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Treating Dogs with Noise Phobias - A Natural Approach
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Let me say, this is a HOT topic around our house; the 4th of July can be extremely frustrating and traumatic for you & your beloved companions. Many pets, as well as mine, have a legitimate fear of loud noises such as; fireworks, gun shots and thunder.
Below is a summation of extremely useful information pulled from this website: http://www.k9centre.co.uk/fireworks.php please follow the link to read the full report.
Desensitization
This is carried out by using a special therapy CD of fireworks sounds. There is a right way and a wrong way of working with this program. First of all, let's look at how you can make this program successful.
" Desensitization takes time. If you are not prepared to be patient, it will never work. This is not a quick fix, so don't think you can sort this problem out in a day or two. Every dog is different and each one will take it's own time to get used to the sounds. The more fearful or phobic the dog is, the longer it is likely to take
" Get the best CD that you can. It needs to be of good quality and be specially designed to replicate the noises in a steady stream. Continuous noise works far more effectively than a CD with gaps in the noises. Such as those taken at a real fireworks session. After lots of research, one of the best CDs I have come across is "Sounds Scary". This CD is more expensive than some, but it does contain two CDs. One with the noises of fireworks and gunshots, and the other with the noise of rain hail and thunderstorms
Counter-conditioning
This stage is equally important as the desensitization. This is where you are going to change your dog's emotions, so that he associates loud sounds with a pleasant experience.
Anti Anxiety Remedies
DAP
If your dog has reached the stage where his fear has become extreme, or he is phobic about loud sounds, the anxiety levels he is experiencing can prevent him from learning effectively. This can make behavior correction very difficult. The use of pheromone treatment can help in this situation. The Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) has been found to help relax and reduce anxiety levels in dogs that experience sound phobias.
Now for the science part! The pheromones produced mimic the pheromones that the dog's mother produced when she had her puppies. The dog's specially developed nasal organs carry this message to the area of the brain (hypothalamus) that detects pheromones and controls social behaviors. The brain stores this pheromone memory and decodes it as a safe environment, thus helping the relaxation process.
The DAP comes as a diffuser which should be plugged in to the room where you are doing your training and as close as possible to where your dog rests. It is completely safe and will not interact with any medication that your dog might be on.
Herbal Remedies
- Scullcap and Valerian tablets are a traditional herbal remedy for relief of anxiety, nervousness and even excitability. They are also used for dogs that suffer from travel sickness. They help promote calm, and relax dogs (and cats) suffering from apprehension or phobias.
- Valerian Compound is a liquid concentrate that acts quickly for short term "over the top" or fearful behavior.
Flower Essences
- Dr Petals "Fears" is an organic mix of traditional Dr Bach flower essences. "Fears" helps animals cope emotionally with traumatic events. Flower remedies are reported to be the safest form of natural remedy you can take.
- Dr Bach "Rock Rose" can be used on animals that experience complete terror and panic
- Cherry Plum" is for animals that have uncontrollable behaviors, extreme fear and recurring phobias.
- Aspen" is for apprehensive animals that have a fear of unknown things, to help restore courage.
Homeopathy
- Aconite" can be given to dogs that have been badly frightened. It can help dogs that are afraid of thunder.
- Borax" is for dogs that are frightened of sudden noises. It can be useful for gun-shy dogs
- Gelsemium" is for fear and anxiety. It is useful for dogs that panic at loud sounds, trembling and shaking. Also useful for dogs frightened by traveling in the car.
A NOTE ABOUT DRUGS:
Drugs DO NOT take away the fear, they only make it so your pet cannot respond to the fear. Avoid using drugs if possible!
If you are considering drug therapy it is important that the medication does not lead to sedation, so that your dog can still function and be able to hide or escape if he feels the need to. Until recently, Acepromazine (ACP) (a pre-med sedative) was commonly used as a tranquilliser. As a pre-med before surgery it is an effective drug, but thankfully most vets now avoid use of this drug for the treatment of fears, phobias or aggression. Any drug that sedates your dog in a way that makes him so drowsy he can't walk must be avoided, as this can cause an increase of the fear. Think about how you would feel if you were put in a situation where you were so drugged that you could not escape from something that you thought was going to do you serious harm. With these drugs, the dog may seem relaxed, but in fact, though not in control of his faculties, he is still very mentally aware of what is going on around him!
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