Firework Phobic Dog

[Laura_E]

Tess is absolutely petrified of thunderstorms and fireworks and works herself up into quite a state. I got her Dorwest tablets from the vets to try and help ease her anxieties, but I totally forgot about Diwali and didn't start them in time (apparently you have to start them 2-3 weeks before the fireworks start).

 

Then yesterday we were in the park when some idiot decided to let a firework off. I have no idea why as it was in the middle of the day, so what the point was, I don't know. As soon as this happened Tess bolted out of the park and started to run home. I managed to catch up with her, put the lead on and tried to encourage her back into the park. But just as we got into the entrance the same moron let another one off!

 

At this stage she got really worked up and started trying to pull her collar off in an attempt to get away. As she was so upset I took her home to calm down and tried taking her again a couple of hours later, but she wouldn't have it. I literally couldn't budge her. Today I tried again and managed to get her as far as the entrance, but when I tried to go in she started trying to pull her collar off again and was really worked up.

 

I ended up taking her to another park that is a 20 minute drive away just to get her some excercise, but this isn't a practical everyday solution and there are no other parks close to my house, so I really need to try and get her over this scare.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? (sorry for rambling on!)

[griff]

this may sound daft but it worked for my dog, does your dog have a favourite friend (canine type)?? perhaps ask their owner to meet you there, make a big hoo ha about going to see her friend, really get excited about it and perhaps it will help her forget the bad shock and replace the memory of the park with a good one?? my dog used to love diving in the bushes to chase rats, i couldn't get her out of the house and the only way i could was to tell her we were going ratting (i never used to let her go in the bushes) once that was mentioned she was very willing to go, the only time she gets walked during firework season is during the day when the kids are at school (safer that way!)

[Laura_E]

When I took her there today we met a man that walks a lovely, but slightly crazy, collie that she normally likes to play with, but she was so eager to get away today she completely ignored him. She was literally crawling along the floor with her tail tucked between her legs

 

She does have something of an obsession with a German Shepherd that lives down our street, so I might ask his owner if we can go over with them tomorrow and see if that helps.

 

I keep thinking that I probably made the situation worse by trying to get her to go back after the first incident

[Sophie]

Morse is a bit like that - if a sound spooks him out on a walk, he'll refuse to walk there again for a couple of weeks.  Luckily there are enough places that we can walk him locally that it's not a huge problem if we have to miss out one for a while.

 

Have you tried DAP with he?  Morse sometimes wears a bandana with DAP spray on it - it seems to help take the edge of his anxiety.  Also, this year, we're having great success with giving him melatonin.  It acts quickly, and doesn't need to build up in the system (information on its use here.

 

 

[barb]

Holly is scared of fireworks as well, I have switched on the DAP diffuser, got her a DAP collar that she will wear soon, it works a lot faster than the diffuser. She also has T.Touch t-shirt she wears when it is bad. No idea why but wearing the t-shirt does help,along with the other things.Don't know what to suggest about the park fear though.

 

Barbara

[Laura_E]

I'll try both of those. Thanks

 

Tried taking her there again this morning with Jake (the GSD that she loves) but again she wouldn't go in, and she normally follows him everywhere.

 

We also bumped into another dog walker that was there on Thursday when the incident happened and he told us that it wasn't actually a firework that had been set off, but a gun!

 

Apparently somebody has been shooting the poor pidgeons over there with an air rifle

 

I had noticed a couple of dead pidgeons on recent walks, but assumed that they had died of natural causes as there weren't any visible injuries.

 

I don't understand what is wrong with people. It also makes me worried that the person doing this could try and shoot a dog too. I know it's unlikely that they would do it whilst the owners are there, but they obviously get their kicks from hurting animals so it is a concern.

[ReikiAnge]

Laura, I think I'd be inclined to give the park a miss for a bit, especially in light of what you have just posted, if it were me Maybe even keep her on lead for a few days?

 

Do you know who owns the park - is it the council? Could you speak to them and see if the shooting of birds has been reported? Are there any park wardens you could speak to?

 

for you and Tess My collie hates fireworks, gunshot when close by etc. and we've had walks utterly ruined by things going off so empathise. I always walk him on a harness as he will try to back out of his collar when he's freaked out and I feel he is much more secure on a harness, plus he doesn't strangle himself that way.

[DanishPastry]

if a dog gets frightened out on a walk, it is important to stay in the same spot until the dog is no longer scared. It can take a while, but it means the dog doesn't "take the fear with them", but leave with a good memory of the place. By letting the dog leave the place, the dog takes the fear with them, and it will take a lot longer to build up good relations to that place again.

Obviously if the dog was off the lead and bolted this is hard, but if she is that scared, now is the time of year for "better safe than sorry" and only doing on lead walking.

[Laura_E]

Laura, I think I'd be inclined to give the park a miss for a bit, especially in light of what you have just posted, if it were me Maybe even keep her on lead for a few days?

 

Do you know who owns the park - is it the council? Could you speak to them and see if the shooting of birds has been reported? Are there any park wardens you could speak to?

 

for you and Tess My collie hates fireworks, gunshot when close by etc. and we've had walks utterly ruined by things going off so empathise. I always walk him on a harness as he will try to back out of his collar when he's freaked out and I feel he is much more secure on a harness, plus he doesn't strangle himself that way.

 

The park is owned by the council, it's not very big so we don't have a warden, but I have emailed the parks management department.

 

The man that we saw this morning said that he has also reported it to the police, but they told him that wood pigeons aren't protected birds. It makes me quite angry that they have such a total disregard for animal welfare, but it's not a great surprise. I am quite suprised that they aren't taking the air rifle matter more seriously though. I know it's not illegal to own one, but it must be illegal to use one in a public place?

 

There is a park about 30 minutes walk away from my house, so I think I will have to take her there for the time being. It's a shame as she has lots of doggy friends at our local park and looks forward to seeing them, but I am a bit concerned about this nutter being on the loose.

 

She does have a harness, but I usually only use it when we are going somewhere in the car so that she doesn't strangle herself trying to climb into the front seat whilst people are driving! It's probably a good idea to use on more general walks too though.

[blackmagic]

The park is owned by the council, it's not very big so we don't have a warden, but I have emailed the parks management department.

 

The man that we saw this morning said that he has also reported it to the police, but they told him that wood pigeons aren't protected birds. It makes me quite angry that they have such a total disregard for animal welfare, but it's not a great surprise. I am quite suprised that they aren't taking the air rifle matter more seriously though. I know it's not illegal to own one, but it must be illegal to use one in a public place?

 

 

Yes , it is.

 

What you should know about shooting an airgun

 

You can only take your air gun onto land over which you have permission to shoot, regardless whether you intend to shoot it or not. If you trespass with your airgun you are committing the offence of 'armed trespass' this offence carries a maximum penalty of 3 months in prison and or a £2500 fine.

 

You may, provided that you have the necessary permissions to shoot on that land, shoot with out supervision if you are aged over 14 years.

 

If you are aged under 14 years, you may only shoot your airgun under the direct supervision of someone aged over 21 and on private land. The supervisor is legally responsible for the actions of the person they are supervising, no pellet may go outside of the boundaries of the private land where the shooting is taking place. A person aged under 14 may also shoot an airgun at a home office approved shooting club or at a shooting gallery for target shooting.

 

You cannot shoot your airgun within 15 meters of a public highway if doing so would cause a nuisance or indanger the public. It is now also an offence if any projectile leaves the boundries of the land where you have permission to shoot.

 

Your airgun is considered 'loaded' if there is any form of projectile in the breech, regardless of whether or not the gun is cocked.

 

You must be aged 18 or older to carry an air rifle or air pistol in a public place even if it is cased. It is now a offence to cary an air rifle or pistol in a public place without resonable excuse.

 

Perhaps the police need a reminder of the above.

 

 

Since this is happening in a public park and the police are not interested. I would contact the local councillor and MP.

[k9knitters]

My Jazzie hates fireworks. Thankfully, in the village they only really happen for a week or so around Bonfire Night.

 

I'm going to try her with DAP this year - a snug knitted coat has had some effect in previous years, but she still ends up quaking under the desk.

 

Cheers, Carrie

[Fee]

Poor Tess, I can really sympathise - molly my old greyhound girl was petrified of fireworks, and Jess is the same.

 

I had an incident with Molly where I was walking her along the road when somebody started letting off fireworks in their garden as we went past. My lovely placid girl panicked to the point where she was bucking and twisting and practically strangling herself to get out of her collar and get away and I really struggled to hold onto her. I never managed to persuade her to walk along that road again, I'm afraid (sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear ).

 

I used a desensitisation CD after that with some success - it did seem to take the edge off Molly's worries about fireworks in the distance, but not close by. I've started using it again with Jess this year so I'm hoping it will help.

[Helly]

It is quite possible that the man shooting the pigeons is actually legal, licenced and paid for by the council to manage the numbers. Provided the air gun gas is at a high level of compression, its the quickest and cleanest way to kill a pigeon. Judging by the sound you heard, the gun was at full compression and will make a hell of a pop when it is fired. Virgin Trains used to employ a bloke with a hawk and a dog but changed to a man with a gun who would come to the station at night when they were all nesting in the car parks and shoot them

 

I would change her walk now for a few weeks and stay away from the park till after fireworks night. You may also want to think about using a slip lead as well as her normal collar/lead/harness so that if she panicks, you have a back up that wont let her back out or wriggle out of her usual attire. When you do go out, take a deep breath and try to relax and not worry about what might happen. just stride out and enjoy it and let her pick up on your relaxed vibes

[Wendbert]

Someone posted a link on Twitter: http://www.dogsandfireworks.com/

 

Useful info on there and also an mp3 which you can download with noise to de-sensitise

[Laura_E]

Thanks everyone, I'll definitely try all of your suggestions.

 

I actually managed to get her into the park this morning as we went in a different entrance and I don't think she realised initially. She completely avoided the entrance that we normally go in through though. I got a flexi lead yesterday and kept her on that as a pre-cautionary measure. I am hoping that once the fireworks die down she will be more relaxed, as she is normally quite a happy-go-lucky dog, but has looked quite miserable over the last week

 

I took her to Richmond Park earlier for a 4 hour walk and it has totally knackered out, so much so that she is now snoring so loudly that she hasn't even noticed the fireworks that have been going off for the last hour!