Bonfire Night Dog Therapy
Confused.com Gives Puzzled Pooches – and Their Owners – A Helping Hand This Bonfire Night
The whizzes and bangs of Bonfire Night make for a merry time for man, but a baffling one for his best friend. According to the RSPCA, up to 45% of dogs in the UK show fearful behaviour when they hear fireworks - potentially affecting up to three million dogs this Guy Fawkes night and saddling owners with costly trips to the vet, and spiraling pet insurance premiums. Confused.com has therefore teamed up with top Dog Trainer Steve Mann to offer some extra-special therapy for muddled mutts this bonfire night.
Steve – star of Living TV’s The Underdog Show – has joined up with Confused.com to offer a unique therapy class at his celebrated school in Hertfordshire to help calm confused canines.
Steve explains: “Here at our school we’re used to offering owners and their pets a whole range of classes designed to help them cope with the stresses and strains of modern life.
“Firework night can be one of the most difficult nights of the year for dogs, and many owners don’t realise the effect that the constant bangs and crashes can have on their poor pooches.
“Just as us humans need help through the stresses and strains of our lives, so dogs can be calmed with some extra-special help from the Confused.com School of Dog Therapy, to see them through a bewildering Bonfire Night.”
Steve’s top tips for concerned dog owners on keeping your dog calm this Bonfire Night:
- First step, Desensitisation. One of the reasons dogs react so fearfully on Bonfire Night is the infrequency of fireworks throughout the year. To combat this, you can use a CD of firework noises to be played around the house, in the car and even in training classes to help the dog become familiar with, and therefore desensitised to the sound. The CD must be introduced over a long period of time, starting on a very low volume: remember the dog’s hearing is a lot more acute than yours. As the dog shows no sign of fear to the CD, gradually increase the volume in tiny increments from 1 to 10 over as many sessions as possible.
- Next, introduce Counter Conditioning. A dog’s fear of fireworks is totally natural behaviour. The fearful behaviour is designed to put as much distance as possible between the dog and the perceived threat. We can alter that emotion and therefore behaviour by pairing the Firework CD with positive associations. Once desensitised, the dog’s favourite treats, games and cuddles must appear when the CD is playing, and you have the equation: Fireworks = The Good Stuff! A nicer place to be for both owner and dog.
- Build a den for the dog to escape to and feel secure. Build up the den with plenty of heavy blankets to absorb the sound, and furnish it with toys, treats and a piece of the owner’s worn clothes. This again should be put in place as soon as possible for the dog to learn it is a happy and comforting place to be. Keep the den low on the ground and away from windows and outside walls. Remember, in times of stress dogs like to hide low, cats like to hide high.
- Introduce massage to comfort and de-stress your dog. By simply stroking your dog’s ears slowly from the base to the tip you can increase circulation and slow down both respiration and heart rate.
- During my sessions I often recommend the use of herbal remedies such as Scullcap & Valerian and ask owners to install a diffuser that emits Dog Appeasing Pheromones, these replicate those secreted by a lactating bitch in order to calm and reassure her puppies.
- A stodgy, high carbohydrate meal after the dog’s main meal on the night can also promote serotonin, a hormone that helps regulate your dog’s mood, it also encourages the dog to ‘sleep it off’ in the den.
With the correct application of the above, you can ensure your best friend can have a stress free, injury free - and a not so confused - Bonfire Night. Don't forget, here at Confused.com you can make sure your pets are covered with our pet insurance.