By Veterinary Nurse Kelly Errington
It’s coming to the time of the year which many pet owners worry about – bonfire night and the days around it.
Noise phobia is thought to affect up to 47 per cent of dogs. In some of these cases it can be a minor issue but with others it can be extreme.
For one of our team Dawn, and her cockerpoo Winnie, the sound of fireworks is one they dread. Over the years Winnie’s fear of fireworks was getting worse so Dawn reached out for help.
We were able to suggest a combination of techniques to help Winnie and she is now able to tolerate firework season with less anxiety and stress.
They included using a desensitisation programme. These programmes ideally need to be started long before your pet will be subjected to the real thing.
A variety of loud noises may cause anxiety including thunderstorms, fireworks, gunshots and smoke alarms.
Symptoms include uncontrolled urinating and defecating, hiding, excessive panting or salivation, chewing, vocalisation, trembling, pacing, dilated pupils, digging, trying to escape such as jumping out of windows and seeking out their owner.
Desensitisation involves the introduction and gradual increase of noise in order to reduce the dog’s stress response.
The aim is to teach the dog to stay calm when hearing low volume recordings of the source of fear such as firework noise. Soundtracks with fireworks and other recordings have been created especially for this. These can be found on the Dogs Trust website. Over time the volume can be slowly increased, allowing the dog to develop tolerance and not react to the noise. The process begins with playing the soundtrack at a low level at regular intervals and repeating this over a period of time until no reaction is noted. If the dog becomes stressed or anxious, stop the recording immediately and reduce the volume again.
Once you are able to safely increase the noise of the soundtrack and the dog no longer reacts, counter conditioning can begin. This involves teaching the dog to associate the noise with a pleasant, positive experience such as a toy or food.
Desensitising can allow dogs to cope far better with real fireworks, though some may still need a little help to keep calm with medications.
Other methods to help with firework fear include covered dens/crates, food puzzles or toys to keep them occupied, shutting windows and blinds, playing the TV or radio to mask the noise and avoiding walking in the dusk and dark.