My dog is scared of fireworks and hid under a bed. Please help?

Answer 1

My dog did the same thing her first fireworks.

Best thing is to act like everything is fine and normal, otherwise you are reinforcing that there is something to be scared about.

If you try and call her out from the bed and keep calling her, she will think you are trying to reassure her, so there must be something to be scared off.
Let her come out in her own time.

At night time, put on some music to disguise the fireworks noise and leave the lights on if she doesn't like to see them.

My dog is starting to come right, this is her 2nd fireworks this year. She is not really scared this year.

GOod luck, and I know it's awful seeing your animal frightened.

I heard some animal training people have FIREWORKS and THUNDER tapes, which you can play at home to DE SENSITIZE your dog, so that the sounds become NORMAL to them and they won't be scared.

Answer 2

If you are able to miss out on the fireworks for a while, go to the bed your dog is under and offer soothing words. The sound is simply scared of the sound, and it might also hurt Dog's ears. As soon as the sound has subsided lure your dog out with a nice treat.

If you are looking to ever train your dog out of this fear I believe that you are out of luck, though you could try and associate the sound with something, if it is such a big deal. Every time the sound of a firework comes, give Doggy a treat. This will most likely cause the sound of a firework to equal a treat in the dog's mind. If you don't have fireworks often, this shouldn't be a problem at all, but if you live somewhere such as a beach on Hawaii (where they have fireworks every Friday night), then you will want to train this out of the dog. After a while you shouldn't have to give Dog treats anymore, the sound will be fine.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 3

Noise Sensitivity
How to help a dog who reacts badly to loud sounds.
Brought to you by The Original Dog Bible

A dogs sense of hearing is far more sensitive than ours, and many dogs become overwhelmed by sudden loud sounds. Fireworks or thunder will make some dogs so anxious that they whine, tremble, and may try to escape. If you can predict which sounds scare your dog, you may be able to reduce his startle reaction by playing music or television fairly loudly in the background. Some dogs do best when made comfortable in the basement during fireworks or thunderstorms. If you are with your dog during those scary times, stay upbeat and act as if you actually like the noise. Dont hover and say, Its okay, its okay, because to a dog that sounds like youre worried, too, and he wont believe things are fine at all.

Some dogs can gradually be desensitized to scary sounds by playing recordings of thunder or fireworks in the background while the dog plays or eats or receives a relaxing massage. Start the soundtrack very quietly at first, gradually turning up the volume as the dog tolerates the sounds without showing any anxiety. If this type of desensitization program is rushed, however, it can worsen fears by overwhelming the dog. In extreme cases of sound sensitivity, veterinarians will sometimes prescribe calming medication to be administered during stressful times or in conjunction with a gradual desensitization program.

Answer 4

Hi, my dog is the same also, what you can do is call your Vet & they can give you a pill for your dog. It is kind of like a "doggie downer". It is completely HARMLESS & it really helps. I live in Speedway, IN., home of the Indy 500 race & the Brickyard 400 & the F1. So 3 times a year, not including the 4th, it gets pretty loud around here. Just about everyone in our neighborhood has dogs. That is how we found out about it. Searously, talk to your Vet, it helps. Good luck!..... Don't be giving me a thumbs down, Don't you want your dog to be happy? Guess what, holding the dog doesn't make the noise go away! Maybe you could sit there and cup your hands over it's ears until the noise stops!!( not to whom asked the question, but to whom ever thinks that this is such a terrible idea! )

Answer 5

My whole family has pets and they all hate them. Best thing you can do is put the radio on or some music or white noise. Something that sort of masks the outside noise. We do this when we go out to watch the fireworks but don't want the pets to freak out when we are gone. It seems to work as they greet us at the door sleepy eyed so it must help them to relax a bit. They will only jump at the really loud ones and short of sedating them there isn't much you can do about that. Hope it helps you.

Answer 6

Dogs are not scared of anything initially, it is learnt behavoiur. If your dog is scared, ignore it, do not fuss it, just leave it be because a dog learns that if you give it a reaction to its behavoiur, whether good or bad or whether your reaction is nice or angry then if it has a reason to do something even if it is you shouting at it, it will carry on, so if you ignore you dog, it will have no reason to be scared and will grow its confidence with the fireworks.

Answer 7

just leave him there and ignore him. Sounds cruel but the more you try to reassure him the more he will think there is something to be scared of. I have just been outside playing games, giving treats and shouting "yippee" and clapping my hands for the new 8 year old yorkie (rescue) as she was afraid. Half an hour of our own doggy party in the garden watching the fireworks sorted her out and she seems not to be worried at all now.

Answer 8

Dont wory about it. This is natural for a dog to be scared or even aggresive towards loud noises( They'd be aggresive because they are scared, but not in your case.) To keep a dog from being scared or suffering(Their ears are very sensitive), Let it stay with your friend, or put it in a room where the sound doesn't appear so loud. Hope you have luck with your dog.

Answer 9

So did I - I hate fireworks. If he hid under the bed, what's the problem? You know he's safe under there and he has found a place he feels comfortable with. My cat lies across the middle stair facing the wall. It's his way of coping with it. If he's inside and warm and safe, he's fine.

Answer 10

It's normal for your dog to be scared of fireworks. Like their sense of smell, dogs hear things much louder than we may think.
I would not worry much if he hides under the bed, it could be worse my dog will rip the house apart by digging if he is left uncrated during fireworks. Good Luck.