Help for firework-phobic dogs

[clairep4]

I thought seeing as it's firework season I'd put a few Ttouch tips up for helping dogs who are nervous of fireworks. Ttouch has been found to be really beneficial to dogs with noise phobias - some of you may  have heard of Thundershirts (http://www.doorsteppaws.co.uk/html/thundershirt.html) which have been around for a couple of years, but previous to this , Ttouch pracitioners had been using bodywraps for years and years to help with noise phobias amongst other issues.  Incidentally the Canadian Ttouch office is now the Canadian distributor for Thundershirts as we like them so much!

Anyway, here we go:

1. Make sure your dog has a nice, cosy little den that he can go and hide in if he needs to - this can be his crate, or a couple of blankets draped over a chair that he can go under, or even under a bed.
2. Put him in a snug fitting T-shirt, coat or Thundershirt. This will bring him awareness of his body and can be very helpful in making an anxious dog feel more secure and settled.
3. Earwork - the ears have over 200 accupressure points, so by working on them you effectively cover the whole body, and it can be very beneficial in helping your dog relax. There are 3 different ways you can work with a spaniel's ears:

(1) holding the ear between finger and thumb, start at the base (where it joins the head), and stroke nice and slowly down to the tip. The pressure should be more firm than ticklish - a good idea is to try on your own ears first to see what feels okay and use this as a guideline when working on your dog's ears.   When you get to the tip of the ear, still holding onto it, move your thumb in a one and a quarter circle with a pause at the end.  You can then start again at the base, and work in a series of methodical lines so that in 3 to 4 strokes you'll have worked the whole ear.   It is really important that during this you take nice, deep breaths - your dog will pick up on this as a sign that you are relaxed.   It's normally better to only work on one ear at a time, using your free hand to support the dog around the chest or on the other side of the head.

(2) If your dog isn't very keen on the strokes, you can try holding the whole earflap in the palm of your hand. Place your other hand, palm down over the top of the earflap, and then very gently circle your hands - the movement is similar to rolling a tennis ball between your hands, but you want to go nice and slowly. Try and think about doing one or two circles and then pausing, and then repeating.  This is called Turtle Touch.  Again, remember your deep breathing throughout.

(3) The other thing you can do is to hold the earflap against your dog's head/neck and do the circles that way. Using the pads of your fingers, do slow, one and a quarter circles (the circle should be around the size of a 1p piece). The circle should be clockwise, firm enough to move the skin (but not digging into the dog's body - it's not massage), and should take around 2 seconds to complete. At the end of the circle, pause, and then move your fingers to a slightly different spot and repeat.   Use your free hand to support your dog either on the side of his face or under his chin, and remember to breathe.

You can work on both ears like this and it only needs to be a few minutes.  If your dog wants to move away then let him, this is about helping him to relax so if he's not finding it relaxing, don't force him into it.

Hope this helps.

[Geordietyke]

Thank you, that's really helpful   Odie hasn't reacted yet to the various bangs we've had round here but it's good to know how to deal with it, if he has a wobbly moment in the coming days!  Lesley 

[Mel]

Thanks Claire, this is always useful. Again Tali hasn't reacted to fireworks....yet! I guess there's still time.

[Eve]

What excellent advice, all my girls used to be frantic over the firework period.

[Pop-Star]

Thanks Claire, this is very helpful

[ClareB]

I have to say, I've used body wraps on Milo and Mocha for the first time this year, and the results are amazing.   

I've never thought Milo was particularly scared of the fireworks, but he does bark at the big bangs.  Mocha, on the other hand, is terrified after one went off while we were out walking last year (while it was still daylight  ).  She cowers in the corner and pants and once she's heard one bang, flatly refuses to go out in the dark, even if the bangs have long since finished. It got so bad last year that she was even starting to be wary of the flashing lights of planes in the sky.   

Anyway, this year I've put wraps on both of them as soon as there's a single bang.  Milo hardly barks at any of them, unless they're really loud, and Mocha is far more relaxed.  She'll even go out in the garden for a pee before bedtime.   

I can't recommend them highly enough.   

[Black Red + Yellow]

I used DAP last year with ok results.............now either Willow has gone deaf this year (I am joking because she can manage to hear 'that' cupboard door opening just fine!) or she is just not being re-active?  I am utterly amazed........but still holding my breath.....it is afterall the 5th tonight

Yes...my 'gun' dog goes frantic with them all