[Dailydrool] Happy 4th of July - Training and Fear

[Saraberry at aol.com]

Hi all*
 
I had a bad allergy attack last night and ended up missing the Waddle in  
Novato today.  :(  Dern.
 
But I feel good enough to type and wanted to send an email about fear,  
training and 4th of July.
 
Many dogs are or become frightened today due to the sounds of  fireworks.  If 
you have a dog that is already frightened, you probably want  to provide a 
nice quiet, comfortable crate, some soothing music to drown out the  scary 
sounds and even a blanket or towel over the crate to provide additional  sound 
dampening.
 
It is also ok to comfort a fearful dog.  It won't make the fear any  worse 
and will give them support if they have fear.
 
But if you have a dog or puppy that is new to you and they don't have any  
fear that you know of, then tonight is a great night to plan to have high value  
treats available like chicken or cheese or hotdog pieces from the grill.   
Remember, the high value treat doesn't have to be half of a hotdog, but can be  
tiny pieces, like to cut the hotdog or chicken strip lengthwise into 4ths or  
8ths and then chop into tiny bites.  You can sit and watch fireworks and  each 
time one goes off, treat and praise your dog or puppy.  If at anytime  they 
become fearful and especially if they won't take a treat, then get them  inside 
to a crate as above.  But odds are that they will pair the sounds  and sights 
with good yummy treats and whenever your dog hears a loud sound they  will 
think of good things!
 
Have fun*
 
Sara Watson, CTC
Bluefence Bassets
SFSPCA Behavioral & Training Intern
 



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