near to us, which scared her so much that she bolted into the house and ran into a wall

Since then I've use DAP (incredible success at first) and now we use a combination of DAP and scullcap and valerian, which I put off using for ages as I thought they'd not be any good. But they are amazing for my dog.

You do have to watch the dose though, and know your dog's body weight. It is available from Dorwest Herbs, and some vets and pet shops will also stock it.

Wys
x

It's a good job Rupert isn't bothered by bangs given that we live close enough to the ranges that gunfire is heard on a daily basis. They were using the tanks the other day, loud isn't the word! The house was vibrating with it!

We had fireworks go off while we were out the other night, Rupert didn't even bother looking round.

I so "envy" all those whose dogs are able to just relax with fireworks, you are so lucky!

Wys
x

Coles and Buster are fine with fireworks as long as they have a big tasty bone to chomp. However, I am surprised Coles is okay with fireworks after some scum bags fired one at him three years ago. It didnt hit him thank goodness, only because of my quick thinking, I got him out of the way.

Shadow wasn't fine with them and it was a nightmare. We had to get him walked before it got dark and then he refused to set foot outdoors until it was light again. And he'd rush round the house barking at every one that went off. God knows how he'd have coped here and in Ireland, he'd either have gone mad or gotten used to the loud bangs eventually.

Poor Cain Having a firework go off so close to you must have been a bit of a shock! Hope he gets used to it as they do seem to go on forever..

I have been totally dreading it with Kestral - last year I had only had her a couple of weeks when it began and she was fine, however I'm not sure that adult nervous Kestral will deal with it in quite the same way! Considering noises I can't even hear send her in to a worry... I'm hoping she will remember they are fine but we'll see. I've put her new calming collar on just in case.

No problems with my two, but I certainly had a headache after all the barking from the neighbour's dogs during a nearby firework display (other side of one of the fields) last night!