Does your dog tremble at the mere thought of fireworks night?

Do you have a diary date to visit your vet for tranquilizers for 5th November? If only it were that easy. It used to be that fireworks night only lasted a couple of days but now fireworks are bigger and louder and seem to go on pretty much from October through to January, not to mention summer bar-be-que fireworks as well!  It is no longer practical to medicate dogs for fireworks night as they would need medication for several months!
Luckily, however, it should not be necessary to sedate your dog for fireworks night. Even in older dogs it is possible to rehabilitate them so that they no longer have a fearful response to fireworks.
How, I hear you ask!
Well, let's start with prevention (I cover this in my puppy foundation classes). To do this we need to understand a little bit of science.
Puppy Socialisation period
The critical period for puppy socialisation is the first 16 weeks of its life. During this short phase it is imperative that we introduce our puppies to all sorts of things. When those things are living (e.g other dogs, people , cats etc) this process is known as socialisation, when those things are objects (e.g milk floats, carrier bags, walking sticks etc) this is known as habituation.
When a puppy is about 3 weeks old they start to become more aware of their surroundings. At this time the hazard avoidance behaviour starts to develop. By 16 weeks of age this has pretty much established itself . Hazard avoidance means that puppies start to become afraid of new things. Before this time they accept anything they see or experience. In human terms this is a bit like the two year old child flying down a steep ski slope with the ski tips tied together! They know no fear, although everyone else older than three years old gets out of their way as soon as possible!
Prevention of problems
If a puppy were to stay with its canine group it would get a different response to its behaviour than it does living with a human family. E.g. If the dogs were out in a group and they heard a loud bang the puppy would startle. They would probably all startle initially but the older dogs by now would have realised that generally a loud bang means nothing, no harm comes of it and they would carry on about their business. The puppy would look at the rest of the group and think "Ok, they're not worried, so I'm not worried" and that would be the end of that. The next time the puppy hears a bang, he will probably still jump (don't we all if it's unexpected) but next time he will have built up his own idea of safety history. E.g. Last time it was safe, so this time I'm not worried.
However, in a human group, we tend to behave differently. If our puppy startles we tend to at least say "Oh, it's OK sweety", or something along those lines. This at the very least becomes very rewarding for the puppy. E.G, "If I jump I get loads of attention, this is a good ruse, I'll remember that for next time". Or worse, their human looks so worried that they feel that this bang is something to be afraid of. So, in this case, the puppy does not build up a safety history and each time they experience the bang noise they become more reactive towards it. Sadly this behaviour can generalise rather quickly to other noises. So, usually when I see a firework phobic dog it has other noise phobias too. Very quickly the dog's life can become miserable. I have heard of dogs being euthenased because they can't cope with life anymore due to generalised phobias of this kind. So, to summarise, if you want to prevent firework and noise phobias in your dog then you need to not react when they show a startle behaviour. Just carry on as usual, just like the canine group would do.
Resolution of problems
Mild phobias
If your dog has a mild noise phobia then this can usually be addressed by you with a little bit of guidance and common sense. There are great sound effects CD's which you can get.
Using a sound effects C.D played at a very low volume you can start to desensitize your dog to the problem noise. A good way to do this is to ensure that your dog is relaxed before you start to play the C.D. Start to play your dog's favourite game and then turn on the C.D at a very low volume. Gradually increase the volume until it is audible but your dog is not reacting. Keep playing with your dog and have great fun. Repeat this regularly, gradually increasing the volume over time. Always start with the volume lower then the volume you last worked with on the previous session. Over time your dog should be nicely desensitized and should learn to associate pleasant things with the aforementioned noise.
Severe Phobias
If your dog has severe and generalised noise phobias then I strongly recommend seeking the advice of a professional dog behaviourist. It is likely that veterinary intervention combined with behavioural counselling will be required. However, in the right hands it should not take long.
Last year I dealt with a case in which severe generalised noise phobias combined with severe separation anxiety had been ongoing for 8 years. Within three months this dog was able to accept being left alone and cope with all the noises which had previously unsettled him. The drug intervention was stopped after four months with no regression. However, since this dog was so totally distressed prior to treatment it was necesary to use medication in the short term to help him to be able to learn the alternative coping strategies which we taught him in the end. He and his family are now very happy. So, your dog may also respond to therapy and don't rule him out because you think he's too old.
Short Term Options
If firework night is upon you and you have not been able to resolve your dog's firework phobia then here are some suggestions on how to make his life a little easier.  

• Make sure you take him out for his walk in daylight so he should not encounter fireworks whilst outdoors. His last outing should be after all risk of fireworks has passed.
• Keep him inside during darkness hours and try to keep your windows and curtains shut
• Provide him with a safe place to den. This can be a large cardboard box with blankets inside so that he can be comfortable and the sound of fireworks will be muffled. You may find he prefers to hide behind the sofa, so let him do that. 
• Ideally you should see your vet for some medication to help him. Try to avoid sedatives as this may not actually help him feel better but it will prevent him from being able to utlise any coping mechanisms (To undersand, imagine yourself in a room full of whatever scares you most. Now imagine you have been sedated and can't get out of the room! Doesn't feel good does it?). You could try DAP plug ins or sprays (Dog Appeasing Pheromones which are designed to make him more relaxed naturally.These are available from your vet) and you could try rescue remedy from your local health food shop but remember, you will need to start this well before you anticipate fireworks (a week or two).
• Remember that fireworks displays may be shown on the TV, so remember to keep the volume low so as not to frighten your dog
• Don't reinforce fearful responses by cuddling him or talking soothingly to him. You need to leave him to get on with it (difficult I know, but essential) but you can make eye contact with him. If he is not too fearful you may be able to encourage him into a game so that you can change his association with fireworks. However, if a dog is very fearful you will not be able to do this without further help.
• All in all, it really is much easier just to help him to deal with fireworks permanently isn't it?

If your dog suffers from noise phobias you need to start dealing with this 2 to 3 months prior to fireworks night. So, September is the latest time you should be starting to help him to cope with November 5th!

If you require more information on this subject please contact me or telephone me on 01202 861340 or 07764 250554. If you require a behavioural consultation I can also provide you with the sound effects C.Ds cheaper than pet shops.