Fireworks

[Guðrún Dögg]

I really need some advice now. I have a 6 months old IS and this will be his first New Yearseve. The thing is my neighbours were shooting some fireworks yesterday and my Egan got so scared. He's still scared of noices such as if I lay my glas on the table or if the door slams shut. Can you help me I'm worried about the real thing because here in Iceland everyone can buy fireworks and use them between 27th December and 6th January.

[Catherine Carter]

You should try to keep him indoor during fireworks night with calming music on and and if you can find them in Iceland you should give him some relaxing herbal tablets for dogs ( containing valerian). Then later on in the New Year when you have time try to train him slowly to the noise of guns and fireworks.

[ursula wilby]

I write for the Kennelclub magazine in Sweden, and last year I did a test on the DAP-collar (Dog appeasing pheromone). I got some totally amazing results with dogs that during previous years had to be drugged all through the New-Year-festivities. With the dap-collar, all but one reacted in a very positive manner.
So as you seem a bit uncertain Gudrun, and there is not much time left for training, a DAP-collar would be my advice.

The most important thing to remember, I think, is not to feel sorry for the dog but rather (as the leader of the pack) just to ignore the situation. Having written a lot about this and having spoken to loads of owners about this problem, I feel that a lot of owners are actually creating a problem where there is none.
So, ignore and try to keep the dog otherwise occupied.
New-years eve is a great time for a wonderful big and juicy marrowbone! :-)

[Henk ten Klooster]

Good advice above. Gunshy is not the same as fireworkshy. No cure: provide your setter a place to be sure of itself like a cage in a dark room and yes like Catherine said have music but not the calming but the music overpowering fireworks. If this goes ok, you can be sure you can visit a disco with your setter even when criminals are opening gunfire:-)))

[Rhona, Bruce n Lil Lucy Skene x]

hmm........
My dogs hate fireworks, mind you all dogs hate fireworks
On the 10th of November, way after Guy fawks, i was walking my dog and some idiot decided because they saw the dogs was too let of a firework to scare them and so they did. All you heard was a shoot of the firework going in the air and then a loud bang
The little one was whimping and the big one was barking and trying to keep the puppy safe
I managed to drag the puppy and the big one away from the fireworks and i checked them over too see if they were ok. At first i thought it was my fault but i have never went past that house again.
I guess you are going to have too teach your dog that its ok, loud noises
maybe you could everyday slam the door but start off really really quietly and gradually increase the noise as the days go on. The same with anything just start off quiet and gradually increase the noise day by day
hope this helped and wish you the best.

[Silvia Lindner-Rae]

Most of my dogs, too, hate fireworks, and none are gunshy! But I have one bitch - the one that had her puppies just now, she wants to go out in the fireworks and see what the racket is about, and one bitch that thinks any noise close to hunting means work and stands ON THE TABLE and looks out of the window and then at me in contempt as I am not going anywhere. The others go into their crates and stay there until the racket is over. Our neighbours bitch usually hides in the basement and she, too, is not gunshy!

[ursula wilby]

Its not as easy as all that Gennadi!

You just can not dismiss all dogs scared of fireworks!
Lots of dogs get scared by fireworks due to stupid people actually throwing fireworks directly at dogs and lots of owners dont help by feeling sorry for their dogs and so make the problem much worse than it needs to be.
It is not just a matter of breeding!
With hunting dogs, the sound of guns are connected with something fun, for most other dogs, its just a loud and sudden noise.

I trained one of my dogs for the army, she would not blink when it came to machineguns and any other sound of shots.
But she just hated the sound of thunder and fireworks.
Now you may think both are just about the same to our ears, but to her it was not.
When she was "pensioned" from the army I used her for practical hunting. And she just LOVED the sound of gunshots...that signaled for her that she would be able to run off and get whatever was shot! So two types of sounds connected to GREAT FUN.
And therefore no problem.

To her thunder and fireworks where a totally different thing.
She would not run and hide, but come and sit close to me (and yes I ignored her).
And yes, she had four great litters!

[Silvia Lindner-Rae]

Genadi, gunfires in the middle of our towns or villages are usally not allowed. If in Austria you fire a shot within 300 metres of housing the police comes and arrests you! You need a licence to own firearms and another licence to fire them. You fire a shot in housing area and both licences are history!

[Trudy Walsh]

Hi Gudrun,
Is your other dog scared of fireworks?
If he is not, keep them together, indoors, with the curtains closed and the tv on. It is important that you do not react to the noise. I know that it is much worse in Iceland than almost anywhere else. It is like continuous machine gun fire. I know that Jona hates it too.
Take care and have a great New Year.
Trudy

[Guðrún Dögg]

Hi
Yes my other two are afraid of this but not paranoied. They didn't react about those few my neighbours shot but they are very scared on new years eve.
It's very fun for those who love fireworks to be in Iceland during New Year because of all the fireworks but the animals are not big fans of that ;).
Guðrún

[Susan Stone]

Hi Gudrún,
hope you've survived!
I'd ban all fireworks... luckily we only have 30mins to an hour at most at new year, the worst comes around August 1st in Switzerland.
Now enjoy the New Year!
Susan

[Guðrún Dögg]

Thank you all for your advice :D He's more confident now about this longdistant shots but I know he will be scared tonight. We are gonna have guests tonight so I think it will be harder for him to understand everything that's going on but I'll keep him with me and we'll just have a cosy time.