how to help dog scared of fireworks

New puppy or rescue: what to expect

Welcoming home a new puppy or rescue dog can be overwhelming. There are highs and lows as you and your new family member get to know each other and many new owners find the first weeks to be a difficult adjustment. With this in mind, I wanted to lay out what can be expected when we bring a new dog home, both to help people with what to expect but also to normalise how difficult the adjustment often is.

The first few days

Often, we can be lulled into a false sense of security in those first few days. Our dogs are in a state of acute stress: they have left everything they have ever known and come to a new place, with new people and new smells where nothing is familiar.

This results in our dogs holding everything in. They will often be quiet, sleeping a lot and appear to be very ‘calm’. This is very normal but it’s really important to recognise that this behaviour is not going to be forever. Especially with a young puppy or adolescent dog, they are going to have a lot of carnage to cause when they realise they are home and safe!

Owners will often comment on how settled their dog is and how well they are getting on and feel very positive at this stage.

However, is generally after a week or two that new puppy parents and rescue owners will start to feel overwhelmed by their dog’s behaviours. As they start to decompress and feel safe, they will show more of their personality.

As time goes on…

After a week or two, your dog is feeling safe. They are starting to show more of their personality. They may start barking, jumping up, destroying furniture, toileting inside.

Again, this is normal. Your dog is feeling safe and therefore, they are being themselves. A puppy or rescue has not learnt the rules of your home or how we like them to behave, so they are just doing what comes naturally. It’s important to be mindful of the fact that they are not being bad, they are just being a dog.

However, no matter how much you remind yourself of this fact, it doesn’t always make it any easier to deal with the behaviours that are in front of you. It is at this point that owners will often feel like they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and may start to wonder if a getting a dog was the right decision. Often, these feelings of regret come intermixed with intense feelings of guilt, as we feel awful that we are having these thoughts. This is called the ‘puppy blues’ and again, is totally normal. If you want to read more on this phenomenon, I wrote a blog on the puppy blues.

This means that we’ve got a dog who is behaving badly and we’re feeling overwhelmed, sad and guilty to boot. This is a lot for anyone to manage.

So what can we do?

Go back to training basics. We need to build from the bottom up with ours dogs. Don’t expect too much too soon. If you can teach your dog to respond to their name, how to sit and how to ‘wait’ for a treat, then this is a brilliant place to start. This is the fundamentals of recall, basic obedience and impulse control – really important skills and super easy to start off with! Look for easy wins.

Reward everything. Whenever your dog offers you a behaviour you like, reward it. Sat calmly on the floor? Treat. Didn’t bark when someone walked past? Treat. Went to bed without being asked? Treat. Looked at you on a walk? Treat. Everything that your dog does that you like, reinforce it. This is the only way they will learn what we want from them.

Meet your dog’s needs. Make sure your dog is having all their physical and mental needs met. They need to be getting the right amount of exercise: too much and we risk overstimulating and overtiring them. When we come back from a walk, your dog should be calm; if they aren’t, then it was too much. Mental stimulation is also important.

Remain consistent. Make time every day for training. Practise makes permanent so even a five minute training session is better than nothing and will soon add up! You need to be a source of safety for your dog: your bond is everything.

Reach out to a support network. Don’t do it alone. Speak with friends and family, check in with your trainer. There are also lots of wonderful groups on social media where you can reach out to other puppy owners (just be wary of taking any training advice from here, as often this advice is harmful).

Remain positive. By this I mean, stick to positive reinforcement and don’t be tempted to punish your dog. Remember: there is no bad behaviour, it’s just dog behaviour. Dogs don’t do spite or malice, they are not trying to get a rise out of you. Stick to reinforcing what you do like and eventually, these choices will be made more and more reliably.

Take time for yourself. It’s important to have time away from your dog in these first few weeks. Have them go with a walker, spend time with a neighbour, friend or family member so you can do the things that make you happy without your dog. You can’t pour from an empty cup!

Professional advice

Seeking the help of a qualified trainer or behaviourist can also help enormously when you first bring a dog home. Make sure to seek out an R+ (positive reinforcement) trainer, who uses force-free methods. This is the type of training that is backed by science, where dogs learn through praise and encouragement rather than through fear, pain or intimidation.

I work with clients in person across Bournemouth & Poole but also online with clients across the globe. Click here to drop me a message.

Sighthounds

Sighthounds are a group of super speedy dogs that hunt through speed and sight, rather than scent and endurance like most dogs. Whippets, lurchers and greyhounds are all sighthounds but there are dozens of dog breeds that fall into the sighthound category.

Sighthound ownership

Sighthounds are awesome dogs and make for the best companions. They were bred to catch the quickest and most nimble of prey, such as deer and hares. These dogs are characterised by a flexible spine, long legs to and a deep chest. Sighthounds, and in particular, whippets, are a dog breed that I wholeheartedly recommend for first time owners.

Whilst they are the world’s fastest dog breeds, they do not need a huge amount of exercise. They are like F1 cars: fantastic performance, but not built for long drives! They are the world’s fastest couch potatoes and love nothing more than snuggling up with their humans.

Since they are so lean, sighthounds do feel the cold and this means that they do benefit from wrapping up warm in colder weather, so investing in a dog-jumper is a must for the UK winters.

Since sighthounds are so sight-motivated, they can need more work to proof their recall in the face of prey (squirrels, cats, rabbits) and so benefit from recall work from the very beginning. Many sighthound owners choose to walk their hounds on a longline indefinitely, for peace of mind, but with enough time and consistency, it is possible to teach your sighthound a solid recall.

Anatomy

Their legs are long to give them a long stride, allowing them to move faster, and their chests are deep in order to support their unusually large hearts and very efficient lungs. Sighthound hearts are larger compared to other dogs of similar weights, which equips them for maximum efficiency when it comes to both anaerobic and aerobic sprints. Their lean bodies keep their weight to a minimum, which further increases their speediness.

All of this results in a dog who is very uniquely shaped, when compared to other canines. As such, it can be a struggle to find harnesses that fit comfortably and are escape proof, as catering for their small heads, long legs and barrel-like chests is not what most harnesses have been designed for.

I always recommend owners use a harness over a collar, especially for puppies or rescues, as they distribute the pressure evenly and we aren’t applying any pressure on the delicate area around the neck. As such, this presented a bit of a problem…

Enter: Snootiful Hound.

Snootiful Hound

Snootiful Hound is a small business set up with sighthounds in mind; their main product is a harness designed just for sighthound breeds, catering specifically to their unique body shape to create a harness that is escape-proof, comfortable and stylish. The owner, Maleki, was inspired by his own sighthound, Blondie, a rescue Saluki-mix.

He quickly found out that Blondie had a knack for escaping traditional dog harnesses, and with a bit more research, he found out that it’s actually quite common with sighthound breeds. Their body shape makes it quite easy for them to ‘back out’ of many harnesses and once they’re loose, their speed can make it very difficult to get them safe again.

To address this problem, Maleki set out to design an escape proof harness designed just for sighthound breeds.

363556914_987010949276242_2015906584262303110_n-2

The harness

Firstly, the harness had to be escape proof. Although a sighthound’s unique body shape is what makes them susceptible to slipping out of traditional harnesses, it also helped to come up with an escape proof design.

See, behind the big barrel-y chest, is a very slim waist. By adding a third strap to the harness which tucks behind the chest, it would make it impossible for the harness to slip forward.

But why stop there? Sighthounds have other unique needs too, so it also has extra padding, 5 points of adjustment to get a perfect fit, 2 handles for extra control and more unique features!

Maleki is passionate about sighthounds and does a lot of charity work for local sighthound charities. Due to their use in racing, many greyhounds are discarded when they can no longer race and end up looking for rescue homes, or they risk being put to sleep. 10% of all profits are donated to sighthound charities, so by supporting this small business, you are also supporting the wellbeing of these amazing dogs.

If you have a sighthound, I can wholeheartedly recommend Snootiful Hound’s fantastic range of products. Maleki and I have even been speaking about how to adapt the products with puppies in mind, to make lead walking training comfortable and easy.

You can check out his website here and use code JESSDOGTRAINING10 for 10% off all products.

Dog bites – what you need to know

Did you know there are different levels of dog bite and that a dog doesn’t have to make contact in order to be considered ‘dangerous’ in the eyes of the law? If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be alone.

Dangerous Dogs Act

In May 2014, changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act came into effect. The law now states that that all dog owners are be responsible for their dog’s behaviour – both at home and in public places. Whether you own a large or tiny breed, a friendly or nervous dog, this law applies to all dogs in the UK.

It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, for example:
• In a public place.
• In a private place, such as a neighbour’s house or garden.
• In the owner’s home.

Out of Control Dogs

Generally, if a dog bites a person it will be presumed to have been ‘dangerously out of control’. However, even if the dog does not bite, but gives the person grounds to feel that the dog may injure them, the law still applies. This can include dogs who jump up, bark at people/animals or who ignore their recall.

Bite Levels

Level 1

Dog growls, bares teeth, barks, stares – but no contact is made

Level 2

A single bite but no puncture wound

Level 3

Bite to human – a single bite, with 1-4 punctures, where the bite has the depth of <half a canine or less. Bite to dog – a single bite to the head or back of neck, with 1-4 punctures, where the bite has the depth of <half a canine or less

Level 4

Bite to human – a single bite, with 1-4 punctures, with a depth of > than half a canine, where bruising is evident within 2 days . Bite to dog – a single bite, with 1-4 punctures, with a depth of > than half a canine

Level 5

Multiple bites in one attack, with a depth of > half a canine

Level 6

Fatality

What does this mean?

All of this means that we need to be aware of the law so that we can advocate for our dogs.

Management

This can look like long lines and muzzles. If your dog has poor recall, keep them on lead. If your dog has a bite history and can be unpredictable, muzzle train them and wear one just in case. If your dog is nervous around unknown people and dogs, don’t walk in highly populated areas with them

Training

Recall is an essential skill if you are planning on having your dog off lead – and this means your dog can come back around distractions, be it another dog, a child with a ball or a family with a picnic. Impulse control training is also important so your dog can manage big feelings without needing to react (this helps with jumping up, barking etc). If your dog is reactive, then behavioural training and reconditioning to help them manage their feelings can be essential for their wellbeing and safety.

Socialisation

We’re talking about puppies here. Make sure to give your pup as many positive/neutral experiences around all different types of dogs and people, sights, sounds and smells. This will result in a confident dog who is less likely to respond fearfully to new situations. Click here to read more about socialisation in puppies.

As always, I am here to help. If you have any questions about dog bites, if your dog has bitten or been bitten, or you want to help your dog with recall or reactivity, drop me a message.

Dogs & fireworks

Remember, remember the 5th of November… means lots of dogs are going to be very scared by fireworks. Many dogs struggle to cope with loud, unexpected noises and fireworks are up there with one of the loudest sounds that domesticated dogs will have to cope with.

Firework season is well and truly upon us and with perhaps the biggest firework night of the year just around the corner, I thought it would be useful to offer some tips and insights into how to help your dog cope.

Signs of stress

It’s important to be able recognise the signs that your dog is anxious/scared, as not all dogs show distress in an obvious way. Watch out for: pacing, whale eye, lip licking, drooling, panting, stiff posture, slowly wagging tails (tails may also be held upright) and, of course, barking or howling.

Helping your fearful dog

Try to make sure that your dog has had their needs met on days when you can expect fireworks. A stimulating walk, lots of enrichment (sniffing, licking, chewing activities) and plenty of sleep so that their stress levels are as low as possible before the event may help them to cope.

If you can, try to distract your dog by playing their favourite game with them while the worst of the ‘bangs’ are happening. If they are so fearful that they cannot be distracted, then use a soft, calm voice to soothe them. Dogs are den animals and having a place to retreat to like a covered crate or cosy spot may help to make them feel safer.

You can also try to drown out the sound of fireworks with other noise. Studies have shown that soft rock and reggae music have the most calming effects on dogs (so pop on the Bob Marley!).

Preventing & reconditioning fear

When it comes to dog behaviour, prevention is always better than cure. This means that if you have a young dog or a dog who has never had experience of fireworks, we want to make sure that we habituate them to fireworks.

Alexa, Google and Youtube all have firework tracks freely available. Start off by playing the sounds on the lowest volume, so it is barely audible and your dog pays no attention. Whilst the fireworks are sounding, you want to reward your dog (either with high value treats or through playing with them) so that whilst they hear the sound, they are forming positive associations. You can also have a training session, running through the commands that they know whilst the sounds are playing.

If your dog shows no signs of stress or anxiety (look for the signs mentioned above), then you can increase the volume a notch. If your dog begins to look stressed, drop the volume back down immediately, or turn it off if you need to.

Repeat at your dog’s pace, until the firework sounds are loud enough to mimic the sounds of real fireworks in your neighbourhood, making sure that your dog is comfortable the whole time.

If you do this with a young puppy (who is still within their socialisation period) then you should move through the training very quickly. If you have an older dog or a dog who is already fearful of fireworks, then the training may take several weeks. Training sessions work best in short bursts of 5-10 minutes but it is so important to stop immediately if your dog becomes distressed, as this will only further exacerbate their fears.

To read more about habituation and the importance of it, as well as ideas of what to habituate your puppy with, check out this blog post.

It is also really important not to have your dog outside during fireworks, even if they are okay with them inside the house. Many dogs will escape gardens or injure themselves due to fear and if you are out walking when fireworks go off, dogs are prone to running off in panic and slipping collars and harnesses.

As always, I am here to help. If your dog is becoming distressed during firework season and you don’t feel confident helping them alone, click here to drop me a message.