I really hate this time of the year Dogs hate all the bangs and they have'nt been able to have their evening walk tonite. I managed to get home from work a bit earlier to get them out before the fireworks started but by 5pm people were already letting off fireworks
I suppose they will be going off for the rest of the week

How do others cope with their dogs at this time of year?

What are the fireworks for?? Years ago i had an Afghan - we were invited to partipate in a"Superdogs" presentation at the Klondike fair - our big summer expedition here. Rides..cotton candy - all that. At the end of the evening, at 11pm..they do firworks at the race track..right beside the rides. Thought we might take a peek...no way ...at all. She hated it and for for the first time...she wanted to bolt.

We put the radio on so they don't take too much notice of them. He really hates screamers and ones that bang so loud they hurt your chest, if you know what I mean.
I have just been out the back with him so he could wee, but he just stood by my side, waiting for the big ones. The Terrier wasn't brave enough to even come out. I have also been feeding them earlier, whilst it is still light, or they won't eat anything at all.

At Crufts earlier this year, just as all the DH people were walking in with their hounds, someone let 3 big ones off, my daughter had my dog whilst I had all the bags, we didn't have a halti on him then and he just took off in fright, reared up, slipped his collar, but thankfully didn't go too far, just under a bench.
If this was the work of animal rights activists protesting about Crufts, how would they have felt if he had shot off under the wheels of a bus?

I think they should be banned for home use, if people want to see them then it should be at an organised display only, the Met Police do one here every year and it is always well attended. And there should be a law preventing people from letting them off 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after, I am such a killjoy aren't I?

No, you're not. Here in canada fireworks are only used on canada day. - july 1st. Most are displayed safely by organizations or communty league - not in highly populated areas. There have been serious injuries by individuals insisting they can set them off themselves - I don't think we can buy them anymore without a permit.

well, that makes me a killjoy too as I think they are a pointless waste of money. There are more and more calls to ban fireworks and I really hope they succeed. Blimey - I sound like someone off 'Grumpy old women'

It is horrific here for my dogs.. i live on a council estate which whilst not the roughest area in town, is very close to town and not the nicest of estates either (though there are plenty worse)..

Unfortunately a lot of people on my estate seem to spend a vast sum of money on fireworks (the guy over the road brags he spent 2K this year on display level fireworks which he has set off on a grass verge by the pavement, though i suspect his costings are pure BS they were indeed display fireworks, the kind you do need a licence to use).

This means that fireworks go off during the day, evening and late at night not just on the fifth of november but will be a risk to consider when letting dogs off lead now until after new year (because people will now stockpile them for new year and kids/youths like to light them and throw them at one another)

We also live in an area with a large asian community and the week before bonfire night is.... divali! So loads of fireworks for that too.

Fortunately Kelda is only a little bit worried, mostly shes confused about it all and suspects its some very pointless human waste of energy (a view she holds about much of the People Activities shes seen.. 'horses... what would you want to ride one for... when they are so very chaseable!!!!' 'smooth lawns? but they look so much nicer with big diggy deerhound holes in them look this ones nearly 3ft deep arent i clever!' etc)

Sadly the Dangerous Brothers (rocky and dill) are hiding under my desk and have been all night and grandma abby is pursing her lps and putting her ears back and is Not Amused At All.

I feel for you. Having a very gun shy dog I know she would go troppo if there were continuous fireworks. We are way out the back of whoop whoop and ine high risk bushfire areaurs we don't have to worry about fireworks, only the neighbour shooting Roo's which is bad enough.

I know the night is past but in the village near use they are saving it up for Friday night tommorow.
We use Bachs Rescue Remedy, it really does seem to reduce the anxiety, I also find that if we act normally and try to ignore the stress behaviour it seems to calm her down a lot. I suppose if you fuss you give the wrong sort of feedback. Just a thought.

What also helps usually quite well is covering them with a blanket or, better even ,putting a tshirt on them -just ty it up a bit on the sides so that they can not step into it ( I use hair scrunchies for that ) . One of mine is very fearfull of shots ( and fireworks ) and " dressing her " in a tshirt helps lot to calm her - so , these days I always have her tshirt with me when we go on our hikes . And yes , I try to stay " normal " , reassuring her quietly every so often , that all is well and she is doing great - nothing out of the ordinary.....

Verena

Might have to try that Verena. Xena just turns into jelly if they fire off more than one shot. I try to ignore it but it is hard when a 36 kg dog is trying to climb ibto your lap for comfort We usually let her scramble behind us. She likes to be close.

Our two were fine. When they first started going off they looked at us as if to say "should we be worried", we looked back at them as if to say "no not really" and then it was back to usual.

Fireworks are banned in NSW unless you are a professional so it's not too bad... just new years eve to worry about. Toag is very fearful of gunshot though, he quivers all over and tries to climb onto you lap or goes to lie in the shower. it takes him about 2 hours to recover even with rescue remedy. Poor thing, he's so brave and goofy with everything else its sad to see him so upset, might try the T-shirt thing!

That's interesting Bundaleer. I have to say that Lockie doesn't worry about it too much. It might give him a start but then he ignoes it. I just hope that Xena's vibes don't rub off onto him.

That's also interesting. Our Lurcher was terrified of fireworks, back in the days when they were all kennelled (Greyhound and Terriers too) together, the Greyhound never bothered about them, the Lurcher would be climbing the walls and cryng and shaking. When he died, the Greyhound took over where he left off, she was terrible, we knew when a storm was coming because she would start the panting and shaking, long before it arrived. We used to leave her in the hallway with the radio on loud when it was fireworks night.
Our Lurcher also witnessed a dog being shot by a game keeper (the dog was screaming with a broken leg) and since then it all started with this fear of loud bangs.
The Deerhound is not too bad, better than he was, they startle him, but when the Police had their annual display last week, he stood with me in the garden, close to my side though, watching them!

Ben seems virtually oblivious to load noises, a RAF jet flew over the house once at about 200ft, the house shook and the roar was deafening. He was asleep on the floor and did jump up but then just floppped back down and went back to sleep. Fireworks just don't seem to bopther him at all nor storms.

The Terrier is another story, he's terrified and hovers across the floor with as small profile showing as possible and then goes under the table or bed for the rest of the day.

Thankfully Mac is not bothered about loud bangs. He's been out with me on shooting days, so fireworks do not concern him at all. A friend of ours who's dog suffers terribly. Any time there is thunder storm the poor things just run and hides under bed four hours. They have tried everything from calming tablets to Noise CDs to get her used to it, but nothing has worked. Poor things.

There are few things that can help ease the fear - Tellington Touch work ( where the tishirt idea comes from ) has some success and there are also homoeopathics that can help ease the fear . I have a " mixed bag " of hounds here , all deerhounds , but mixed in their fearlevel of loud noises - so , I am quite careful how I behave - the
" fearless " ones will take pointers from the fearful ones and my reaction to them/their fear .
If you try the tshirt , by all means , do put it on them first when they are happy anyways - let tem get the feel and see , wether they like it ( and , what your other dogs might do to them....) - you could also use a dogcoat if the tshirt doesn't work . Perhaps put it on a few times , can stay on for long periods - just to not overwhelm them even more by introducing new things when they are frightenened anyways . I also do have " DAP's" ( = dog appeasing pheromones ) which I plug in when I have to leave on a " thunderstorm day " , they do help , to . hey are available at veterinarians here, at least they can order them .

All the best for those nasty firworks - which happen here were I live more often than I'd like it ( which would be zero times...) ,though I also live in Canada,


vVrena

Never had a problem with ours. Mind you, when they were puppies, my Dad used to watch the telly at full volume right next to the whelping box, so they've heard worse. did look after someone elses Staffie on Bonfire Night before. Never again. He'd go so berserk in their house he destroyed one kitchen. Anyway, they were going on holidays one year, over bonfire night, and we agreed to keep him in our kennels. He had some sedatives to take, and they worked quite well, when we teamed them up with a loud radio for him. Unfortunately it was my turn to sedate him on the actual 5th Nov. I pinned him down, opened his mouth to put the tablet in (only way, believe me), when all of a sudden he reared his head back and butted me in the mouth.

So thats why, if you ever see me, I have a big gap in my front teeth where he knocked one out. And I'm too much of a wuss to go to the dentist to get it fixed.

Gwynapnudd wrote:


LOL - sorry but I had to laugh - I have been butted in my mouth and nose by hounds and although it hurts looking back it is quite funny. Typical of life with a hound

Say that again...we took the dogs to the groomers for a nail cut (we bth hate doing it) and I was trying to put the lead on an excitable Lockie and he got his snout under my chin and threw my head up, smashing it into the roof of the van. Bloody hell it hurt. So I was standing there with the dog and tears streaming down my face trying to say I was OK to the groomer standing ready with the clippers "sigh"