Noise anxiety and FIREWORKS
 

Okay so we live in the middle of nowhere - this time of year our few neighbors shoot fireworks everyday, all day long.... The woods sound like a battlefield.

Catherine is okay unless she is near the fireworks, then she burries herself under my shirt, occasionally popping her head out under my neck :) I usually have to hold my hands over her ears and she calms down.

But, our 70 pound lab is freaked all day! He won't go outside at all. He gets so scared he pees on the floor sometimes. If it was only the 4th, we would be okay, but it's already been 3 days of fireworks with many more to go, I need advice. Reassurance is not working. Is there some sort of anxiety medication that can be used in the short run?

Any suggestions would be helpful :)

The Thundershirt!!! Thundershirt | The Best Dog Anxiety Treatment It's definitely worth a shot. I also hear a lot of positive things about Rescue Remedy.

Reassuring a dog is pretty much telling him that there is something to be afraid of. I've found it much more helpful to do "life as usual." Of course, this is probably not going to work with a dog that has extreme anxiety.

A lot of people swear by the thundershirt. You can find it at amazon.com as well as many other places. You might also look at pheremones -- I've use the D.A.P. diffuser for Tallulah's separation (and bedtime) anxiety, and it has really elped settle her down.

I have a black lab who does the same thing. He got so scared once that he jumped inside, and toppled over, a large city trash can. I have gotten him used to the noise slowly but surely. I keep him inside when someone is shooting off fireworks or there is a thunder storm. I bought a CD with the noises a thunderstorm makes, and I got an app on my iphone that has loud whistling noises on it like fireworks (though it is a bomb), and it has calmed him down significantly. The key is to take a noise and play it softly, gradually raising the sound level, until it becomes commonplace for them to hear it. Hope that helps you in some way. Good luck!

We had very loud fireworks last night; Lucy was laying in my bed and they didn't bother her at all.

Ringo, my tough guy, went crazy! Barking, barking, whining . . I finally got him a bone and put him in his crate; with a blanket over most of it, making a little 'cave' for him.

It worked because he chewed happily on the bone and never made another peep. As soon as they stopped, we let him out.

I think he liked his little safe haven.

I have heard good things about the thundershirt too; but have never tried it.

We had very loud fireworks last night; Lucy was laying in my bed and they didn't bother her at all.

Ringo, my tough guy, went crazy! Barking, barking, whining . . I finally got him a bone and put him in his crate; with a blanket over most of it, making a little 'cave' for him.

It worked because he chewed happily on the bone and never made another peep. As soon as they stopped, we let him out.

I think he liked his little safe haven.

I have heard good things about the thundershirt too; but have never tried it.

Wow thanks for the suggestions!!! I am going to look in to the thundershirt and see if it can be express shipped :) I will loOk for the sound app too.

And, thanks boopster :) that makes sense - coddling means there us something to be afraid of :)

The thunder shirt didnt work for my Jewels. I keep the tv on to kinda drown it out and we just make the best we can do untill the fireworks are over

Try Bach's "Rescue Remedy" for kids. It's an alcohol-free formula and is a natural treatment. Last year I used it on six dogs while we were on a group camp trip on the 4th and it worked for all six of them. I highly recommend it.

I can't really tell if the Thundershirt actually helps Jackson or not. I have not seen a huge difference with the few things I've tried it with, though fireworks have not been one yet. One night we had really bad thunder and he started shaking... put the thundershirt on him and he did stop shaking, but I think the stopping of the shaking was more from the thunder not being as loud more so than the shirt comforting him. Light thunder and storms don't typically bother him thankfully.

But we are going away on Saturday for Fourth of July weekend and on Saturday night there will be fireworks. Last year he flipped out but I had been outside with him when they started, so this year I'll be prepared and be in the hotel when they begin and turn up the tv real loud. I'll also have the Thundershirt. I am just not sure it really makes a big difference in his anxiety behaviors. I've tried it for 3 different things so far. He still goes under the bed when he's scared with or without Thundershirt.

My aunt/uncle's Lab was absolutely horrified by fireworks... she actually took off on the 4th, ran herself so fast, she had a heart attack and died. :(

I am looking into a calming natural aid for the weekend. I've seen different travel-type things, etc, supposed to ease anxiety, loud noises, etc. Rescue Remedy being one I've seen. I've seen a lot of stuff like this- Amazon

Glad to hear you've had good results with this. I am looking for something like it to use for the 4th weekend, between fireworks and traveling, etc, hoping I find something that works.

For it to work on all six dogs was a big success. They also make a pet version. I bought mine at Super Supplements and I bought the kids formula and don't recall if it was because they didn't have the pet formula, or what. All I know is it worked!!!!

It's alcohol-free and comes in a plastic vial with a plastic dropper which is good because you can put the drops in their mouths without having to worry about the dropper breaking. You only need a couple of drops of it.

The ongoing fireworks thing goes on at our cabin too! In Canada, it`s for the 1st of July but it seems to be extended before and after here as well. Gus uses a Thundershirt and it seems to calm him more than anything else we have tried. Good luck, I know how hard it is to see the little guy so scared.

We have a Thundershirt too, but it didn't seem to work very well with the fireworks. This 4th, we'll probably put her Thundershirt on and use the Rescue Remedy. Plus turn all the fans in the RV on high. That certainly ought to do the trick. :D

Pixie suddenly became terrified of thunder after 5 1/2 years of never bothering her. I got the thundershirt and it seems to help some but not completely. The last big storm we had she was shaking, panting and wanting to be in my lap. I put the shirt on her and she stopped shaking but was panting and still stressed. I also found she likes to sleep in the back of my walk in closet ever since she became afraid of storms. She sleeps there very night now. When I talked to my vet about it she said the thundershirts work really well. She said some dogs respond to Rescue Remedy but in her experience not to many. After that she said you are looking at sedatives and she really hates to use them. I hope you find something to help your lab.

I think fireworks and big storms bother me more then Gizmo. I swear he sleeps like a rock!

It sounds mean but when you reassure your dog when it is afraid the dog thinks it is being rewarded for the fearful reaction. You are actually building on the fear. That said now that the reaction is there I don't know how you un-train your dog. I had a Shih Tzu for 15 years that was fearful of thunder and firecrackers. I would sit and hold him if he was afraid and I would feel awful if there was a storm and I was not home. Now when there are loud noises I do not react at all. I pretend I heard nothing. So far Gracie has not developed any fear of loud noise. Some loud thunder woke her up the other night. She looked around and went right back to sleep.

I use the Thundershirt for Bogey for storms. Prior to purchasing the Thundershirt we tried Rescue Remedy and also Anxitane. The RR did nothing to help him and the Anxitane helped with car ride and walks but not storms.

The Thundershirt didn't totally cure Bogey's anxiety but it did considerably reduce it to the point that the Rescue Remedy now works very well.

My best results are when I put the TS on him well in advance of the storms. Then I will give him a dose of the RR when I start to hear the thunder.

His anxiety went from panting and pacing from room to room with no intervention. :(

With the TS he would shake during large claps of thunder and the panting was considerably reduced. :thumbup:

With the TS and RR he will actually lay at my feet and sleep. :thumbup::):thumbup:

*Normally he is a big cuddlebug and loves to sleep and sit on my lap. For some reason he wants nothing to do with my lap but will curl up at my feet.