According to animal welfare associations, around 49% of dogs are afraid of loud noises, including fireworks and thunder. Unfortunately, many owners involuntarily reinforce this anxiety by petting their faithful friend or worrying unnecessarily when the dog becomes anxious; in reality, this attitude leads him to think that being frightened is correct and cuddling reinforces this fearful behavior of his. However, there are short-term strategies that can reduce fear in the animal and other more lasting ones that aim to desensitize the dog so that it no longer frightens.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Short-Term Strategies
Step 1. Minimize the stimulus
Keep your dog away from the bright lights and loud noises of thunderstorms and fireworks. Bring it indoors and close all doors and windows; close the curtains too, so that she can't see the flashes of the fires. It is also a good idea to turn the TV on at a low volume (but not when there is a thunderstorm) to distract him. Remember to behave normally and carry on with your normal activities, so as to send the message that everything is fine and that you are not worried.
Step 2. Offer him a safe place to hide
A frightened dog instinctively wants to take refuge in some corner. If your furry friend chooses to stay on the floor and hides under the bed or sofa, allow him to; you can provide him with extra sense of protection by placing a blanket on the edge of the bed to create more sound insulation.
- If the animal has been trained in the use of the cage, it is likely that it wants to enter; cover it almost completely with a thick blanket to make the space even safer and more intimate than normal; also insert some objects with your scent to give the dog a feeling of greater safety.
- If they have not been cage trained, consider starting now as part of your strategy to help them overcome this fear.
Step 3. Use pheromones
When there is a show with many fireworks in your area, activate pheromone diffusers in time; these substances help reduce anxiety in the animal by improving its perception of safety and you can spray them in the air to alleviate this discomfort.
Step 4. Have him wear an anxiety harness
It is a "canine clothing line" that includes very tight T-shirts and bibs that exert pressure on the body, acting a bit like the bands that wrap around babies and make them feel more protected and safe; on some dogs such devices reduce anxiety by strengthening their safety.
Step 5. Consider giving him medication
Some dogs are so frightened that they try to escape, possibly injuring themselves or even losing control of their bladder or bowel. If your four-legged friend is suffering from anxiety up to this point, you must have him examined by the vet. If there is no medical explanation to justify such behavior, the doctor may prescribe anxiolytics to calm the animal during noisy events.
- There is no single drug that is perfect for this, but a combination of diazepam and propranolol is often used; the former is a sedative that reduces anxiety, while propranolol is a beta blocker that prevents tachycardia. The combination of these two active ingredients helps the animal to relax during frightening situations.
- Acepromazine is a sedative, but the dog still feels fear, appears outwardly calm, but is actually scared. This is why this drug is no longer prescribed as frequently as it used to be.
Method 2 of 2: Train the Dog to Overcome the Fear of Loud Noises
Step 1. Behave normally
It is important for the owner to ignore any frightened behavior displayed by the dog. While it is perfectly normal to want to reassure an agitated animal, in reality this attitude only further stimulates anxious behavior. Re-training would be a failure from the start unless you understand this mechanism.
By acting calmly, you send the dog the message that you are not worried and therefore not even he has reason to be
Step 2. Never force him to face his fear
In other words, you don't have to keep a frightened dog in front of the fireworks display and expect him to be able to face and overcome his fear; this technique is called "sensory overload" and is inhumane. The dog would be bombarded by the very thing that scares him and, instead of overcoming it, he would remain even more traumatized and emotionally tried.
Step 3. Expose him to a very low level of sound that scares him
Teach him to remain calm while the sound is played by rewarding his calm with affection and a few tasty treats. This is a different technique from sensory overload, because the volume is much lower and the adaptation process is gradual.
- To do this, buy a CD with sounds that scare your dog, such as fireworks and thunder. Using the CD you can set the minimum volume possible to allow the animal not to fidget; praise and reward him for remaining calm in the presence of sounds.
- If possible, keep playing the CD at a low volume for an hour, but don't leave your dog alone during this time.
Step 4. Gradually increase the volume of the scary sounds
Once your dog no longer pays attention to low-volume background sounds, increase the intensity slightly; in this way, the sounds should be slightly louder than expected, but not to the point of inducing anxiety signals in the dog, such as licking his lips, pacing back and forth, whining, shivering or shaking.
- Again, reward him with love or treats when he stays calm in the face of scary noises.
- Repeat this gradual process until you are certain that the animal no longer reacts; later be prepared to increase the volume again.
Step 5. Expose it to the CD's playing sounds daily
If your dog starts to get scared at any stage of training, retrace your steps and set a lower volume for the next session. Don't forget to behave very quietly while training him; the animal needs to see that you are not scared.
