I have always had a thing for a great firework display. The whole sitting on a blanket staring up at a summer sky or writing my name in the air with a sparkler just makes me smile. But there are a great many dogs who do not share that enthusiasm and can take up a lot of insane behaviors when scared.
Lucky for me, Karma could care less. However, my previous dog, Dugan, was terrified. I remember the exact day it started, too. It was July 3 and a neighbor was shooting off fireworks for his son’s birthday. Unfortunately they were practically in the backyard so the noises were up close.
This is when Dugan would sit on my head. Yup. Since fireworks work best in the dark, we were already tucked in for the night and he decided the safest place was by my head. Poor baby literally didn’t know what to do.
Ah, but Dugan was really smart – in this case, too smart. He transferred his fear of fireworks to thunder. And then figured out that lightening preceded thunder so he became afraid of that as well, even if there was no clap to follow. The ultimate transference happened when we moved to San Francisco right outside a (electric) bus stop. If you’ve ever been to SanFran you know that the busses “zap” and create mini “lightening.” Now I had a dog afraid of electric busses.
Today I would do what I do best and throw money at the problem. My friends at AgileDogs Rock!! sell a great new product called “Thundershirts” that the dog wears like a type of dog coat. It works by gently applying pressure and creating a “squeezing” effect which is scientifically proven to calm animals and people. (Think Temple Grandin and her squeeze shoots)
Other ways to help
- Keep you dog physically away from the fireworks or thunder as much as possible. A quiet place in the house, a safe corner, a favorite bed in just the perfect spot can all help to reduce anxiety.
- Turn on the lights, turn up some soothing music and create other distractions. Try playing games or doing other activities the dog enjoys.
- Incorporate Bach Flower Remedies which have formulas for specific situations like this.
- Be sure your pet is wearing ID in case he decides to make a run for it.
What about Dugan? Well since he was such a smarty-pants, he eventually figured out that “bus lightening” didn’t mean that thunder would follow. As a matter of fact, that micro-climate rarely has thunderstorms so he came to decouple the lightening from the thunder. Once that happened, he sort of just let the thunder go. Of course, he was 12 at the time!
