my dog is scared of fireworks.

she in the bath tub, then she's in the shoe rack in my closet, then she behind the entertainment system, the tv pops cable goes out, then she' under my desk, then she' under our kitchen nook. i feel so bad for her especially cuz i feel like there in nothing i can do to make her more comfortable.  It seems like the best thing is the just leave her alone and let her hide.

Not much you can do. My cat is terrified of fireworks and thunderstorms. He hides behind the couch or under a bed. I feel bad but what can I do? I worked tonight so I left the radio on for him. 

 The fireworks in my town go off in the river behind my house. So when I got home he was freaked. I brought him home steak from work and he is fine now.

Amazing what food can do!

Poor baby!!

It must be so terrifying to hear those noises and not be able to comprehend what's causing them or when they'll stop. You're right to let her hide, and when things calm down try to be really friendly to her, but act like everything's normal so she thinks there was nothing to be scared of.

If you try too hard to soothe her, you'll just reinforce her belief that she barely survived a traumatic experience and cement her association with fireworks being scary things.

Check into Bach Rescue Remedy and DAP sprays.  They help a lot of dogs.  Not much help since the festivities are pretty much over for this year, but next year they could come in handy.

when i was little my dog used to try to eat the fireworks :X

My dog was afraid of fireworks but as she got older she just ignores them. She still barks at anyone that comes near the house.

Jeff

Next year, ask your veterinarian for a sedative that you can give at home. You may want an extra one for New Year's as well.

My little pom did the same thing last night. I woke up 3 times to find her wide awake staring at me. She had a rough night. I had to pick her up and phisically take her to the back yard this morning to show her it was over so she could do her business.

Poor dog. But it's beyond your control.

I have a dog that is so scared of Bangs that she used to even have panic attacks if someone slammed their car door shut so you can imagine what she was is like with fireworks...

She attempts to squeeze herself into ever tiny space, she's up on your knee, she's over the back of the couch, under it, all the while panting like she has just run 10 miles on a hot day...you get the picture.

I have tried everything but i refused to get her sedated. Then one time a few years ago I got so stressed out with how upset she was getting that i put my coat on and went out leaving her in a safe room by herself...i stayed away until the fireworks were done and when i came home she greeted me at the door, excited but relatively normal, i took her out a walk and she was totally calm and relaxed by the time we got back.

So my answer is leave your dog to it (making sure there is nothing that can injure) they cope with it much better when we are not around because even if you think you are being calm your not you are displaying stress because they are upset and they feed this off of you.

My dog hates them too.  All week they've been popping them, and he'll run outside to do his business as quickly as possible, then run back in.  And if we left him in the backyard, he'd chew through the wooden fence so he could crawl through (happened twice!)

For the 4th, we put him in his kennel, which is his safe place, his own little cave.  Our neighbors turned their TV on really loud for their dog to mask the pops a little.

I agree with the others - if you try to compensate for the unsettling noise, you'll just reinforce that there is something to be unsettled about.  Let her hide and go about your business.

Original Post by andie-1:

So my answer is leave your dog to it (making sure there is nothing that can injure) they cope with it much better when we are not around because even if you think you are being calm your not you are displaying stress because they are upset and they feed this off of you.

Depends on the animal.  We did that once at my parents' house and the cat ripped the (locked) cat flap out of the door so that he could flee.  For him, staying home and ignoring him while he hides under beds was the best solution.

Sorry i was talking about dogs.

I was really suprised, my 7 month old pup wasn't bothered at ALL by the fireworks! Haha once I was holding her and a BIG one went off, and I jumped a little... it didn't even phase her at all! She just would run over to the fence to look out at where they were lighting them off, and then run off to do something else. I was so proud of her :]

oh dear, eat them? ...

i read about the bach's and DAP's i wish i knew about these products, in fact i will try some maybe the plug in refillable DAP. from what im reading there not sedatives at all just a comforting motherly scent.  i actually have two dogs, my male (the one in this pic) when he was a pup he was not scared of the fireworks either.  But a few years with mocha and i think it's kinda rubbed off on him, in fact he never used to go into the bathroom, cuz he was terrified of the bathroom, but since that's where mocha goes. he goes in there too. and he gets up, perks his ear back, gets all wide eyed and looks around frantically,. it's kinda funny.

DAP has a profound calming effect on some dogs.  There is no guarentee that it will 100% work for yours, but I'd say it is well worth a shot before trying a tranq from the vet.

If you do plan to try a "flower essence" product like Bach make sure you read the label.  Often times they are sweetened with xylitol which is toxic to dogs.