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Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  Where we live we don't get to see any fireworks - just hear them. The neighbors fire off some but they aren't the kind that make a show in the sky - just noise. Mostly Tibbe barks at the noise so I laugh a lot, tell him to "sick that big noise" and things like that to amp up his prey drive over his fear and keep him distracted should he act nervous. I never, never coddle him or say things like "it's okay" if he's got big eyes, shakes, hides or acts scared, which experts say can reinforce the cowed behavior as acceptable to us in the dog's mind. Tibbe loves playing chase with him running from me with his chew bone in his mouth so if he starts acting worried over odd noises, we play chase and hide games and I get him involved in searching for treats I "hide" right before his eyes. He loves to do that. I also will take up his toys and bait him with them until his prey drive is engaged.
To Tibbe, thunderstorms and fireworks aren't scary but let a science fiction show come on TV with some weird new-age sound effect coming out of the sound system and sometimes still he backs away from the TV, will try to leave the room! Funny little guy. |
Sophie loves to play chase too. She cannot run unless she has one of her toys in her mouth.
When she does get scared I act like there is nothing wrong because I have also heard that if you baby them it will reinforce their fear. She is normally a brave little girl.