Comments on: Questions about Dogs and Fireworks

By: Jodi

Jodi — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:15:39 +0000

I don’t mind thunderstorms myself which I think passed on to Sampson. Without knowing Delilah’s background we can’t be sure, but it would seem she’d been exposed to loud noises too as she handles them fairly well. She did take issue with the microwave popping corn but a few nights of me tossing treats and she handles that like a pro.

Sampson will bark sometimes at the fireworks in the street and she will usually run after him to join. He will also bark at the sky if it produces a HUGE clap of thunder. I usually let them have their say and then calmly tell them it’s okay and bring them inside. If it persists, then I shut the door and turn on some noise and they seem to handle it fairly well.

By: Pup Fan

Pup Fan — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:10:34 +0000

Tavish and I abandoned our party guests at 9:30 so that he could hide under our bed while the fireworks went off. I figure that if they’re going to be friends with me, they should understand that the pups come first! 🙂

I am hoping to work on his thunder and fireworks phobia, but I have a feeling it will be slow going. We’ll keep trying though.

By: jan

jan — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 14:34:52 +0000

Misty carries a little calendar around starting July 1 and explains to the dogs about the unfair tax on tea and how that led to insurrection in the colonies. Somehow she equates this to the noise on the 4th day of the month. It seems to work.

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 12:24:46 +0000

For some reason this year was the first year Monty reacted. We think it is because it is the first year he didn’t have his crate – we didn’t realize it is such a huge part of his security and sanity.

Sam

By: Clowie

Clowie — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 11:38:42 +0000

I’m not worried by fireworks. I think it’s a combination of natural confidence and the way my first experience of them was handled. Our cats are fairly relaxed about them as well.

By: BZ Dogs

BZ Dogs — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 04:23:26 +0000

I get a big container of small cookies and start tossing pieces every few seconds. Soon I have two adoring fans on the bed with me, staring at me lovingly, oblivious to the noise. After the first few minutes I can greatly reduce the frequency of tossing, and I move in slow motion to build anticipation and then flick the cookies quickly to keep them focused. We don’t get thunder very often, but I do the same think, to the same good results, when we do.

By: shanendoah@life by pets

shanendoah@life by pets — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:05:17 +0000

When I was a kid, my best friend’s parents got divorced, and we got their Vizsla. She was a trained hunting dog, and my best friend’s father still came by and took her hunting about once a year. Still, she could not be in the house when fireworks (or model rockets) were being set off. Not so much because she was afraid but because she got so excited, thinking she was going to get to go hunting, she would piddle from excitement as soon as she heard the boom.

By: Oz the Terrier

Oz the Terrier — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 20:13:54 +0000

In reply to Oz the Terrier. Whooops, I meant Pamela! Yikes...I am all screwed up today. Sorry.

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 20:13:42 +0000

LittleBear, who was a red/red boar, was afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks.
Austin, who has basically the same coat, is afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks.
Li’l Girl, a dapple black & tan, is neither afraid of thunderstorms or fireworks. She can and will sleep right through them.
All three were/are rescues, so we don’t know what kind of experiences they had with loud noises as puppies. We just find it funny (not funny haha) that the two reds share the boom anxiety, while our dapple has none. It’s highly likely that we’ll have more rescues in the future, so it will be interesting to see if the pattern continues.

By: Oz the Terrier

Oz the Terrier — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 20:12:17 +0000

I am not afraid of fireworks. We always thought maybe it was similar to lightning and thunder because I am not afraid of those either (thank dog, since we live in South Florida and our lightning and thunderstorms are HUGE). Though now that you mention the static electricity in the air, that has me thinking. I’m not too keen when the lightning comes down right near our house – I will bark once or twice at that. At such proximity, maybe it is the static charge from the lightning though I still have no reaction to fireworks.

Gosh, Kimberly…you are always making us think and keeping us on our toes! Oh, and congratulations on your Petties nomination as well as your Influential Pet Blogger nomination. (I did make it to the Petties finals for Funniest Blog. I’m so happy!)

Have a wonderful weekend.
Oz (and Gina)