WHAT CAN I DO NEXT HALLOWEEN to keep my dog from being terrified, shaking all night?

Question

He was so scared and there seemed nothing I could do for him. I stroked, talked gently to him etc. etc. but nothing worked.
He only stopped shaking an hour after it stopped. There seems to be a lot in this area, in every second garden they were letting off the fireworks and the noise was tremendous.
Anybody having the same experience and is there anything I can do about it for next year. I do not want to "drug" him.

Heather T. Good for you girl. You are answering this question with such understanding, elegence and compassion. Bravo. You must be a very nice happy person. p.s. Get a dog and you will find that you don't get so mad with life.

To those of you who were sincerely trying to help, thank you so much.
I did take him in the bedroom, put on the T>v. louder than usual, but it didn't seem to help. I will try what you suggest.
Thank you for understanding,

Answer 1

We also have dogs unnerved by chaos of halloween and 4th of july. We keep them in our bedroom, and turn on our sound machine which we keep on a nice ocean wave sound. Turn it up to really cut down on the outide noises. I give them their favorite toys, and some chew toys. When it's all over, they come out and act normal. No trauma done. This has worked great for us.

Answer 2

There are medications that can help a dog deal with sound phobias. Melatonin is an over the counter supplement that some folks have success with, do a search online to find out how to use it with a dog. Xanax is a med your vet can prescribe. You need to also work on counter conditioning and desensitizing your dog to the noises and events of halloween or other noisy holidays.

Check out www.fearfuldogs.com and read about triggers and thresholds to start

Answer 3

Start now with de-sensitizing him to the noise and experience.

Get one of those scary Halloween sound tracks and firework sounds. Play it randomly and frequently during the day. Start with the volume on low and gradually raise it to deafining over the next year.

Bang pots, have family conversations at the tops of your lungs once in a while. (great stress relief, that! You should try it.). Get a strobe light, or blink flash lights at the dog.
Have people over and be loud in the yard.

Praise bravery, ignore fear.
The more you make it seem "no big deal" the more the dog will see it that way.

This has to be a family effort. Make it a game. I can't stress that it has to be random and frequent exposure for it to work.

Good luck.

Answer 4

In a training book I read discouraged the natural calming methods we would use for children. The "it's ok" lots of attention and petting them to try and comfort them. They said that doing those things encouraged the behavior. Personally I think the first response is a great idea, put them in a place in the house with their beds and toys and turn on white noise.

Answer 5

We had a Border Collie when I was growing up that was terrified of fireworks. Summer was awful here especially July (1st through 7th). She ran away a few times when neighbors suddenly set off fireworks while we were in the yard. All we did was keep her chained and with us while outside so she couldnt run off and keep her in the house mostly so she could avoid it. Gave her extra love and attention and set her bed up in a quiet spot in the house. There are calming "mists" you can buy that are all natural but IDK if they work. Worth a call to your vet for next time though, maybe they can help with something to keep her relaxed so she isnt traumatized.