Dogs and Fireworks (noise sensitivity)

It’s about this time of year that I start to get enquiries about helping dogs that are noise sensitive. Summer in Queensland often brings about thunderstorms (which we have certainly experienced this year), but we also have our dreaded New Years Eve celebrations. Most councils will have their earlier “kids” fireworks, and then we have the ultimate displays come midnight, plus the odd rogue hoodlums with their backyard or unofficial local park demo’s.

For many dogs the celebrations leave them unperturbed, however some dogs demonstrate unsettling behaviour from mild to severe sensitivity. For clarity, mild would be shifting positions, seeking comfort and some panting; severe would be destructive behaviours and flight or escape behaviours. In my experience working in general veterinary practice it’s often these severe cases that turn up as strays and possibly injured.

As a breeder I am in the best position to prevent the dogs from my kennel from suffering noise sensitivity. Ensuring the dam and sire are not particularly noise sensitive themselves, as a component of behaviour is genetic. Furthermore, a dam that is experiencing stress around puppies with the stimulus present will be releasing stress pheromones and signaling to the puppies that “this is cause for concern”. Also as a breeder I can put the neonates through “stress inoculation” by performing simple tasks such as Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), playing sounds such as the “Sound Proof Puppy” app whilst the pups are doing normal activities and not particularly drawing attention to the sounds, as well as normal house hold sounds: vacuuming, watching TV and listening to music. Noting that prior to 2.5 - 3 weeks puppies are really only using olfaction and touch sensory learning; the auditory sensors will only start to come online at this later stage.

As the custodian of a brand new baby puppy I encourage you to get in touch with a qualified dog trainer who has experience with puppy raising and development; particularly those who have studied the niche of puppy training. The objective of puppy raising should not be focused on obedience, I don’t want my 3 - 4 month old puppy holding a 2 minute sit stay, that can come later. Puppy raising should be built around developing reinforcement strategies, building relationship and strengthening resilience. Activities such as plastic bottle pit foraging and interacting with/exploring novel objects, fighting in games of tug-o’-war (and letting the puppy win) and destroying box towers in attempt to get to a treat or toy, and exposure to new places and experiences. These experiences will indirectly impact the dogs ability to cope in potentially stressful conditions.

Generally, if your dog has no reaction to noises such as fireworks often a “do nothing” approach works well, mitigating potential phobias may draw attention to the event. If you have an issue yourself with the stimulus then it may be a good idea to have someone around that the dog is familiar with. Or if the dog is used to going to grandma’s house you might want to drop the dog off early in the day. It is unfair on the dog to use them as your comforter if the dog is not a working dog trained for that purpose.

For dogs with mild to moderate symptoms crate training is essential, as if a crate is correctly conditioned to a place of safety and calming/rest the dog can be restricted from pacing and height seeking, as these behaviour’s can make the dog exacerbate the phobia behaviours. Leading up to the event the dog can be offered a licking/chewing enrichment activity such as a Kong or Lickimat. Additionally, there is some benefit in a Tellington TTouch body wrap: there are many online resources and videos demonstrating how to apply a wrap, and if your dog has mild to moderate noise sensitivity it would be worth while practicing applying it before the big day so both you and your dog are familiar with the wrap and to prevent the application of the wrap being associated with potentially scary/traumatic events. Furthermore, if you do not have the option of crating the dog and/or the dog is seeking comfort from you make sure you completely love on that dog. Stop whatever it is you are doing and mollycoddle the crap out of the dog. You will not be reinforcing the behaviour, the dog is scared and not behaving operantly and just needs support and comfort from you. Finally, there are some herbal remedies which might help to knock the edge off the worry, speak to your local dog training community to find out what people are finding effective; and dog appeasement pheromones (DAP) may also help but should really be implemented well before the event.

If your dog demonstrates moderate to severe signs of noise sensitivity I strongly recommend you speak to a veterinary behaviourist. A veterinary behaviourist is a qualified veterinarian who has completed further studies and exams in animal behaviour. It is highly likely they will prescribe drugs to help your dog cope with the emotions it is feeling with the stimulus present. If you know your dog suffers from noise sensitivity do not wait until an event is due to occur, it will not be a surprise to you if it is a common occurrence. Speak to your vet at your routine vet visits about a referral to a behaviourist. If it is too late to go down that route for now getting your hands on some of the herbal remedies or DAP may assist, implementing a body wrap, and I also recommend having the dog tethered to you with a non-slip collar, and really devote your attention through the event to your dog.