Dogs and Fireworks: How to Make the Best out of a Potentially Volatile Situation (07/03/06)
The cutesy TV series Love, American Style premiered during the late 1960s. It was typical of the sort of those not-so-subtle allusions to the sexual revolution of that time-- not again seen until Clairol Herbal Essence launched those inane "organic" experiences of women climaxing while washing their hair. The show's credits opened with fireworks of the "ooohing and aahhing" variety. But even with the volume turned up, they don't hold a (Roman) candle to what we and our dogs are forced to hear tonight, this Independence Day Eve.
Factoid: As we grow older, our hearing ability decreases to the point where now a line of cell phone ringers (aimed at teenagers trying to circumvent school regulations, for instance) operate at frequencies that most adults cannot hear.
Auditory deterioration is actually a part of the natural aging process-- as well as, in many cases-- are the effects of long-term or acute exposure to loud noise. Younger people can still hear the higher pitched tones that have already dropped out of most middle-aged adults' aural repertoires. Therefore, kids can use their phones while adults remain clueless, confirming what they already claim is true of us "gummers"-- that we are clueless.
Not so true for dogs. Their hearing is acute-- in fact more so than that of younger humans. Think high pitched dog whistles, especially the highs ("Whistling Petes"?) which are the first to go in human beings.
Ergo, because they're uber-sensitive to sounds, many dogs freak out over the Fourth of July, while their humans wring their hands and bandy ideas about how to prevent their beloved companions from suffering nervous breakdowns. On the cairn-list, a Yahoo e-mail group of which I am a member, there have been quite a few posts on the subject.
This entry, I hope, will serve as an idea-clearinghouse for those whose dogs do not wish to celebrate Independence Day in the same fashion as those humans who find pleasure in rupturing their eardrums in the name of patriotism.
For those of you with puppies, this is where you will truly realize the value of crate training. During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, your dog may appreciate a haven into which he or she can retreat-- with a treat. Prevention really is best. Then you wouldn't be frantically looking for ways to fix the problem, would you now?
I'll start with what I did when Maggie and Geordie first came to live with us-- only to discover that 1) Maggie remains relatively unruffled by fireworks and 2) Geordie actually enjoys them-- to the point of my having to walk him around the neighborhood to check out all the mini-displays. In fact, one 4th, he spent a good fifteen minutes sitting on the lap of a three-year-old girl enjoying ground bloom flowers and bottle rockets. However, nobody has ever claimed that he was a normal dog.
Here was my prescription for a safe and IQ-enhancing July Fourth.
First I placed each in his and her respective crate in the living room. I turned on the stereo and played a continuous loop of Mozart. The CD included Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, excerpts from The Jupiter Symphony (Symphony No. 41 in C Major), and other assorted snippets from Wolfgang Amadeus. I avoided Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and any music from John Cage.
Other possible choices:
1) Brahms' Symphonies.
2) Ralph Vaughn Williams' Orchestra Works. (They might calm you down and you can turn up the volume.)
3) Bach's Brandenburg Concerti. Any.
4)Pachelbel's Canon in D Major -- It could have a hypnotic effect on your dog-- especially if played ad infinitum. If you aren't totally sick of it or haven't attended too many weddings lately, this may be the ticket.
5) Any of Wagner's operas should drown out any noise from outside.
6) If you've got your heart set on Americana, try Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring or Billy the Kid. Avoid Fanfare for the Common Man, as the percussion can be as jarring as a firecracker.
7) Anything by P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) Okay. I am kidding. Except maybe for his "Safe" Sextet or Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycle, and Balloons.
You can get streaming audio on your computer, so take advantage of that. Again, KBPS-FM All-Classical, although you do risk a Sousa march or two, does offer streaming audio. This is the first level of staving off this problem.
(As I type this, someone is setting off some firecrackers. It sounds as if a building is imploding. Geordie raised his head momentarily and resumed his nap. He is not deaf, either. He can hear the popcorn popper being taken off its shelf while two rooms away.)
When Music Doesn't Cut It:
1) Some people have reported having had success with such over-the-counter homeopathic or Bach Flower remedies such as Rescue Remedy or Pet Calm Forte or a number of other herbal products that claim to have a sedative effect on anxious pets. both of which you can buy online or at your local outlets for natural foods and herbs or sometimes even in the health food section of your local grocery store.
2) Benadryl (or generic) may make your dog just drowsy enough. Figure a miligram per pound. One children's chewable is 12.5 mg-- perfect for a 12 or 13-pound dog.
3) In cases of truly wigged out dogs, you may be able to obtain anti-anxiolytic medications such as Valium or that palindrome of chill-pills, Xanax. If prescribed, follow dosage carefully and administer before the onset of the "festive" noises.
4) There are CDs and books available that are supposed to assist you in treating your sound-phobic canine. Sounds Scary is a preventative treatment and not a "crash course," so it's something to consider for the future, perhaps.
No-Brainer Advice: Keep your dog indoors after pottying him or her before the pyrotechnics begin in earnest. Close any curtains and windows.
6) Take your dog to bed with you where both of you can hide under the covers. This obviously works better with a Cairn terrier than with a Dogue de Bordeaux.
and finally, know that This Too Shall Pass. . .
OUT. . .
Happy Fourth-- Be Safe-- Don't Blow Yourselves Up.
Jill, Magnificat, GeordzFredericHandel
Factoid: As we grow older, our hearing ability decreases to the point where now a line of cell phone ringers (aimed at teenagers trying to circumvent school regulations, for instance) operate at frequencies that most adults cannot hear.
Auditory deterioration is actually a part of the natural aging process-- as well as, in many cases-- are the effects of long-term or acute exposure to loud noise. Younger people can still hear the higher pitched tones that have already dropped out of most middle-aged adults' aural repertoires. Therefore, kids can use their phones while adults remain clueless, confirming what they already claim is true of us "gummers"-- that we are clueless.
Not so true for dogs. Their hearing is acute-- in fact more so than that of younger humans. Think high pitched dog whistles, especially the highs ("Whistling Petes"?) which are the first to go in human beings.
Ergo, because they're uber-sensitive to sounds, many dogs freak out over the Fourth of July, while their humans wring their hands and bandy ideas about how to prevent their beloved companions from suffering nervous breakdowns. On the cairn-list, a Yahoo e-mail group of which I am a member, there have been quite a few posts on the subject.
This entry, I hope, will serve as an idea-clearinghouse for those whose dogs do not wish to celebrate Independence Day in the same fashion as those humans who find pleasure in rupturing their eardrums in the name of patriotism.
For those of you with puppies, this is where you will truly realize the value of crate training. During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, your dog may appreciate a haven into which he or she can retreat-- with a treat. Prevention really is best. Then you wouldn't be frantically looking for ways to fix the problem, would you now?
I'll start with what I did when Maggie and Geordie first came to live with us-- only to discover that 1) Maggie remains relatively unruffled by fireworks and 2) Geordie actually enjoys them-- to the point of my having to walk him around the neighborhood to check out all the mini-displays. In fact, one 4th, he spent a good fifteen minutes sitting on the lap of a three-year-old girl enjoying ground bloom flowers and bottle rockets. However, nobody has ever claimed that he was a normal dog.
Here was my prescription for a safe and IQ-enhancing July Fourth.
First I placed each in his and her respective crate in the living room. I turned on the stereo and played a continuous loop of Mozart. The CD included Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, excerpts from The Jupiter Symphony (Symphony No. 41 in C Major), and other assorted snippets from Wolfgang Amadeus. I avoided Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and any music from John Cage.
Other possible choices:
1) Brahms' Symphonies.
2) Ralph Vaughn Williams' Orchestra Works. (They might calm you down and you can turn up the volume.)
3) Bach's Brandenburg Concerti. Any.
4)Pachelbel's Canon in D Major -- It could have a hypnotic effect on your dog-- especially if played ad infinitum. If you aren't totally sick of it or haven't attended too many weddings lately, this may be the ticket.
5) Any of Wagner's operas should drown out any noise from outside.
6) If you've got your heart set on Americana, try Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring or Billy the Kid. Avoid Fanfare for the Common Man, as the percussion can be as jarring as a firecracker.
7) Anything by P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) Okay. I am kidding. Except maybe for his "Safe" Sextet or Pervertimento for Bagpipes, Bicycle, and Balloons.
You can get streaming audio on your computer, so take advantage of that. Again, KBPS-FM All-Classical, although you do risk a Sousa march or two, does offer streaming audio. This is the first level of staving off this problem.
(As I type this, someone is setting off some firecrackers. It sounds as if a building is imploding. Geordie raised his head momentarily and resumed his nap. He is not deaf, either. He can hear the popcorn popper being taken off its shelf while two rooms away.)
When Music Doesn't Cut It:
1) Some people have reported having had success with such over-the-counter homeopathic or Bach Flower remedies such as Rescue Remedy or Pet Calm Forte or a number of other herbal products that claim to have a sedative effect on anxious pets. both of which you can buy online or at your local outlets for natural foods and herbs or sometimes even in the health food section of your local grocery store.
2) Benadryl (or generic) may make your dog just drowsy enough. Figure a miligram per pound. One children's chewable is 12.5 mg-- perfect for a 12 or 13-pound dog.
3) In cases of truly wigged out dogs, you may be able to obtain anti-anxiolytic medications such as Valium or that palindrome of chill-pills, Xanax. If prescribed, follow dosage carefully and administer before the onset of the "festive" noises.
4) There are CDs and books available that are supposed to assist you in treating your sound-phobic canine. Sounds Scary is a preventative treatment and not a "crash course," so it's something to consider for the future, perhaps.
No-Brainer Advice: Keep your dog indoors after pottying him or her before the pyrotechnics begin in earnest. Close any curtains and windows.
6) Take your dog to bed with you where both of you can hide under the covers. This obviously works better with a Cairn terrier than with a Dogue de Bordeaux.
and finally, know that This Too Shall Pass. . .
OUT. . .
Happy Fourth-- Be Safe-- Don't Blow Yourselves Up.
Jill, Magnificat, GeordzFredericHandel
Another Fireworks Antidote
Thanks to Lynda on the cairn-list who suggested that "white noise" could mask the sound of exploding fireworks for phobic dogs.
After sharing her idea with Larry, he mentioned "pink noise," which I immediately set to Googling. "Pink noise" is a actually a form of filtered white noise that is more soothing to the ear than "white noise" because it's muffled. It is just as effective and less jarring. "Red noise" and "brown noise" (not to be confused with brown nose) are even easier on the ears but less effective in screening out the undesireable snap, crackle, and pop of fireworks. Could work well on Rice Krispies, though.
There are a number of machines that generate white and pink noise, but way less expensive are the white noise-type CDs. There are also a number of other selections which mimic steady winds, a babbling brook, the surf, gentle rain, etc.
There would be quite a market if someone could develop a set of wireless earphones/headphones that dogs would tolerate. Sort of like "Doggles" for the ears.
As the day progresses, I hear that white noise machines and such have a limited effect on many sound-phobic canines.
Jill, MagaPhone, Geordicanyouhearme?
After sharing her idea with Larry, he mentioned "pink noise," which I immediately set to Googling. "Pink noise" is a actually a form of filtered white noise that is more soothing to the ear than "white noise" because it's muffled. It is just as effective and less jarring. "Red noise" and "brown noise" (not to be confused with brown nose) are even easier on the ears but less effective in screening out the undesireable snap, crackle, and pop of fireworks. Could work well on Rice Krispies, though.
There are a number of machines that generate white and pink noise, but way less expensive are the white noise-type CDs. There are also a number of other selections which mimic steady winds, a babbling brook, the surf, gentle rain, etc.
There would be quite a market if someone could develop a set of wireless earphones/headphones that dogs would tolerate. Sort of like "Doggles" for the ears.
As the day progresses, I hear that white noise machines and such have a limited effect on many sound-phobic canines.
Jill, MagaPhone, Geordicanyouhearme?
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