Hello again. It really feels like ages since we last spoke! But not so. It's nice to touch base again. How are you and your dogs getting along?
Today, I'm joining the behaviourist bandwagon and we're going to talk about fireworks... but with a slight difference, kind of. See what you think...
You might have seen posts popping up here and there, (I have, but then I follow far too many dog groups, dog people, and psychology experts), telling you to start to address firework issues with your dogs sooner rather than later. And whilst it may seem way too early to worry about it, in fact, right NOW is the right time. Actually, if we leave it much later, we're going to make a mess of the whole thing.
So, it's not even August and here we are planning ahead as if we're hosting Christmas. There must be a reason why the activity around fireworks picks up for us professionals. (And as an aside, I am talking about fireworks but I'm also covering any noise issues. This post is relevant if your dog doesn't like gunshots, door bells, or any noises which cause them to scurry away to a place of safety.)
The whole point of this is that if you start now, you've got it relatively easy, and cheap, with a happy dog at the end of it. If you wait until November, you'll risk ending up with a messed up mutt, a big behaviourist bill and a growing array of things you can no longer do comfortably with your dog. You see, a scary situation can destabilise your dog for a period of time, and of course, it makes them absolutely miserable and makes you feel like you can't take your dog anywhere without this issue rearing its ugly head at you both. They can develop additional issues over other stimuli that are similar within their environment.
If this happens to you, you can google it and try different approaches, but unless you start early, you're stabbing a little bit in the dark and that's not helpful for you or the dog.
So, you remember I said earlier that I'm getting on the firework bandwagon but with a difference? The difference is that I need to walk this with you, because I too have a troubled doggins. So for this one, I'm not standing here in the preacher's box. I'm right here with you, trying to sort it too.
You see, every dog has ebbs and flows with behaviour throughout their lifetime. Mine too. And the other weekend, I knew we had a new problem to deal with. To be honest it wasn't great last November but only bad enough that I said to myself "I really must do something about that this year" - slap on the wrists and here we are. Last weekend there was a party on our street and fireworks started at midnight. We were in the bedroom and so was our dog.
She was unsettled once she heard the noise, and got out of her bed. That was the first clue we had a problem. Next she came to the bed. The husband let her up and then she sat there, unable to relax enough to lie down, and gently shook for the minutes that the bangs continued.
There isn't a great deal we can do with a dog at this point. We can be there, we can be calm, we can keep our own breathing in check and make sure we aren't giving any indication of there being something to worry about. What we can also do is vow to resolve the issue early and gently as soon as possible, with lots of time taken. And THAT'S why we start now folks! So, come with me. I'll walk you through it. This is exactly what I'll be doing with my dog.
First thing's first, we need fake noises to play via a sound system. You might have spotify, deezer or amazon music. If not, try you tube on your phone or TV. Here you'll find some helpful people have uploaded a range of different noises for dogs - cue our first technique - desensitisation.
With desensitisation, we'll be playing these noises every day, for a period of time, on the lowest volume possible. I'm going to do this and watch my dog's reaction. If she notices it, great. Even better, I need her to be okay enough to carry on eating, playing, and relaxing. If your dog can't cope with this and shows signs of stress, stop and seek a behaviourist before you try anything else.
If your dog copes, keep it playing like this for maybe an hour, or two lots of half an hour, or even three lots of ten minutes. Keep this volume for a week - not because it absolutely has to be a week, but more because we've got time for a week and this way. there's a good chance your dog will acclimatise and barely notice the noise after this length of time. If you need longer, take longer. Let your dog guide you.
Slowly but surely, you'll ramp up the volume a week at a time and reach the point that they notice. But only to the next volume level. You'll be super chilled, nonchalant even, and you'll play with your dog, and give them treats.
By doing this your dog experiences a change in the behaviour chemicals they produce when they hear these sounds. Instead of stress chemicals, they'll produce happy chemicals, and in turn the brain rewires itself and the noises lose their power. That's the bit we call counter-conditioning.
We have about 16 weeks to go until November 5th, so you have potentially 16 levels of volume you can play with, and 16 weeks for your dog to rewire their brains, in a slow, gentle gradual way - this is in my view, the best way to modify behaviour in a way that your dog can cope with.
So, ready? Find your noises, and let's see how we get along. Catch me on FB, Insta or via my website if you need to touch base.
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