So we're rapidly approaching firework season and I was just wondering how to approach this with Stanley. Fireworks never seem to stay just on firework night around here, I reckon we've got about 2 weeks of them coming up. He's heard them once or twice before and seemed to be OK but it was a few short bangs. We have a firework display down the road from us so I think it might be a bit different if it's loud bangs over a significant period, one after the other. Thunder doesn't bother him, doesn't even wake up. But I don't want to reinforce any fear if he does get scared by the noise. I've read you just carry on as normal and pretty much ignore any fuss if he's scared but if he's really frightened it seems really mean and I don't know if I'd be able to do it. Thanks
I think it pays to take precautions with fireworks. For both my dogs they were exposed to noise CDs, party poppers, bursting balloons and so on, in a very structured way, before fireworks. Because I live for part of the year in a house on a hill over looking water where fireworks are let off from barges, I take no chances with this. The fireworks are super close, and super loud (echoing across water round a valley). After doing all my desensitisation, I have my dogs listening to the firework CD, chilled out, and when the real fireworks start I just slowly turn down the CD until they are listening to real fireworks. They are both now able to sit outside and watch the display with us. They might have been fine anyway, but it's good to be sure. Obviously, if either of them had shown any distress, I'd have stopped but neither did, they were both fine all the way through and at 4 months old Betsy did introduction to shot and calmly sat observing dummy launchers being fired. Have a read of this: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/th...ou-cant-reinforce-fear-dogs-and-thunderstorms http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/reinforcing-fear-ii-thunder-phobia-iii
