Weird Day

[Yoshi]

Well finally got the disco fixed and back out the front of me house, thankfully only push rods and the belt were [!Expletive Deleted!]!

The slightly weird thing though, i took me dog to the vets and whilst in there i asked if there was anything i could do to get him to calm down during fireworks.  So the vet put him on Diazopam lol

Me dogs a druggie!!!

[thermidorthelobster]

Ah, the old doggie downers.  We put our retriever on them one year and he was totally off the planet for about 3 days!  Looked more like a bloodhound!

[barmiebrumie]

We used to have a German shepard some years ago & she was on them every year when the fireworks started & she lived till she was nearly fifteen  :shock:

[Yoshi]

Well mine is a german shepherd and the barking at fireworks at 2am is starting to get to me!!!

Luckily the neighbours know its the fireworks that are setting him off as he doesnt bark indoors much.

[Yoshi]

Well i am gonna give him the pills tomorrow night and see if they have the same affect.  So far havent heard 1 firework!!  I know it wasnt the outcome that was anticipated, but hey ho!

[The Ant Hill Mob]

If you don't want drugs that go into the dog, you can get something that looks like a glade plug-in that's known as a DAP (or Dog Appeasing Pheremone)  Apparently it smells like a mummy dog, and calms your dog down.  We didn't think ours was working, until it ran out, and they started Woofing at every little thing going on in the street.  Think it's time to pop into the vet's on Monday, since the clocks go back Saturday/Sunday it will be dark by the time I get home from work.

It's about time they banned the sale of fireworks, and limited them to licence holders for public displays only.  Every year you hear of horror stories where some little !expletive deleted! thinks it's funny to attach some type of firework to a cat or dog.
Think those who think it's funny to do this ought to have a banger shoved up their bum.  Bet they'd never do it again.
 :twisted:

[SWEETY]

If you don't want drugs that go into the dog, you can get something that looks like a glade plug-in that's known as a DAP (or Dog Appeasing Pheremone)  Apparently it smells like a mummy dog, and calms your dog down.

I could'nt have one of them as my 2 lads would spend all day tring to have pups with it :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
! of ours hates fireworks with a passion so we make him a little den fron an old box & put it up stairs in our room or 1 of the kids rooms where he has been hiding on the run up to the night. It seems to take the edge off a bit. His brother on the other hand will happily sit out side & watch them :roll:

[Range Rover Red]

It's about time they banned the sale of fireworks, and limited them to licence holders for public displays only.  Every year you hear of horror stories where some little !expletive deleted! thinks it's funny to attach some type of firework to a cat or dog.
Think those who think it's funny to do this ought to have a banger shoved up their bum.  Bet they'd never do it again.
 :twisted:

 =D> =D> =D> Couldn't agree more.

[hrh_dave]

Mine is a a brilliant dog around fireworks, has never minded them at all though she is a working gun dog when she can be bothered....

[Evilgoat]

Mine is a a brilliant dog around fireworks, has never minded them at all though she is a working gun dog when she can be bothered....

Dont know how Saffy will react, given the only thing that seems to fase her is me making silly noises at her I dont think it'll bother her.

The Pheramone thing sounds like a good idea though, might helkp the seperation anxiety, where to they come from?

[Yoshi]

The pheramone thing only works if you start it a few weeks before the fireworks begin in order to get the dog used to it being there.

I dont mind giving him pills, he is on 4 pills a day for life anyway because he has really bad allergic reactions to something (dont know what like) but he takes them no bother.

Only pills i have problems with are the worming ones, cos they are a bit big to go in his dinner!

[The Ant Hill Mob]

The pheromone comes from the vets, it's about £15 for the plug-in thing, and about the same for a refill.  I'd say it takes a couple of days for the thing to work, provided it's plugged in where the dog spends most of it's time (so ours is just outside our bedroom, ready for the 'day shift' when we get out of bed :lol: )  You could probably get this from ebay, but if you're passing the vets, it's worth popping in.

It works by smelling like a mummy dog, not a laydee dog (ie you wouldn't want to make whoopee with your mum).  This generally chills the dog out, one of ours that got wound up was like he was wacky baccy after a few days of this being plugged in.

If you've been told your dog has separation anxiety, make sure it is, and not the dog getting wound up by kids playing football.  If it does have separation anxiety, the best thing to do is have an item of clothing (say a hat) you use when you're walking the dog.  If you leave this out where the dog can see it, it knows you'll be back for it, and it won't panic.  It also helps if you tell the dog where you're going, ours know the difference between 'shopping' (tail down) and 'work' (tail even further down, ears down).  There are all sorts of things you can do to alleviate separation anxiety, if you want a detailed list, PM me and I'll let you know - I could be the fourth trainer at dog borstal (except I'd spend all my time drooling over Mick Martin! :oops: ).

[Evilgoat]

.

If you've been told your dog has separation anxiety, make sure it is, and not the dog getting wound up by kids playing football.  If it does have separation anxiety, the best thing to do is have an item of clothing (say a hat) you use when you're walking the dog.  If you leave this out where the dog can see it, it knows you'll be back for it, and it won't panic.  It also helps if you tell the dog where you're going, ours know the difference between 'shopping' (tail down) and 'work' (tail even further down, ears down).  There are all sorts of things you can do to alleviate separation anxiety, if you want a detailed list, PM me and I'll let you know - I could be the fourth trainer at dog borstal (except I'd spend all my time drooling over Mick Martin! :oops: ).

We arent sure just yet wether its seperation anxiety or boredom/normal Husky behaviour. the problem is her trying to call her 'pack' back together after we leave. I dont know if you've heard a husky howl but the noise skips the rest of the brain and goes right for the 'inner lizzard' at the top of your neck. Its not loud, its just deeply unsettling to hear her howl in anger.

Yes we've eaten a curtain and a bit of carpet while we have been out, but over 4 months thats not that bad for a puppy.

[thermidorthelobster]

Yes we've eaten a curtain and a bit of carpet while we have been out

I'm not surprised the dog has issues if that's the example the owners are setting  :lol:

[The Ant Hill Mob]

You ought to have seen yesterday's dog borstal, that had a husky with similar problems.  Huskies don't really make good pets, (too pack oriented), nor do border collies (I'd never have a dog brighter than me).

All the husky is doing is trying to get the pack back together, in the middle of a siberian snowstorm that howl is guaranteed to get the pack back together again.  In the middle of a suburb, it's likely to get you an ASBO (as the couple on DB had).

Best thing to do is buy a large dog crate, or very sturdy child's playpen, that the dog will go into when you're out.  If you watched Dog Borstal, you'll know what's coming next.  Go through your normal routine for going out, and when the dog starts, go back in, shout 'NO!' (like you really mean business), and give the dog a squirt of water out of a drinks bottle.  The dog will soon associate the Howl with the NO! and a rather unpleasant wetting of the nose.  Huskies are very clever, and she'll soon learn.  The best thing you could do is get another dog as company for her, as it's bordering on cruel to keep a husky on its own - they are pack dogs through and through.  Remember to put some toys and a bowl of water into the playpen,  things to keep her amused whilst you're out.

You need to try and stop the behaviour now, as you've pointed out, a husky's howl goes straight to the bit of the brain associated with 'fear' in primitive man, and unless you get it through to the dog that howling is not acceptable (unless asked for), you'll have lots of trouble.

You should also never use a rattle bottle or training discs in an enclosed area, the fear reaction it invokes in the dog may cause the dog to bite - the fight or flight reaction comes into play, and the dog can't run away, so it will bite.  Don't get yourself bitten!

Ive grown up with big dogs - can you tell :?:

[Welshbreed]

My parents dogs are quite funny with fireworks. Some of them just bark at the noise, others just realise it's going to happen for a while and don't bother getting up, and most just jump around in their cages (have to many to keep in the house at same time, so we have a kennel block and about 20 dogs all Tibetan Terriers)

Used to have a colly, who was scared of every loud noise, would run and bark under the kitchen table, then legg it to hide under the nearest bed it could find. poor lass.

If ur interested in what a tibettan looks like... here's a picture of a decendant of one of my mum's dogs.

[Evilgoat]

You ought to have seen yesterday's dog borstal, that had a husky with similar problems.  Huskies don't really make good pets, (too pack oriented), nor do border collies (I'd never have a dog brighter than me).

I'd perhaps not go as far as not making good pets but I wouldnt have had her as my first dog, theres a fair few 'issues' already tackled which would cause a new owner problems. As for border collies, mum and dad have two from working stock and they lead them a merry dance :) Saffy isnt so much intellegent as downright sneaky ;)

Best thing to do is buy a large dog crate, or very sturdy child's playpen, that the dog will go into when you're out.  If you watched Dog Borstal, you'll know what's coming next.  Go through your normal routine for going out, and when the dog starts, go back in, shout 'NO!' (like you really mean business), and give the dog a squirt of water out of a drinks bottle.  The dog will soon associate the Howl with the NO! and a rather unpleasant wetting of the nose.  Huskies are very clever, and she'll soon learn.

Wont work. Water is fun and to be enjoyed at all times, as evidenced by the waterfight had with her the other day. Blasted with the hose to stop her trip to auz via my flowerbed and it all got very messy and ended up with a very tired, soggy dog. BUT the telling off thing may be worth a go. We've been taking her on long walks before we go to work and I need to ask and see if she's been better this week,

 The best thing you could do is get another dog as company for her, as it's bordering on cruel to keep a husky on its own - they are pack dogs through and through.  Remember to put some toys and a bowl of water into the playpen,  things to keep her amused whilst you're out.

Again, done, more leading me to think its not SA. The idea of another dog is tempting, especially as Thomas (Dads collie) is a complete pain in the bum but together they seem to behave reasonably well. Shes quite a submissive dog too so I'm thinking it may well be a dog a little older than her and not another Husky (1 is enough)

We'll get there in time, given other Huskies and Mals I' have known she's an angel. And she's still under a year old so theres a lot of growing up still going on. We seem to have accepted the groundrules of the house and the potty problems seemed to be laziness, fingers crossed we have them sorted now.

[The Ant Hill Mob]

Be warned, if you do get another dog, there will be territorial squabbles.  I don't like to see dogs kept on their own (even if there's someone in all the time), so we got Max a few months after we inherited Bracken.  Once she realised he was here to stay, she pinched all his toys, one by one they ended up in her bed.  As he was kept downstairs for the first couple of weeks until he'd got the house training thing sorted, Bracken thought OK, if he's having the downstairs, the upstairs is MINE.  A Poo-ing contest ensued, which Bracken won, being the larger bore (and downright stinkier) than Max.  
Strangely enough, when I'm in, Bracken is Top Dog (Andy and I being Alpha Male & Female).  When I'm not about to defend her when things go a bit too far, he's Top Dog.  
If the dogs do decide to commence the battle of the Turds, you can get some great stuff that goes onto the carpet (clean up the poo,and put this where the poo was).  Dries quickly, and disinfects and deodorises anything that's got into the carpet.  Great stuff if you've got anklebiters running around as well.  Great stuff, think we got it from one of the big pet shops, it's called something like 'simple solution'
As long as a dog understands it's below the hamster in the pecking order, it'll be a happy dog.  Most problems you see on 'Dog Borstal' or 'Its me or the dog' are normally because the dog is programmed to try and be alpha male / female, as these are the breeders - the biological imperitive to breed.  However, it's quite stressful for the dog, you've to keep your pack safe, keep them fed, keep outsiders out, and keep the rest of the pack (ie the humans) in their place.  Once they realise they're NOT top dogs - really easy when you know what you're doing, they're a lot happier.

Sounds like once she's figured out howling's not allowed, you'll have a fantastic dog, especially because she's a husky.

by the way, if water is a big game for her (like it is with Max), try compressed air.  Dogs generally hate the hissing noise it makes, they associate it with Sssssssnakesssss, which are generally to be avoided at all costs.  If you use air, do it by her nose, never in her ears, it will hurt and can damage their hearing.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Keep slugs. They don't bite nor do they have pack squabbles. Definately steer clear of horses.
I'm not a big fan of fireworks. Do you think the GP would give me some 'happy pills' if I told him that? Mind you, there are lots of things I don't like, like slugs. I'm going back into my garage now. It is safe in there.

[crazymac]

My dog has been terrified with the bangs etc this time of year ever since she was a pup, but last year we noticed that she wasn't reacting at all to them??

So I started trying to find out why?? She's gone deaf!!! so now a lot calmer at this time of year :)

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

My dog has been terrified with the bangs etc this time of year ever since she was a pup, but last year we noticed that she wasn't reacting at all to them??

So I started trying to find out why?? She's gone deaf!!! so now a lot calmer at this time of year :)

My wife has also been terrified of bangs for years :shock: