2008.01.10
Lights in the sky
We're a pretty sedate bunch around my house. On New Year's Eve, my husband and I were already dozing at the 11 p.m. news. My 21-year-old daughter watched the ball drop in Times Square on television, and then let the dogs out just after midnight.
We may regret that for a long time.
From our home in northern Roanoke County, we were treated to the sights and sounds of the New Year's fireworks display in Vinton. Dexter is afraid of fireworks, and our newest dog, Coral, became absolutely panicked at the loud noises and bright lights.
Now she all but refuses to go out the patio door at night, requiring a walk upstairs to the door that leads to the deck and then down the deck stairs to the yard for her pre-bedtime potty break. The entire time she is in the yard after dark she seems very nervous.
I understand a phobia like this is in dogs is very hard to treat. According to animal expert Steve Dale, our best bet is an anti-anxiety drug. But I really hesitate to give my pets drugs, especially mood altering drugs. I gave anti-anxiety pills to my daughter's cat when we moved from Nashville to Roanoke, and it was awful. She was like a mean drunk who cried for seven solid hours in the car.
I am sure many of you have dealt with fear and anxiety in pets. What's worked for you, and what hasn't?
Pooch looks to you as Alpha...so lead the way! Our two-year-old yellow lab/golden retriever mix is a bit skittish around new things and sudden noises. Unfortunately one of the (numerous) problems of living in a suburban area is the constant requirement to have the dog on a leash. So he doesn't get to explore the countryside like a "real" dog would. In the end, he's pretty new to the world all the time.
He'll carefully investigate trash cans and anything new that appears in the neighborhood that wasn't there before. While I applaude his general careful inspection, he is a bit too skittish (he'll get a bit jumpy if a distant car door closes or if I bump the trash can he's inspecting).
So, if there is something new (he is especially wary at night), I'll lead the way to investigate. I'll walk up to it and take an interest in it..looking it over, touching it, etc. He'll follow my lead and investigate himself. I'll bump it a bit and show him where I'm bumping so he'll know where the noise comes from. He is slowly getting better.
Won't solve all of your problems (look at all the phobias people suffer from) but it will help. I would never put any of my animals on a "mood altering" drug. If it came to that, then there is another problem that needs to be addressed.
Comment by Ed S. — January 10, 2008 @ 10:15 pm
There's a lot of truth in what you say, Ed. Pets do take their cues from their leader.
A phobia of fireworks is common in dogs, and logically it's not that big of a concern since fireworks displays are so infrequent. But thunder sounds like fireworks, so this is a problem mostly in the summer.
We deal with Dexter's fear by ignoring the sounds, acting as calmly as possible, and giving him a favorite treat (a little positive association.) We don't soothe him because we want him to realize everything is normal. He usually calms down after a while.
With Coral, she seems to have associated the scary sounds with being outside at night, and with passing through the patio door in the dark. While we don't mind a little extra walking if that makes her feel better, I just don't want it to get worse so she won't go out at night.
She seemed less nervous last night, and even went out the patio door where the original scare occurred. Maybe the cool-and-collected approach is working.
Comment by Nona — January 11, 2008 @ 12:48 pm