 Many dog owners find summer to be less enjoyable than it could be, and for some, it's even terrible due to fireworks. This blog has two goals: 1. Provide tips for owners of sound-phobic dogs to help them and their pets get through the summer, especially 4th of July. 2. Educate people about what it’s like to live with a sound-phobic dog. Every time I mention that fireworks are impactful, I am met with people who dismiss my concerns by saying things like, "Oh, your dog is afraid of fireworks? That sucks." But it's not just about my dog—it's about showing compassion for all pets. It feels like an unwinnable battle, but I am hoping that by working together with collective action, we might actually begin to move the needle towards more compassion for each other. By putting a face to "firework fear" people might begin to understand how their "fun" impacts others. Surely, if they knew how hard it is on so many dogs and their owners, they might consider not lighting them off. Or at least, only doing so on the holiday. Let me tell you about my friend, Julie, she has a debilitating sound phobia. It breaks my heart to see her struggle. Her fear is so debilitating that she won’t go outside to potty alone for at least a month after the holiday, and it takes two months for her to resume normal walks in the neighborhood. Her guardian has tried every over-the-counter treatment, has worked with a trainer and tried all the medications her vet has prescribed. This is her life in the summer. “I start the pheromone diffuser on the first of July. On the 2nd of July, I start her medication, and I gradually increase it until the 4th. On the 4th of July, I put a thunder shirt on her. Then we go to the basement at 8:00 PM and turn on the fan and the TV really loud. I build a little seclusion area for her to get into. She normally loves her crate, but she will not get into her crate during this time. She paces and pants for hours and hours. I wean her off the medication after the 4th of July but we continue to hide in the basement with her thundershirt and safe space until August. I stop using the Thunder shirt and take down her hiding place in August, when they are mostly done. She does not want me to be touched when they start. So I sit on the floor and let her come to me. Sometimes, she gets into my walk-in shower to find safety. The only thing I stop is her digging at the walls or the floor.” Please stop for a moment and read that again. Imagine how would you feel if that was your dog? You are unable to help them, you are unable to explain to them what’s happening and you can’t console them. It’s gut wrenching. And it also impacts your life because when your dog is in this emotional state you must monitor them so that means you can’t go out with friends, you can’t do yardwork after work. You are stuck in the basement every night in the summer because you’re just trying to get through the day. As a professional dog trainer, I work with many clients with sound-phobic dogs like Julie and have shared my life with a few. My beautiful dog, Stanley, was one of those dogs. He’s at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for me now, but I remember the dread, frustration, anger, and sadness that fireworks brought to our life. While my dear friend is free of this nightmare, so many dogs still endure this yearly ordeal. My experience with Stanley, has driven my mission to educate others. You heard Julie’s story, now let me share with you what it was like with Stanley. When Stanley was a young puppy, life was great, and summer was a time of fun. Longer walks, more time playing ball in the backyard, just laying outside in the shade and listening to the birds. That all changed when he got older. He became sound-phobic around the age of seven, specifically with fireworks. One firework—nothing loud, just a single pop from a bottle rocket—would send him inside for the rest of the night. If that bottle rocket went off in the morning, I might get him back out again in the afternoon, only to be chased back in by another "pop." If it was after 4 pm, he was done for the day—he wouldn’t even eat dinner. And that was just a normal summer day. When "hell week" started (the week before the 4th of July), I had to medicate him with anxiety medication from the vet. It was the only way he could cope with the non-stop fireworks that go off EVERY DAMN NIGHT from mid-June until well after the 4th of July. On the 4th, we had to give him a full dose of his medication. A full dose made him wobbly on his feet and clearly altered, which was better than pacing in the basement. With his medication on board, he would lie down in the basement, crawl into the bathtub if he had access or with us on the couch if the TV was really loud. His medication took an hour to kick in and lasted about four hours, so finding the "right" time to give it to him was tricky. Too early, and it wouldn’t last and we had to try to add a second dose without over-dosing. Too late, and he was already afraid. In my old neighborhood, it was not uncommon for fireworks to go off until 1 am or later, and if the holiday fell on a weekend, they would go off long into the night. We finally had to give up and go camping the last two years so we were able to skip the worst of it but we still had to deal with it daily because people couldn't contain it to the holiday. Now, before you say, “My dog isn’t afraid because I socialized them to the sound as a puppy,” implying that I failed to socialize my dog properly, we DID expose him to fireworks as a puppy. For many years he was fine—until he wasn’t. Early exposure is helpful, but it isn’t a guarantee that your dog will always be comfortable with the sound or that fear won’t develop later in life. And this theory completely discounts people who adopt an older dog. While there are many ways to help these dogs—I've discussed several strategies as a guest on two podcasts—there's also a lot that can be done by those who enjoy fireworks. I’m not asking you to stop having fun; I’m simply asking that you limit fireworks to July 3rd and July 4th. If people could contain their celebrations to these two nights, life would be much easier for many dogs and their owners. We could maintain a normal routine up until the holiday and then plan accordingly. However, when fireworks are set off every night, it severely impacts my dog’s ability to live a fear-free life in his own home. As a professional dog trainer, I was fortunate to have the knowledge and resources to help Stanley through his fear, dedicating countless hours over the years. To honor his legacy, I’ve compiled a list of 8 tips to assist dogs with mild sound phobias. If your dog has a severe sound phobia, these tips can be helpful, but please consult your vet for additional medical intervention. Here are my 8 BEST TIPS to help your dog cope during "firework season."
If you found these tips helpful and want to dive deeper into how you can support your dog during fireworks, I invite you to listen to these two podcasts. I was a guest speaker on K9 Educators - To Save a Pets Life podcast. In these episodes, I share more detailed strategies and personal anecdotes that can make a big difference: What should you do next? First, use the tips to assist your own dog, then take action. How do you take action?
Our dogs give us unconditional love, unwavering loyalty, and endless joy. They are our companions through thick and thin. We owe it to them to do everything in our power to give them a summer free from fear and anxiety. That might mean working doubly hard to counter condition to fireworks, that might mean exploring calming aids or medication and it might even mean having uncomfortable conversations with our neighbors. By being vulnerable and sharing your experience, you might change someone’s behavior. Will you encounter jerks who be belligerent and rude? Yes. But, you will also find people who are struggling just like you and people with empathy who will become your allies. "If you find it difficult to speak up, but you want to share the message, you can also consider buying this T-shirt that I made, which is a fun way to get your point across when you’re out and about running errands. “When you know better you do better,” I truly believe that some people really don’t know how impactful their firework behavior is and if educated they will change their behavior and contain it to the holiday. So, let’s work together to give our best friends a no fear summer. Toss the pebble. Start the ripple in your community." #fireworkfearisreal #fireworkssuck #nofearsummer  Get your #fearfreesummer shirt here 
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 If your dog is being “naughty,” and you look for help on a social media site, you are looking in the wrong place! There are two main reasons why social media is the last place to look for advice.
 As you can expect, the comments ran the gamut of answers. Use a “vibrating collar,” give them more exercise, squirt them with vinegar water; they need training and the usual “I had this problem, and this is what I did.”
This is about par for the course in my experience. I find it a fascinating study in human behavior that some people immediately encourage punishing the dog – shock collar and vinegar water, and others (politely) blame the owner – exercise more and train them. My comment was, “Trainer here: This situation has a lot to unpack, and you won’t find a fix on social media. Hire a trainer.” I didn’t say “hire a trainer,” hoping they hire me. I am not looking for a payday. I often give training advice on social media, but complex situations like this can’t be solved overnight. Let’s use my “address or suppress” series as the framework. If you are unfamiliar with this, you can watch the whole series here. If we want to suppress the behavior, we could punish the behavior – yell at them, use a shock collar, a squirt bottle, or a penny can. These could work if the dog finds them punishing, but you can also create a more significant problem by compounding the fear by adding pain or discomfort. We could also suppress the behavior by using a management tool to prevent the behavior. For example, we can crate the dogs and cover them with a blanket so they can’t see. We can put window cling on the windows to prevent the dog from seeing clearly and use a calming cap simultaneously. If we want to address the behavior, we need more information. So these are the questions I would ask to gather the information I need to create a plan to address the cause of the behavior. Tell me more about the dogs.
Tell me about their learning history
Tell me about the behavior
Tell me about your expectations.
Tell me about yourself
Once I have all those answers, I can see the bigger picture. When I can see the big picture, I can see behavior patterns. Once I can see the behavior patterns, I can formulate a training plan that addresses the problem's root cause and is tailored to that specific dog. The root cause of this problem could be fear-based anxiety, it could be a lack of clear communication of expectations, it could be a lack of training to the level of distraction needed, it could be a pack dynamic problem, or it could be a lack of self-regulation. Still, until I have all the details, I can only guess. If I am not addressing the cause of the behavior, I am wasting time. This happens all the time. People will say, “I’ve tried x,y, and z, and nothing works.” It isn’t working because you aren’t addressing the root of the problem for THIS dog. And that is the problem with getting training advice on social media. People try to be helpful but they give advice based on what worked for THEIR dog and not yours. And as a trainer, I can’t get all the information I need in a social media post to provide accurate advice. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good advice on the Internet. You certainly can, but you have to look at the source of the information and understand that it is GENERALIZED information and is a good starting point. When you are serious about changing your dog’s behavior it’s time to hire a trainer. Hiring a qualified trainer isn’t an expense but an investment. When you work with a trainer, you benefit from their experience. This is often years of experience with a variety of dogs which allows them to assess a dog’s behavior quickly and create a specific training plan for your dog. When you make this investment and follow their specific suggestions, your dog’s “naughty” behavior will soon be a distant memory.  We have committed. We found our breeder and we have put a deposit down on a puppy so there is no turning back now. We chose to get a puppy from a responsible breeder. I’ve already been asked by a few friends “Why didn’t you rescue a dog? There are SO many homeless dogs!” So, if you are secretly wondering the same thing here’s a list of why we chose a buy from a breeder instead of buying a dog from a rescue.
 You have planned, prepared, and dreamed about adding a dog to your life and today is the day they come home with you. You are so excited! On the other hand, your new dog has no idea who you are. All they know is that they have left their last “home” (whether it’s the breeder, a shelter, or a foster, it was still “home” to them), and now everything they know is gone.
Homecoming can be pretty stressful for everyone in the family, most of all the dog. This is especially true if the dog comes from a shelter or rescue situation. What can you do to help your dog handle the stress of this transition? Utilize these ten tips to help them ease into their new life with you. 1. Let them decompress Younger dogs, especially puppies, will take less time to decompress than adult dogs. Adult dogs from a shelter can exhibit fear, occasional aggression, or completely shut down. Your primary job is to allow the dog to settle into their new surroundings and explore their new home on their terms at their own pace. This does NOT mean leaving them unsupervised in your home – if you do, accidents will happen, things will get chewed on, and mistakes will be made. I recommend allowing your dog to explore the home while you hang back, following them to guide them. 2. Manage expectations Don’t expect them to understand the rules of your home. Don’t expect them to know where the toilet is or how to signal they have to go potty. If your dog is a puppy, don’t expect them to sleep through the night. Expect them to have an accident in the house. Expect them to chew on stuff if you haven’t dog-proofed the home. Don’t expect them to love you right away. Relationships take time to build, and you might think it’s “love at first sight,” they may not feel the same way. High expectations are a sure-fire way to get disappointed. Give it some time. 3. Keep it calm and low key A new dog needs a calm environment to acclimate. Keep things quiet and peaceful in your home as much as possible. Every sound, movement, and smell will be new to them. This is especially challenging with kids in the house. Yes, your dog needs to adapt to a busy household, but perhaps you can give them some time to settle in before the kids are jumping on the couch and running around screaming? 4. Give them space Imagine going on vacation to a place you have never been with people you don’t know, and as soon as you get there, someone keeps hugging you or touching you. Would you feel comfortable? Probably not – especially if you just met the person. Your new dog probably feels the same way. Give them some space! Resist the urge to shower them with affection. Allow them to solicit engagement from you. This doesn’t mean you can’t pet them but keep your sessions short and stay out of their face. 5. Slow introductions For the first week, keep your dog at home and limit visitors. When it comes time to make introductions to people and other pets, do it slowly. If you have other animals, it's best to let them get acquainted with the new dog outside your home. Take them on a walk and let them meet on the neutral territory if possible; an established dog may feel more territorial in the house. If that isn’t possible, have them meet outside in a safe enclosed area on long leashes that don’t have tension. I know you want to show your new dog to all your friends and family, but there is plenty of time for that later. Let your dog start to build a relationship with you, so they know they have a safe person to go to if they get overwhelmed. When they meet people and dogs, let them go to them and pay close attention to how they communicate comfort or discomfort. 6. Update their identification immediately If your dog gets spooked and runs out the door or jumps a fence and doesn’t have identification, it makes it much harder for them to get back home safely. The best tags are Red Dingo tags because they are guaranteed for life, but they take a week to arrive, so stop at the pet store and get a cheap tag until your permanent identification arrives. 7. Crate train Some new dog owners are not fans of using a crate. For puppies, they are a must for housetraining and sleep training. For adult dogs, they can be a tool that is familiar to them, and everyday things can be comforting. You (as a human) might not like them, but many cautious dogs view them as a safe place to process all the changes that are happening daily. 8. Become a detective Watch your dog for clues about their personality and what skills they may already know. You are looking for deficiencies and strengths, and this requires you to see what they do naturally with no influence from you. For instance, if you are walking in the backyard (fully fenced), pay attention to see if they follow you or do their own thing. If they follow you, that is a clue that teaching recall might be fairly easy. If they are busy doing their own thing and rarely look up to see where you are in relation to them, that is also a clue. This isn’t about judging your new dog as “good” or “bad”; this is simply a tool to see how they respond when given a CHOICE. Those choices will influence how you will train certain behaviors and will provide you with greater insight into how they see the world and how that will ultimately affect their responses to the world. 9. Establish a routine Dogs, like us, are creatures of habit. The more predictable aspects of their new lives are, the faster they will acclimate to their new home. Feeding, walking, playing, sleeping, and other daily activities can all be a part of your dog's regularly scheduled routine. Routines can change, and some people have jobs that prevent a set routine, but the more predictable life can be, especially at the beginning, the easier the transition to your home will be for the dog. 10. Start teaching them life skills Give them a week or two to begin settling into your home and do your detective work before starting any training program. Giving them some time allows you to assess them to formulate a training plan. Do they know any basic obedience? Do you need to start at square one or somewhere in the middle? Regardless of what they already know, I encourage you to start teaching them basic obedience – especially patience games! When you teach (training), you are building a relationship, and the more positive experiences you share, the stronger your bond. So, have fun with it, use tasty treats, and show your new dog that you are a fun human! If you follow these tips, it shouldn’t take long for your dog to realize that your home is now his home, and it’s safe to let his guard down. Sometimes this results in a dramatic behavior change – both good and bad so be prepared that you might have a very different dog on day forty than you did on day two. That’s ok! You will figure it out but don’t hesitate to contact a professional for help, especially if you see fearful behaviors that don’t lessen in two or three weeks. It could be transitional stress, or it could be more deep-seated fear behaviors. When you work with a professional, they can help you avoid common misconceptions and pitfalls and help your dog feel safer faster than if you go it alone. If you are trustworthy, patient, and open to hearing your new dog’s communication, you will lay the foundation of a lasting relationship with your new friend. A dog to walk WITH you through life because they WANT to be with you. Our dogs don't have a choice in the training methods we use but we do it's our responsibility as loving guardians to teach them without hurting them or damaging the potential of our lifelong relationship with them.
I believe that dogs have an amazing culture and communication system. I believe that just because it is different than ours does not make it inferior to ours, simply different. Because we have different cultures we have to each learn about the other. Our dogs have to learn our human culture and we should learn some dog culture. It is our job to bridge the communication gap between species. We shouldn’t punish them for being dogs when we haven’t taken the time to teach them what behaviors we do want. We must show them how to function best in this human world. I believe that when we are teaching our dog something new positive teaching methods are best. However, I am NOT afraid to tell a dog “no”. When I do tell a dog no it is after I have thoroughly taught the dog what behaviors they can do. I do not have to hurt a dog to tell then no and I don’t. I don’t use choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars, or alpha rolls. When I have to learn something new I hope that my teacher is patient, clear, shows me exactly what they want me to do and makes learning fun. I don't want a teacher who yells at me, makes me feel stupid, or hurts me to teach me and our dogs are the same way. I also believe that
Using humane, scientific learning theories, I’ll show you how to communicate with your dog so they become a happy, well-behaved, and reliable companion. I will teach you how to listen to your dog and build a relationship based on trust and love. I will show you both how to work together as a team. |
AuthorI have been working with dogs for over 15 years-soon to be over 20. I have two dogs currently - Stanley and Walter and two dogs waiting for me at the rainbow bridge - Maverick & Jasper. My dogs have been profound teachers and I want to share what I have learned with you. Archives
June 2024
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