its that time of year again. Last year, the Pig was amazing, some fireworks went off when we were out on a walk and she was absolutely fine with them and had no problems that night. But this year, one went off a week or so ago (I think Diwali?) just as the Pig had ventured into the garden for her last wee and it terrified her. I was wondering, does playing firework sounds to desensitise them actually work? I’ve probably left it too late even if it does work, but I could do it these next few evenings up till Saturday if it might help...?
Desensitising can work but it is a very long, slow process as you gradually increase the volume from barely audible to a normal level. Also to consider with fireworks it's not just about noise but also the visual impact and also the smell. You coukd introduce the firework sounds but with only a week to go you have insufficient time to desensurise and increase the volume. Best advice would be to find a spot in the house where it is dark and quiet. You could also try an Adaptil plug-in. Some people find them very helpful in helping a dog to calm, others not so much but at least it will do no harm.
Hello Lara, I had a cd with noises on for dogs (free from the vets) which included door bells, Maisy took no notice of it at all but when our door bell rang for real she was up like a shot and barking at the door. So I don't think those sounds are - although real - not in the right environment maybe, I don't know really but I would not buy one of these cds myself. Luckily, when she was about 3 months old, we were watching a film on tv which had a firework display and at the same time someone was letting of rockets in my street, she wasn't bothered by either and loud noises don't worry her so hopefully we'll be ok when the fireworks are going off - for the next few weeks!
Just add my own experience, which is minimal, when was small I played the dogs Trust ones via the CD, and gunshots etc. Being then terribly keen to do everything right It soon became clear that after the initial interest she sussed that it was yet more sounds coming from the black box thing on the table or wherever, and ignored it. But if she hears gunshot from the clay pigeon shoot down the road, thats's different. Luckily for me I don't live in an area where fireworks are let off all the time, tends to be neighbours who let us know in advance. I think though @Jes72, with Homer? has used the videos successfully?
We desensitised with recordings of fireworks. We only had two weeks between getting Holly and the town's New Year's Eve display, but it seemed to work.
I've used the Dogs trust Tracks, I believe the specialist Vetanary behaviourist helped develop them. I think they've played a part in Homer coping better with the firework noises we've had so far but he's also been on Sertaline, an anti-anxiety drug, for months. Homer is better with noises form inside the house but noises outside while he is inside bother him. The fireworks we've had so far have been further away so far although clearly audible. Next weekend will be the big test, when there are big displays much, much closer on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. We hope to escape as best we can and go for a drive down the motorway. Homer was fine and hardly noticed the bangs until he was three years old. There's no perticular event that we know of that started his fear but it steadily escalated to the point we had no choice but to use medication.
I had to start with the tracks really carefully and slowly with almost no sound on the hi-Fi alongside the TV being on at the same time and lots of games and treats.
Thanks for all your advice, I hadn’t heard about the dogs trust soundtrack but I went to take a look, that is a great resource! I don’t think I have time to do it properly now but knowing it is there now I can plan in advance for next year. Now I just need a track of pheasant noises to help with other problems we are having! For the next few nights, I’ll just try to increase the ambient noise in the house (tv and dishwasher combination is quite loud), make sure she has a safe place to hide and I’ll have plenty of treats for her to see if I can make ‘bang = treat’. Fingers crossed.
Yes I think that is certainly the case. I just tried out playing the sounds on my laptop very low just as an initial assessment of how the Pig would react, she cocked her head and came and sniffed at the laptop, so it was clear she thought it was an object in the house making funny sounds. The dogs trust recommend putting speakers either side of a door or window to try to make it sound like it’s outside, not sure how effective that is!
I should think that is worth a try, I'll give that a go, even if it means rifling through my son's room to find the speakers!
Unfortunately to be most effective you'll need to use a good quality surround sound Hi-Fi system. The speaker on a computer will distort the sound so that it's not realistic enough.
Lara, how have you and Pig got on so far with the fireworks? Thinking of you and all the others who suffer. We took Homer for a drive in the car last night and may go all the way round the M25 tonight to escape the worst of it all.
Please be very careful trying to pair a bang with a treat. If a dog doesn't lije the bang/is frightened of the bang they may not be interested in food or can link the food with the nasty experience
I agree. If the dog is afraid, the chances are the food won't be taken and can actually cause more stress if you try to cajole her into taking it. And, as Jojo says, it's very easy to end up with reward-means-bang rather than bang-means-reward. Keep this in mind with your body language, too. There's nothing wrong with comforting your dog if she is scared, but if you jump the gun and do it before she is actually afraid, you can end up with the comforting tone / actions actually indicating to her there is something to be scared of. I fell into this trap myself with Willow - because I was trying to calm her before she became scared, but then she did become scared by the storm (or whatever), she learnt that my calming tone was a precursor to nasty stuff happening. It's a case of knowing your dog and judging her arousal levels. It's very much like LAT - if she is just mildly interested, then rewarding for calm can teach her that the noise means good things are coming, but if she is any more than that, she's not in a place where any good learning can happen, so it's about management and damage control.
Useful tip that just popped up on my FB "Favourite tip from Trainer XYZ in class earlier this week: Strictly Come Dancing is perfect tv for masking fireworks. You can turn it up a bit louder without making it uncomfortable to listen to, and it's generally happy and upbeat. Remember, if your pet comes to you for comfort and reassurance then comfort them - please don't ignore a distressed pet. You are their safe place. "
