Dogs And The Silly Season For Fireworks?

[grandpajoe]

We have a new rescue Jack Russell Terrier about 2 years old and I am wondering what others do to calm their frightened pets as the bangers start to go off. The firework season seems to last about 6 weeks around here and as yet we don't know how he will react. We are praying that he wont be too frightened.

Chris alias GPJ

[Buenchico]

This might help:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/general/fireworks

[woofgang]

oh its a real pain in the Arris here. the firework season seems to run over the whole of november, then dribs and drabs till new year. That's without the fools celebrating leaving school and the fireworks let off as the ships sail.
I use stuff called Zylkene which helps a bit but its expensive and there are also things like skullcap and valerian. He might not be worried at all, many dogs aren't. If he seems nervy it might be worth havving a chat with your vet nice and early

[EDDIE51]

Apart from specialist suppliers 'ordinary shops' can only sell fireworks from the 15th October to the 10th November , then from the 23rd December to 31st December plus a few days around chinese new year and diwali. So you are not going to hear many yet as it it is another 6 weeks until they go on sale.
I heard a few bangs today but it is shotguns shooting pheasants or whatever.
The last 2 years there have been virtually no fireworks at all near me even on November the 5th , it is just too expensive people go to organised displays instead.
But this subject comes up on AB every year as soon as the schools go back.

[DrFilth]

i would leave the radio on a bit louder than normal to try and hide some of the bangs etc

[Stephen_G]

Don't know if it would be recommended, but we used to give our Border Collie half a Paracetamol tablet - used to chill her right out.

[Kramer21]

I do sympathise with dog, cat and bird owners as i have seen first hand at the fear in our furry and feathered friends faces but I would hardly call a season which brings millions of smiles to kids and adults faces "Silly" last year we took a group of severely disabled and dying children from the local hospice to a fireworks night and the looks of happiness and awe will stay in my mind to my dying day.

[MichaelZZ]

Several years ago I was in my local corner shop and overheard the following conversation:
Customer #1: "Can I have one of them twenty quid selection boxes please Bill? Oh, and a couple of them thunderflash jobs. Oh and have you got any of those Armageddon Repeaters or whatever they're called - the really loud ones. And a packet of sparklers for t' babby."
Shopkeeper: "There yer go Jack. Twenty eight pound fifty, if you please."
Customer #2: "I think it's bloody daft spending all that money just to watch it go up in smoke. Gimme sixty Benson & Hedges, Bill!"

[EDDIE51]

Fireworks can only be sold in a sealed selection box now, individual sales of single fireworks have been banned for years, and there are limits on the noise they can produce . As a kid I used to buy 'airbombs' they were very loud and like a small thunderflash, they have long been banned. A proper 'Thunderflash' is a military explosive device not available to the public even from a specialist retailer for an organised display.
I am a dog owner ,large black Labrador, he absolutely loves fireworks he must think it is a gunshot and he is looking for the 'kill' to bring in.

[grandpajoe]

I call it the silly season because lots of silly, stupid, ignorant people let the bangers off at SILLY times of the night on silly days. I love the concept of Bonfire Night and always have done it's the knobs who disregard everyone else by letting bangers off in the street who irritate so!!! My previous two Labradors also didn't mind it and was thinking ahead re our terrier and seeking advice re sedatives etc NOT making a statement about Bonfire Night. Cheers GPJ

[woofgang]

Eddie, we have a local specialist shop who can sell all year and has special offers and sales :( and they are now available for online purchase all year :( :(
As I said in my post, around here there is no time of year when you can guarantee that there wont be any, it just gets worse in November.

[woofgang]

I am glad that your dog isn't worried by fireworks. My current two, although they are HPR, very much are worried, more by the whistling ones than the bangs.

[RATTER15]

Well, we had a large firework display the other evening very near us and we thought we would go and check it out, part of our training regime for our hounds is to submit them to many different noises. We discussed the issue and we decided to take Merlin, he is the steadiest of the three hounds. We heard a fair few comments about our foolishness of taking a dog to a firework display, we ignored them. Merlin was loving all the attention, most people have never seen such a big dog and were loving it. we moved to an area where we could exit quickly if there was a problem with Merlin freaking out. The display started, Merlin looked a little concerned and uneasy as the loud bangs came over head, we made him sit and stay still, within 30 seconds he accepted it, we moved closer to the display and the mad crowds where Merlin lay down and went to sleep, he was an absolute star. He was treated with a giant greaseburger with extra cheese, as were ourselves. We had an amazing evening and Merlin had his photo taken about 50 times. Some dogs can deal with it, some cant, our other two would have coped as well. Its all about knowing your dogs and the correct training to get them used to the noises.

[EDDIE51]

It is actually an offence to let off fireworks after 11pm apart from the period around Nov 5th , and the days around the other dates (New Year diwali etc) so you can report fireworks being let off at other times.
Yes, specialist shops and online sale are all year round but they only sell display sets not individual fireworks.

[woofgang]

yes Eddie, you can report them but if its private parties as it often is round me, how do you know who to report? also the noise is as scarey to the dog at 9pm as it is at midnight. The known occasions (november 5th, new year, Diwali) I can manage with meds given beforehand but the parties and other activities that I don't know about are a nightmare.
I have tried training and desensitisation to no avail, it doesn't work for all dogs. Oddly the one who is noise sensitive has his bed next to the TV and will sleep through a war film with his head resting against the cabinet that the TV stands on.

last january we had a spate of single loud fireworks being let off very near to me and the third time it happened I went out and patrolled our quiet upmarket housing development in my pyjamas with a heavy torch and murder in my heart. I didn't find the perps but there were no more odd fireworks! even more oddly, several of my neighbours commented on my actions and said what a pain the noise had been, and these were folk without pets!

[RATTER15]

Woof, have you tried one of these, very good apparently.

[1ndex]

firework sales should say "WARNING wardens, kennels and rescue centres gleefully rub their hands at increased incomes if your pet runs away"

[woofgang]

what Ratter, there's no link?

[pastafreak]

My sally came to me as a nervous dog. She hates any bangs...including cars backfiring. She will hear any offending noises well before I do...she becomes restless and distracted. All is not helped by the fact I live about a mile from a marines barracks...and we can hear when they are having pistol practice or whatever.
I've tried this-it seemed to help,and was not pricey...Amazon seems expensive.
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[Baldric]

Is this posted under birdwatching in case it Twitches?
;-)

[paddywak]

None of our dogs have had any problems with fire works, possibly because even though I don't shoot myself now, I've several friends who do so they're usually around sudden loud noises from being puppies. Both the last two GSD's were perfectly happy to go to displays and showed no sense of fear either lying down and going to sleep or just sitting watching the world go by.