What did you all do to calm down the pups with fireworks going off?

My boy used to be fine with fireworks and thunder, but for the last few years has started shaking like crazy, panting and trying to hide.

Love the fourth, but I don't want to leave him alone when he's frightened so I stay home or take him to family stuff in areas where people don't light stuff off.

When we drove home the neighborhood and probably entire county were shooting stuff off, and people around here are that mix between mildly trashy but also well off so there is no lull in the booms.

I'm not a jumpy guy, so I just acted like nothing was wrong, I think this is important. Decided my buddy was a little too anxious for his own good, so I gave him some Benadryl. You can give Benadryl (ONLY DIPHENHYDRAMINE) to your dog at 1 mg per pound. Make sure it's straight up Diphenhydramine without anything else, pain killers are no good for pets so no NyQuil etc... I would also strongly caution you to ask your vet first, ESPECIALLY if your dog has any other medical problems. He was still jumpy, and kept trying to find a place to hide. I got rid of the travel crate and other crate because he just doesn't need them. I ended up making him a puppy blanket fort. Took one of his dog beds, put it between the chair and couch in the living room, then snugged a blanket over the armrests and into cushions. I let the front sag down so it looks like a little cave. It's worked really well! No more desperate panting, no more shivers, and I've even caught him sleeping! Stuff has quitted a fair amount now that it's nearing 1 AM.

I've heard there are some supplements you can get at PETCO, and also diffusers that let off a certain smell that calms dogs. Have any of you tried those? Any other tips? My boy isn't overly scared (maybe 5 out of ten on scared scale), but I hate seeing him freaked out for so long.

Bacon sauteed in CBD oil.

For our older dog (3, almost 4) we use sedatives prescribed by vet, if absolutely necessary. Our new rescue, just one and his first 4th of July with us, actually was aggressive towards the sounds, barking and growling. Complete opposite responses. Both are staffordshire terrier mixes, 60 and 50 pound respectively.

The trick with the sedatives is getting them into the system in time, especially for thunderstorms. We get a LOT of pop up storms here.

Last night we just turned up the TV in living room and music in the bedroom to cover the racket. Worked somewhat, but not completely. Both made it through, with older dog just panting a bit. A big improvement over 2 years ago when the fireworks scared him so bad he defecated on the floor (was housebroken for several months prior).

There are lots of good articles on line about desensitization and positive owner responses to this behavior.

originally posted by: NthOther
Bacon sauteed in CBD oil.

Ummm...damn...and you feed this to the dog...?


Ruff...ruff...





YouSir

originally posted by: NthOther
Bacon sauteed in CBD oil.

While one of those ingredients is likely very safe for dogs (I'd double check dosage), bacon can be brutal to a dog's pancreas....both the fats and the nitrates....


My biggest puppy is a real chicken, so she established a good hiding spot behind a chair. She's 8 months old, about 100 lbs, so too big to just medicate. I'll have to ask the vet about cbd.
She panics if a bird swoops her....🙄

a reply to: Domo1

I have a Great Pyrenees that is 4yrs old. He is fully trained for his age. I just tugged his collar as if he was going to go on a walk and he calmed down.

BTW as I was making this reply I was stung by a Bee. So I hope you are happy. I blame this on you!

a reply to: Domo1


My dogs piled in bed with me about 10 PM last night. I pet them, covered them with blankets and we survived the night.

It was awful. In what universe is it okay to set off firecrackers and cherry bombs or whatever the hell they are at midnight on a Wednesday night?

I carried him around, put him in my lap, put him in my bed, gave him a benedryl, and said "it's okay, you're okay" for six hours straight. Cleaned up his vomit a couple of times.

I'm pissed.

a reply to: Domo1

My girl gets really anxious... she doesn't like loud noises: even a walk next to the skate park sets off her flight reflex. Basically she looks for some place to hide, tucks her tail and just moves around nervously. Turning up the television or the radio doesn't do anything as I think it's the percussive and pressure wave that really sets her off. It will be a few days before she's back to normal.

One thing I do not do is console her and treat her like anything is different. Sometimes working her with down-ups works to take her mind off of things...most of the time not. I'm pretty much against tranqs just for one off events so that's not really an option for me.

The worst part is that even afterwards she's spooked and almost refuses to go out of doors. Even this morning she never strayed more than 5 feet from my side.

My 2 year old French Bulldog got wound up at first but he only barks he doesn’t get real upset, I was going to give him so bendryl but we were out of it and I tend to avoid leaving the house after dark on a big holiday like this due to the higher number of drunk drivers. After the first 5minutes or so he got used to the noise and went to sleep. My grandparents have a Basset Hound (70 pounds, her nickname from me is ”der Hindenburg”) and she doesn’t do well at all with fireworks she shakes the whole time and loses bladder control they have a sedative from the vet for her. My English bully (RIP) was always perfectly fine with fireworks she would just hang out and watch when we set off fireworks, she was a very chill dog.

They make something called a " thunder shirt " that's supposed to work really well, basically a wrap for the dog. Don't ask me how it works, but quite a few testimonials about their effectiveness.

I've had dogs of different breeds for the last 50 years and have been lucky to have escaped this problem. My current pup a 1 year old Westie will growl a little when he first hears the booms, then when he realizes it's not a threat to him or anyone else will go back to sleep.

It must be hard to watch them go thru this, but personally I would only use drugs as a last resort. Good luck.

I play guitar for my one dog. She's not too bad about it all, but definitely not a fan.

My other dog.. was DEMANDING to go outside and watch. It resulted in an interesting split of time!

a reply to: Domo1

Peanut butter and canine melatonin had them chilling like normal. Had to double up on the hound. She was pacing and panting initially, but she got through it fine.

Having lived about 5 miles north of Disneyland and their nightly firework show for 30 years, all my dogs have been more or less inoculated. God forbid someone ring a doorbell though........

Next time, you might want to try the scarf method-- barkpost.com/diy-anxiety-wrap/