I am not a fan of celebrating the 4th of July. It’s not that I’m unpatriotic. I’m not a fan of bringing in a new year, either. I have a noise phobic dog. If you have one too, you know what I mean. Fireworks are no bueno.
When I was young, I was one of the first kids to say “Yeah! Let’s go to the fireworks stand!” this time of year. I was fearless and would volunteer to be responsible for the bottle rockets, the firecrackers, even the roman candles. The sparklers were for babies and old people. Not for me.
Fast forward to September 2008. My husband and I adopted an adorable 1-year-old tri-colored German Shepherd Dog (GSD). We named him “Bruder” which translates to “brother” from the German language. He joined our family as the little brother to our female GSD, Heidi, who was a year older.
We discovered right away that our new dog had some fearful tendencies. He had separation issues which we worked on right away. We knew simple training exercises which worked to help him through those anxieties. He soon learned that when we leave, we will be back.
Our home is in a semi-rural neighborhood, and people do shoot their guns now and again. The first time he heard a gunshot, we were all outside enjoying a BBQ on a beautiful evening. Thankfully, Bruder immediately walked into the house through the doggie door. I was happy that this was his initial response. Go into the house, into the safe zone. Don’t bolt and try to leave the property. But, by this time, he knew we were his family and our house is his house.
Then there are thunderstorms. We can tell when one is close or coming, just by his behavior, even before the thunderboomies. During very bad weather, he shivers with such fright. There is a product one can buy called a Thundershirt that is supposed to help by applying gentle constant pressure. I’ve not bought one, but he does sport some tight t-shirts that accomplish the same thing during storms. This does seem to help. I also bought him some aviator ear muffs which do a fairly good job of noise cancelling.
Fireworks are the worst. And, legal where we are, outside the city limits. If it were up to me, fireworks would only be legal at professionally organized shows with the experts, safety precautions and firefighters in wait. Alas, it is not up to me. People who don’t have a noise phobic pet don’t understand, they can’t sympathize. In all fairness, I cannot expect them to. Before Bruder, I was right there doing both, buying my own fireworks and enjoying professional displays.
So, this time of year, I prepare differently than most. Instead of making my way to the fireworks stand or planning an evening in town at the organized display, I make sure my dogs are safe and in a scary-noise-free environment. The evening of expected fireworks, all the blinds and curtains are closed. The TV or stereo volume is up and the boys are comfortable with me in the house with the doggie door closed.
Over the years, we’ve learned that these things can help with Bruder’s fear of noise:
Crates are great safe havens. Dogs are naturally den-animals, and if introduced correctly they will learn to love their house. We have DenHaus crates and we love these furniture pieces as much as the dogs do.
Calming supplements such as L-Theanine or Valerian Root helps. There are other calming products on the market, but these two work best for Bruder. I recommend talking to a vet or a nutritional counselor prior to purchasing.
Aromatherapy with essential oils such as lavender or blends that ease anxiety help greatly. This is my first choice for him. I’ve watched his body calm with the help of aromatherapy.
Energy is everything. If we are nervous or anxious, the dogs will be anxious. Dogs read our energy and our body language better than the spoken word.
My dogs are my kids — my family, and whatever we need to do to keep them happy, healthy and safe, we do. We have our dogs for a relatively short while in this lifetime…and I want them to have the best life possible. If you have dogs, you know what I mean, I’m sure.