To help our dogs through the firework season we need to help our dogs prepare for the fireworks, So many dogs go missing or bolt in fear over the firework season so helping them to feel save is important. As part of cassies litter of pups training, socialization and desensitization program they all underwent sound desensitization at just 2 and a half weeks old which is the age their ear canals opened up. And at this age they also had no aspect of fear all they knew is nothing negative happed when they heard certain sounds which is why it’s a great time to start this desensitization. Its also why in my video you can see I haven't given the pups anything as a reinforcer or distraction as one they where to young and two they have the reinforment from each other. As puppies grow they are constantly learning from there environment the people around them, they also go through fear stages and hormonal changes which can effect their temperament and behaviour think of it as a puberty for dogs, Things change around so much in their environment and day to day life and their emotional state to certain things can change, this is why we should alter training to their different developmental stages and its why we should repeat, repeat and repeat their training throughout their life as this doesn’t just relate to puppies but at any age.
In sound desensitisation terms if their emotion state can change throughout their lifetime isn’t it best to practise sound desensitisation as well. If your reading this as one of my puppy owners, if the last time your pup heard fireworks was when they was with me do you think their emotional state has changed since then? This Is the main reason I am posting this now to help you continue or revisit their sound desensitization while also trying to help any dog owner that wants to help prepare their dog for the firework season. Preparation is important for any dog no matter its age, instead of waiting to see how they react to the fireworks, which usually happen without warning which at this point you might be to late as they might develop a fear of the sudden unknown sounds.
How can we help our dogs, by preparing them and to help them build a positive association to the fireworks to do this we want to introduce them to the sounds in a gentle manner over time.
How to create a positive association in simple terms its matching something positive to something the dog finds negative, best way to introduce this is provide the positive first then slowly introduce the negative over a period of time in a gentle manor. For sound desensitization its giving your dog the positive which can be it’s a tasty long lasting chew or filled Kong toy as long as it’s something your dog likes that usually keeps them occupied for a short period of time will help. Then after they have settled to chew their treat then introduce the firework sounds on a low volume you can do this by playing sounds on your phone from YouTube or ask alexia, if there is no reaction turn the volume up slightly for a couple of minutes and then turn it off sound destination is done over time not in one sitting and best done in short burst, each time you do it turn the volume up slightly remember your creating a positive association so if your dog starts to show signs of fear your going to fast for them you can’t rush this process, slow down and turn the volume down and build up slowly. and remember to keep revisiting this training maybe a month or two before the fireworks season starts.
Another thing I would like to mention and probably one that can be important depending on your dog, remember when I said our dogs learn from the people around them, sometimes without it being our intention we can reinforce and feed our dogs anxiety towards the things that they perceive as negative. We often try to comfort our dogs when they feel anxious and to point that is okay but when it comes to fireworks we can tend to over intervene because its not a pleasurable experience, sometimes comforting our dogs can feed our dogs a nervous energy reinforcing their anxiety this is because of the difference on how dogs communicate to how humans do we interpret things differently without it being our intention we could be making our dogs feel more anxious. If your attempts to settle and comfort your dog dont calm your dog try being just a clam presence and leave them be if they want to be alone, let them find a place to feel safe all you need to do is be a calm, quiet presence with a soft touch, lead by example with your actions as our dogs are professionals at reading our mood and body language. Providing them with a save place like their cage or dog bed an area which is theirs where they can take them self’s so they can find a bit of comfort, this ideally should be a well known area to your dog so if they don’t have a safe space area introducing it well before the firework season will help them feel safer during this season.
Our dogs don’t speak our language but they can learn cues like ‘sit’ but our dogs Dogs main language is body language they communicate with other dogs with their body language so if their language is body language this would mean they look to our body language and feed of what our body language is telling them. Our first point of communication is talking our language is our voice and just to show you how different we communicate we dont sniff each others bums or at least I hope not. Calm presences that’s relaxed sat watching TV maybe, leading by example so we communicate a calm confident body language. Following your dog around may contribute to their stress sometimes its best to leave them be as your presences is important but only when your giving the right energy of, let them have the choice if they want to be alone or not.
If your dog already has a fear how you approach this training needs to be done in a far more gently manor and done over a much longer period of time, and you may want to use a herbal calming aid to help as prolonged stress isn’t good for your dog health. This is not a advert or ago buy this product but for me the only brand of calming aid tablets that I have found to work with my dogs is the For all dog kind calming aid I have tried multiple ones but found I got actual results with these when I used them alongside my sound desensitisation training. As one of my dogs was petrified of any Lound bangs but using the calming aid and sound desensitisation training she has learnt how to handle herself when she gets stressed from the loud bags to point where we don’t get a reaction from her now and that is the aim of desensitisation teaching them how to react in an uncomfortable situation so they can approach it in a better manor each time and providing a positive to a negative changing their mind set towards the negative. when we are anxious or scared no matter dog or human we can’t control or emotions in a calm stable manor as we would normally do so with our dogs we want to help them learn how to behave in negative situations so they are less stressed each time.
with any training I do with dogs I work in a preventative manor instead of waiting for behaviours or fears to develop as preventing it is much easier then fixing it and its much kinder.
You can use your phone, alexia, smart TV to play some firework sounds but start on a very low volume and if you dog starts to show signs of fear stop and try again another day at a lower volume, if you don’t see any results don’t give up and don’t try to rush it just keep trying.
Hope this helps you to prepare your dog for the fireworks there is lots of advise and videos out there so do as much research as you can so you can help your dog but remember how you react can determine how your dog is going to react so a bit of self-education will go along way.
This blog was Edited 20/1/2023
Deborah, Deborahsdogs.co.uk
Commenti