Is Your Dog Scared Of Fireworks? It's That Awful, Fearful Time Again.
Freya V. Locke - Dog Behaviourist | Author | Blogger Issue 44, 2024
Hi Gang
Fireworks are making their way onto the shelves in the shops again and dogparents of a dog scared of fireworks everywhere are bracing themselves for the onslaught of unnecessary bangs and crashes.
I absolutely hate the damn things, as I see the effects of them every year.
Not just in the dogs that I get called out to help, or in the wildlife that ends up abandoning nests or dying from fright, but also in people. My own son, a grown man who is Autistic, is terrified of them, having had sensory issues his whole life, he finds the flashes and the bangs painful and actually hides when they are going off to protect himself.
It’s just so selfish, thoughtless and unkind.
You can buy fireworks that are quiet, but many don’t bother.
People gonna people, and sadly not everyone cares as deeply about the welfare of their animals and of people as most of my readers and I do.
I get so many enquiries and people booking sessions whose dogs are absolutely terrified of the noises, and while most of these dogs can be helped with desensitisation and counter-conditioning programs, it is not a guaranteed fix and it often doesn’t take much for them to become afraid once more if a loud firework goes off when it is unexpected.
Which often happens in the two weeks either side of 5th November, when the locals decide an impromptu 1am display in the park is a fantastic idea, or some drunken tit thinks its a good idea after a session in the pub.
I don’t understand people sometimes.
Check out the article 7 Tips To Help Your Dog Survive Fireworks Night as mentioned below to help your dog if they have a minor issue with the fireworks.
If your dog has bigger struggles, please reach out and we will see how we can help.
The Happy Dog Journal™
I started to organise some of my Medium posts into a new publication to make it easy to find some advice for readers over there. Here are a few of the articles I updated to share to it this week:
3 Super Scentwork Games. Check out some easy ways to get your dog using their nose.
10 Things You Never Knew About Training Your Dog - Read this before you train them anything.
7 Tips To Help Your Dog Survive Fireworks Night - It’s that blooming time again.
Want to know more about helping your anxious dog the Fun Not Fear® way?
We have a book! Available in all formats from Amazon.
Grab your copy, and get helping the dog in your life to overcome their struggles.
Spotted and sharing.
This made me giggle:
I Took Revenge On Him And Swore My Dog To Secrecy - Ana Brody.
My other posts - because I write about other stuff too!
Handy links.
That is it from me this week,
Warm ‘N’ Fuzzies,
Freya xx
It seems like fireworks at least here are a year round thing. It stinks for parents and myself as a pet sitter. So many humans are bothered by it as well.