This is the address for the Tellington Touch - there may be a practitioner near you if you would like further information ... http://www.tellingtontouch.com/ttouch.htm. This article came from South Africa.
Jon Bowen is a vet and an animal
behaviourist. He has sent the following article to help those of you who have
problems with Fireworks night.
Preparations for Fireworks
Preparation is all-important if dogs are to get through firework night, or
similar events, with the minimum of fear and stress. You need to make
a special place where your
dog can go to get away from the sounds he hates.
In most cases dogs will already have a favourite room to go to, in which case
all you need to do is to modify this room to make it even more
suitable as a hideout. Some
dogs don't know where to go to escape and for these individuals we need to
create somewhere for them to hide. It
is best to choose a room that is naturally quiet
and those that are located toward the centre of the house and have minimal
numbers of
windows are the most suitable.
It is best to prepare the refuge as far ahead of the firework event as you
can.
Advance preparation: creating a refuge:
·
Install a DAP diffuser
(available from many vets) in the home, preferably close to or inside the dog's
hiding place. This should be left operating 24 hours a day from several days
before the firework event until 2 weeks after. This will help your dog to get
through all
the minor firework events that tend to precede and come after firework night. If
possible install the diffuser a couple of weeks before
firework night as this will
produce a more powerful event. DAP makes dogs feel much more relaxed and
confidant when they might otherwise be stressed. It is available from your
veterinary surgeon.
· Put in lots of blankets for your dog to dig and burrow in, preferably
placed in a corner where the dog has already tended to dig or hide.
Include an old, unwashed piece
of clothing like a woolly jumper so that your dog can smell your scent and feel
comforted by your indirect
presence.
· The aim is to minimise the amount of noise entering the hideout room
from outside and the dog must not see the flashes of the fireworks as they
explode, so close the windows and use heavy curtains to make the room dark.
· Bowls of food and water are essential, and it is a good idea to make
sure that your dog has emptied his bladder an hour before the display starts.
· Leave a few special chews and things for your dog to
eat in the hiding place in case your dog fancies something chewy to reduce his
tension. However, don't be alarmed if he does not seem interested in them - some
dogs are simply not interested in treats at a time like this!
· Moderately loud rhythmic music with a good beat is an effective way to
mask the firework noises from outside, so put a hi-fi system in the room and
keep the volume at a loud but comfortable level. However, every dog is an
individual and if yours is not very partial to music at other times you should
respect his personal taste!
· The designated hiding place must be accessible to your dog at all times,
and it is vital to make sure that doors are fixed so that they
cannot accidentally shut and
trap the pet inside or out of the room.
· Get your dog used to going to the hiding place 2-3 times each day during
the run up to a firework display by taking him/her there and
giving him some food or a
favourite chew. This will help the dog to understand that this is a good place
to go to.
· If you know that a firework display is due on a particular evening then
give your dog a large stodgy carbohydrate rich meal in the late
afternoon on that day. Pasta,
mashed potato or overcooked rice are ideal, and will help to make your dog feel
calm and sleepy as the night
draws in.
· Make sure your pet is kept in a safe and secure environment at all times
so that it doesn't bolt and escape if a sudden noise occurs. Keep
your dog on a leash in public
places and make sure that gates, fences and doors are secure.
If your vet has given you medication
to reduce your dog's fears make sure that you follow the prescription precisely.
When the noises start:
· As soon as the fireworks display starts lead your dog to the hiding
place and encourage him to stay there.
· Don't get cross with your dog when he is scared, it will only make him
more frightened.
· It is tempting to try to soothe your dog to relieve his fears, but this
is the worst thing to do.
It gives your dog the impression that there is something to be frightened of,
and may even reward him for being scared. Also,
if your dog comes to think of you as the only person who can soothe the fears
then he may panic if there are fireworks when you aren't around to help.
· Ignore your dog when he is looking frightened and
only show attention and affection when he has begun to relax. Then you can give
your dog a game and some food treats as a reward.
· Finally, it is a good idea to try to keep your dog in a happy mood by
playing lots of games and doing little bits of training using food
rewards. This will stop him
from falling into a state of anxious tension, but don't expect too much.
· Ignore the noises yourself and if your pet is only mildly fearful you
could try to engage your pet in some form of active game. Try to appear happy
and unconcerned. It can help if you play a game with another pet in the
household, because the frightened one may be tempted to join in.
· If your pet is very frightened by the noises and cannot be encouraged
to play then lead him or her to
the refuge you have created.
If your dog is really terrified of fireworks then you could give him some
earplugs to block out some of the noise. Doggy earplugs are easy to
get from pet stores and your
vet, but you can also make them out of rolls of wrung out damp cotton wool.
However it is important to take
care and to make sure that you don't push them down
too far into your dog's ear. You must also make sure that you remove them and
throw them away afterwards! Care must be taken that the earplug is not so thin
that it falls out, or so fat it hurts when you put it in.
Lastly, having got through fireworks this year you need to start to do something
about your dog's phobia problems. Many dogs can be treated using behavioural
methods called desensitisation and counter
conditioning. Specially made recordings of fireworks
can be used to
train dogs not to react to the noises they fear and a CD with full instructions
can be obtained from Sounds Scary:
www.SoundsScary.com
Phone: 012 44 3 77365
Or ask your vet for an order form
Please discuss your dog's phobia problem with your vet before starting
any kind of treatment.
(c) Sounds Scary 2002
Regards,
the naturallypaws.com team
www.naturallypaws.com
for naturally healthy pets