4th of July/fireworks

Ritz459 · 06-02-2008, 02:56 PM

Chloe doesn't like fireworks. She spooks when she hears them and gets very stressed.

On the 4th, we head down to my Grandma's house for the day to celebrate and then we watch a fireworks display over the lake. Last year I took Chloe with me. She was small then so she was managable, even though she wasn't trained yet. When the fireworks started going off I put her down in my Grandma's basement in a crate.

This year Chloe can't come with us to Grandma's. That is fine by me, that is why we have the kennel. But I'm afraid that she will spook in her kennel if the neighbors start shooting off fireworks. I think she'd be fine in the house, but we'll be gone too long for her to be inside without a potty break. I don't want to put her in a boarding kennel, because she'd be even more stressed there than with fireworks going off.

Rose is also scared of fireworks and would be fine in the house (or garage), but we have the same problem as with Chloe. She is normally find out in her kennel, but in the past year or two she's started to bust out of the kennel when she gets very upset and we don't want her getting loose while we are gone.

Should I look into possible medication to give them for while we are gone to help calm them down, or is there something more holistic we can try?

Standard Pirate · 06-05-2008, 02:41 PM

-Crate your dog or move their bedding into a enclosed space like a closet. A dog who feels "safe" will be less anxious, and a "den" is the instinctual place for a dog to feel safe. It may help to cover your dog's crate with a blanket or sheet to create a den feeling.

Create as much white noise as you can. Fans, TV's, radios, etc. Try to drown out the majority of the sound.

Find a T-shirt that fits the dogs chest tightly and put it on them. No one knows why this helps, but many owners swear this makes a difference.

Over the counter sedatives (Like rescue remedy) or veterinary prescriptions like Ace or Valium are a good short term treatment- although not avaliable in an emergency. If your dog is severely anxious, try to keep a stash on hand.

Long term solutions to firework anxiety revolve around retraining your dog to associate loud noises with good things.

Cody, my mutt is scared of a lot!! Scare crows and blow up santas, thunder, Halloween monsters, talking santas, darker skin men, black dogs, fireworks and flashlights!!! He's scared of the ocean when it chases him. Cody doesn't care about the vacuum and we've almost got the thunder and fireworks beat. My husband decided it's unhealthy for Cody to react how he does to fireworks so he played the Saving Private Ryan opening and Cody got use to it. It sounds kinda like thunder and fireworks.

06-02-2008, 02:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ritz459 Fuzzbutt attack Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indiana Posts: 5,246 Blog Entries: 3 Rep Power: 214	4th of July/fireworks Chloe doesn't like fireworks. She spooks when she hears them and gets very stressed. On the 4th, we head down to my Grandma's house for the day to celebrate and then we watch a fireworks display over the lake. Last year I took Chloe with me. She was small then so she was managable, even though she wasn't trained yet. When the fireworks started going off I put her down in my Grandma's basement in a crate. This year Chloe can't come with us to Grandma's. That is fine by me, that is why we have the kennel. But I'm afraid that she will spook in her kennel if the neighbors start shooting off fireworks. I think she'd be fine in the house, but we'll be gone too long for her to be inside without a potty break. I don't want to put her in a boarding kennel, because she'd be even more stressed there than with fireworks going off. Rose is also scared of fireworks and would be fine in the house (or garage), but we have the same problem as with Chloe. She is normally find out in her kennel, but in the past year or two she's started to bust out of the kennel when she gets very upset and we don't want her getting loose while we are gone. Should I look into possible medication to give them for while we are gone to help calm them down, or is there something more holistic we can try?
	__________________ ~Blackie, Rose, Chloe (dogs), Pheobe (cat), Casey, Dameon (ferrets), Joey ('Tiel), Dot, Louie (cavies), Pickachu (hamster), Rush (R.I.P. 15yrs), Lucy (R.I.P. 4yrs)~

06-05-2008, 02:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
Standard Pirate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: -- Posts: 23 Rep Power: 0	-Crate your dog or move their bedding into a enclosed space like a closet. A dog who feels "safe" will be less anxious, and a "den" is the instinctual place for a dog to feel safe. It may help to cover your dog's crate with a blanket or sheet to create a den feeling. Create as much white noise as you can. Fans, TV's, radios, etc. Try to drown out the majority of the sound. Find a T-shirt that fits the dogs chest tightly and put it on them. No one knows why this helps, but many owners swear this makes a difference. Over the counter sedatives (Like rescue remedy) or veterinary prescriptions like Ace or Valium are a good short term treatment- although not avaliable in an emergency. If your dog is severely anxious, try to keep a stash on hand. Long term solutions to firework anxiety revolve around retraining your dog to associate loud noises with good things. Cody, my mutt is scared of a lot!! Scare crows and blow up santas, thunder, Halloween monsters, talking santas, darker skin men, black dogs, fireworks and flashlights!!! He's scared of the ocean when it chases him. Cody doesn't care about the vacuum and we've almost got the thunder and fireworks beat. My husband decided it's unhealthy for Cody to react how he does to fireworks so he played the Saving Private Ryan opening and Cody got use to it. It sounds kinda like thunder and fireworks.

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