Is it ok to comfort my dog when fireworks are
happening?

Is a question that is always asked at this time of year, by worried dog owners that are concerned about their dogs.

They are concerned that they will accidentally reward and reinforce their dogs fears and make them worse.

Will giving my dog a hug make them more worried?

You will still see advice coming from well-meaning owners and even some experts.

That you must ignore your dog and carry on your evening, like it isn’t happening.

There is some truth in this, don’t make a drama out fo the situation.

I don’t want no jumping up of the sofa, screaming blue murder and you being a drama queen.

No rushing to the window at the first bang and watching them from inside.

Yeah this will cause problems, but I know you won’t do this will you…

I have been there, I know what you are going through

Tye was my big dude, that was over 7 stone was so worried by fireworks

I was advised to ignore him when he was showing signs of stress

Carry on like nothing was happening

It just didn’t feel right, it sat uneasy with me

He felt safe when he sat close to me, or on my lap.

Behaviours can be reinforced with operant conditioning.

Emotions can’t be reinforced.

Fear isn’t a behaviour, it is an emotion.

It can not be reinforced.

Look at the dog in front of you

Because what worked for the dog down the road, won’t be the same solution for your dog.

If your dog just sleeps, let sleeping dogs lie.

If your dog is aware of the noise and will take food do some training, provide with a Kong or natural chew.

If they just want to be close, help them feel safe and secure.

I will go into more detail the plans for fireworks night (and the surrounding weeks) in my blog here

With what I do with my dogs to set us up for success