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<DIV>Hi all*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I had a bad allergy attack last night and ended up missing the Waddle in
Novato today. :( Dern.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>But I feel good enough to type and wanted to send an email about fear,
training and 4th of July.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Have fun*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sara Watson, CTC</DIV>
<DIV>Bluefence Bassets</DIV>
<DIV>SFSPCA Behavioral & Training Intern</DIV>
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