Wordless Wednesday

Because every dog needs a kid, and Allie is Patrick's kid.

Things that go BOOM!

Thunderstorms.  Fireworks.  Gun shots.  Loud noises that seemingly come from nowhere.  Noises that can totally freak out our furry friends.  With Patrick I am lucky that none of these (knocking on wood before our second 4^th of July) seem to bother him.  The last big thunderstorm we had, I jumped from one particular loud crack of thunder and he just looked at me.  I think I can live with that.  My last foster dog, Belle, was terrified of thunder.  The storms would start and she would just shake.  She wanted to be as close to you as she could possibly get (without actually climbing on the bed or chair where she was not supposed to be).  And a 35 lbs English Springer Spaniel trying to hide in the smallest space possible doesn’t bode well for the breakable items in the surrounding area.  I did allow her to climb onto the bed one night she was howling so badly.  She shook the bed.  And then did the on and off thing for the rest of the storm. It was not a good night for either of us. I’m not sure either of us slept.

The ‘family’ dog (technically my mom’s) Sammi is a beautiful 90 lbs Chesapeake-German Shepherd-Rottweiler.  Her big phobia is fireworks.  The 4^th of July is not a happy day in our family.  And of course all the people lighting them off several weeks before and after doesn’t help.  She literally will not go outside after dusk until close to midnight for the rest of the summer.  Even fireworks on the TV set her panting.  And let me tell you we have tried many things.  And sometimes meds are really the only way to go.  I used to dog sit for a dog that would shake and pant so hard I seriously thought she was going to hyperventilate or have a heart attack.  It was not pretty.  The pills were the ONLY thing that would calm her down.  But for the most part, none of my dogs have been that severe.  Here’s what we have done:

1)      Noise – drown it out!  With Belle that usually meant her and I would head to the basement and I would turn on the TV.  With Sammi that means shutting the windows and turning on the AC and popping in a movie and turning the volume up.  Play some music.  Anything to reduce the noise outside by increasing the volume inside.  Warning though, after a certain time at night, the neighbors are not crazy about this option.  Though I’m sure it was better than the howling dog.  This is what works the best for us.

2)      Distraction – Great time to play.  Grab the nearest toy and have some fun.  Not only is Sammi getting some attention, but I’m having fun too.  This works well for short term shakes.  If we can play during the 30 mins of fireworks that’s enough for Sammi, but during a long storm, this is not always the best solution.

3)      Positive Reinforcement – similar to distraction, but find a way to turn the problem into a positive.  With Sammi that means Frosty Paws or a bone filled with peanut butter.   Giving her something special to take her mind off the fireworks works great.  Belle would get so into her bone she would actually forget (until a particular loud boom) what was going on outside.  Snuggling on the couch, special toys that only come out during the stress, a long car ride with some great [loud] tunes playing…these are all great ways to make the storm not so scary.  BTW…this also works well with 5 year old little girls, well maybe not the peanut butter bone…

4)      Desensitize – now I have to start off by saying that this did not work for us at all.  Sammi’s anxiety begins the moment she hears a boom, no matter how soft.  Belle had some hearing loss due to prolonged untreated infections, so low was still loud.  But the idea is that if you can introduce the noise in a low volume level and then slowly increase over the course of a few weeks/months, it will desensitize the dog to the noise.  I like the idea though.  Especially when I think that if this was a problem with Patrick, he would be alone at home during at least of a few of the storms.  And then there would literally be nothing I could do.  My only real thoughts on this are it’s a great idea, but I would think you would have to do it every year.  Fireworks are really a midsummer thing, and at least in the Midwest, there is rarely thunder with snow storms.

5)      Pressure/cover – My nana has had 2 dogs that hid.  Duke (Boxer) headed for under the bed.  Dutch (Spaniel-German Shorthair) would go right to his cage.  And that was all they needed.  To be covered.  To be enclosed.  If we could coax Duke out and when I was a little kid, we would sit and hug the puppies.  That was enough to help.  They were both thunder dogs.  And for both of them, I think it was the static and not the noise.  But to be covered (under covers of the bed or just under something) was what they needed.  There are even a few companies out there now who sell the compression vests just for this very idea.  The idea is to make the dog feel secure, however that works for you.

Now again, I am no expert.  I was just once a very frustrated dog owner.  Sammi is 10 and well old habits and what not, but turning the TV up on the 4^th of July is enough to calm her down.  A bone or a Frosty Paw is just an added bonus, but not enough to get to the state where she is not stressing.  Belle was a combination of noise and distraction.  Dutch and Duke it was all about covering.  I am grateful to have these tools and to have tried them, even though I don’t need them right now.  Who knows whose little paws will find their way to my door next?   When my dog is stressed, I am stressed.  And in the end, that not a good thing for either of us.