Fireworks, Thunder, and Pig's Ears

Sasha on a mouse hunt

Sasha, our first dog, was normally calm and confident, but fireworks and gunshots had her shaking in terror. Nothing I did helped. In desperation, I tried a radical-sounding idea. At the first hint of scary noise, I announced in a cheerful voice, “It’s party time!” I put on lively music, and pulled her favorite treat out of the pantry – a pig’s ear! The first time, Sasha lay in front of her untouched pig’s ear, shaking, while our shepherd mix happily gnawed hers. The second time, Sasha took a few experimental licks of her pig’s ear. Next time she chewed on it distractedly. After a few more incidents, Sasha was sitting at the pantry door awaiting her pig’s ear before I heard the first sound. She never loved loud noises, but she was never again overwhelmed. Systematic desensitizing programs are designed to reduce fear. "Party Time" introduces positive emotions instead (my happy attitude and the pleasure of a special treat). We later discovered that Sasha had a particularly good reason for her terror. A routine pre-surgery chest ex-ray showed a shotgun pellet in her chest! (Her previous owner had let her run loose.) Note: I have heard since that pig’s ears aren’t healthy. You just need a primo treat or bone that lasts a while.

More Resources:
Carolina Westlund studies Animal Emotions, and teaches a fantastic on-line course on the topic. This blog entry contains practical advice that can also be applied to horses. Eliminating Fireworks and Thunder Phobia in Dogs

My article focuses on horses, with a variety of suggestions from trainers and owners who have successfully helped horses with fear of fireworks. Fireworks! Be Ready