I can no longer contain my poor dogs.

[sandyroses]

Why can't my animals live in piece? it's. bonfire night every night. I need help I cannot drug my dogs everyday to keep them calm. I am becoming a nervous wreck myself, what can I do?

Sandra Carroll

[maggie01]

I don't know the answer but I am sorry for you. My dog has just weed on the carpet because she is too scared to go outside for the toilet. Its a real pain. Hopefully they will soon be over. Try turning up the tv to block out the noise. I do feel for you.

[shaneystar]

My poor old boy has been grumbling and griping all evening. he is under my chair now with a blanket over him.When the really loud ones go off he barks the place down. I have to go out in the garden with him with a torch for his ablutions because he is terrified.I know just how you feel.It would be O.K. if it was just one night but they go on and on.I have got the radio turned up loud and all the doors and curtains shut ..but they still hear them.I just try to jolly him along and keep chatting to him and so on.

[scubadiver]

Not that it will help you for this year, but we bought a pheromone diffuser and have had it plugged in for about ten days.

Not 100% effective, but it has meant that tonight we got away with using a third of the dose of sedatives we usually have to use on our two and they both seemed a lot less concerned than usual.

Not sure how it will go tomorrow night, as around here always sounds like Beirut on the night, but so far so good.

PS- bought it from the vets for around �25. Supposed to last for over a month, & is refillable.

[orange-gnome]

their is another post on this subject that might be worth taking a look at.
Just to mention that your doggies pick up on your emotions and if you become a nervous wreck then they will pick up on it and become more nervous themselves. So try to stay calm, as a dog owner and vet nurse I know what the horrible fireworks do to our canine companions and it can be an awful time of year for all of us, hang in there : )

[leo9902]

i have the same problem with my staffy , hes shaking and panting like mad already dont know what to give him to calm him . tried phytopet calm but no use on him any suggestions please ?

[drgnrdr]

Is this an event over there that is new? I keep seeing post on here about this problem over and over and over. Bonfire night? We have the 4th of July celebration with fireworks and people making all kinds of noise, but I have always conditioned my dogs and they don't have trouble with this because I KNOW it's coming EVERY year at the same time, so I PREPARE for it. Is this not the case with Bonfire night? Just curious...and wondering...

Check out this website and prepare for it for next year if they have it next year...

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/fear-thunder.pdf

Hope it helps...

[shaneystar]

dngrd
5th November.
This event has been going on here for the last 400 years ever since Guido Fawkes and his merry men tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
The problem is ...it isn't just one night ..it goes on and on.And fireworks in the wrong hands are dangerous.People have bonfires in their back gardens and let fireworks off.They are not content to have just one night of it. It goes on for days on end and people with animals are at the end of their tether.
You can't keep animals drugged up all the time.
It's not just the fear of the animals either.
Yobs think it funny to throw fireworks at people and put them through peoples letterboxes and so on .There was a case recently where someone tied a firework to a a small dog and let it explode.There is a huge thread about this in News which may be of interest to you.Mind you some of it is rather abusive.

[shaneystar]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question160041.html
Here is the link.Sorry I spelt your user name wrong drgnrdr !!

[shaneystar]

P.S.
It is like Beirut here were I live at the moment.And... this is a rural area.
Dear little children throwing fireworks over our back fence.
My poor old dog is terrified to go in the garden and so am I !!
It is no good phoning the police as they can do nothing about it.

[Eels]

I think drgnrdr was making the point that it happens every year and we know it's coming so why don't we worry about it earlier than 5th November, and actually train our dogs not to be frightened in the first place?

I think it's a valid point and could result in much less suffering. Instead of everyone complaining and demanding that it is banned, they could actually do something to make their pets less fearful.

I am happy to advise (and I do so on an annual basis!) about short-term methods of calming fearful dogs but it's really irresponsible to allow your pet to go through life suffering this torment annually when there are plenty legitimate ways to desensitise them, which take a bit more effort than drugs but which work much better.

[shaneystar]

i have tried everything to keep my dog calm ..basket under the table,distraction.ignoring, turning the TVup..allsorts.The tape of noises over a period of time.He still goes ballistic and this evening has been a nightmare.He has barked the place down.I am not irresponsible towards my dog.These yobs that let off these ruddy fireworks practically on ones doorstep are the ones who are irresponsible.I am just glad the worst of it over...hopefully.

[sandyroses]

you know something I think folk have just lost the plot so I think its up to the police to enforce the law, the reason i say this its because its sunday morning and bangers are still going off

[shaneystar]

Yes here too...I was hanging some washing out earlier and a couple went off and I nearly jumped out of my skin.8.30. on a Sunday morning !!

[drgnrdr]

Wow, sounds like it could get on peoples nerves also. But I do think training is the key it has to be done gradually, it took me 10 months, (but I was willing to go to whatever distance it took) to desensitize one dog I had, she also had fireworks thrown at her, she would run to her dog house, and they still continued while she was inside, (she was rescued, and I took her in), it took lots of patience and tastey hot dogs to get her to, at least just come by me and lean against me when she heard any loud noise, carbackfire, transformer blown, or loud pop, even a pan dropped on floor. That was working everyday, for 4 rounds a day for 10 minutes each time.

Here in California we have a law of no illegal fireworks, nothing that explodes or leaves the ground. Well you can realize I am sure that there are those who defy the law, so I have to be sure all my animals are okay with it, it's not like I can go on holiday, cause it's celebrated every where here in the US. I guess I could have tried to go to the UK? you guys don't celebrate 4th of July, or I could have my dog holiday there? during that time...LOL

I see that it's a problem, Hope some of you can plan for next year, the website I gave is really an excellent source of info, ddfl.org.

And those with new puppies, get them use to loud noises now, so you don't have a shivering, quivering mass of canine later in life. It's part of socializing your dog and cat, it's not just about getting them use to dogs and people.

[Kelly330711]

close the curtains turn on the lights so they can't see the flashes and turn the tv up or the radio. i know its awful how old are your pets and do they get scared every year? maybe they can sense your pannick and that could be making them more anxious. are they like this when they are drugged? my friend had a valium given to her dog and it completely calmed him down. maybe you need to give them medication from the vet and just keep an eye on thier reactions to the fireworks as we get more exposed to things we get used to them and hopefully its the same for animals. I can't sympethise with you as i have a blue merle collie golden retriver and she is 9 and not bothered by them at all. i even took her for a walk on bonfire night and she seemed more excited than usuall everytime she heard a firework and saw the lights she was wagging her tail. I think it could be due to gradual exposure over time. we never used to have any fireworks in my street until this year b4 now she has only heard ones from a distance so her exposure has been gradual. But all animals are different and gradual exposure doesnt always work.