Gun Dog Forum

i have a male 6 month old lab that is still in basic training. He has only had very slight gun introduction but is doing very well. When working with him he does not shy from the shot and immeadately begain associating it with a bird. I am worried that with the fourth of July fireworks coming that if he hears noises similar to gun shots without seeing birds he will become discouraged. The fireworks are right next door and or quite loud. He will be inside the house but i don't know how he will respond. My friend has a 3 year old lab that is terrified of the noise and he has to use tranquilizers on him so he will not panic. I am wondering if i should do the same or if there is any advice that someone can offer?

Is he crate trained?

if so BEFORE the fire works begin...put him in an inner room and turn the radio on loud enough to block out other noises Not blaring but a compfrtable range...
Closets can be a good place also as the clothes will help muffle the sounds should major displays be closer
Give him a good walk and then Be sure to put him in the crate well Before the displays start and just let him stay there like you have gone for the evening

Don't make a big thing about him being crated ...
if he does still get a bit nervous.. the fireworks are not being related to the field or to birds and they fill the air not like a quick blast of a shot gun

Thanks for the input i had not thought of that. Yes he is creat trained. Do you know if a tranquilizer would hurt a dog in any way?

It won't hurt...
i know quite a few who get doggie downers for the pups for those explosive evenings

Will a downer affect him the next day or how long after do i have to wait to make sure he is in the right state of mind to train?

That really depends on the dog
what kind of tranq was given and how much

I would say just to be safe side maybe the next morning just keep it to excersise just incase he has some lasting effects

It doesnt seem to bother my pointers at all,not even the young ones.I monitored them for a while,and it seems after about 15 minutes they really pay no attention to it at all.

We have always given our dogs that are scared by fireworks half of a benadryl on July 4th and again on New Years Eve. We then put them in their crates with some tunes on as mentioned earlier. Always seems to cool the dogs out for the night, and no side effects that i've ever seen. Good luck

Or try Medicinal Marijuana.Keep plenty of doggy treats on hand though!

I am very much against giving them anything that is just not absolutely necessary. Might cause a problem that he would never get over. An ounce of prevention, I have the same problem with the neighbors here. Just bring them in in the evening.

Pepper

praise the dog everytime fireworks go off tell him good dog and pet him and act like your really happy with him give him some kibble of a favorite snack also just teach him taht that noise is a good thing. do not do any type of training during this time even basic obedience because the dog could be frightened and if he is he will always associate that training with the horrible loud noise that is disrupting his perfect doggy world

DO NOT GIVE THE DOG A TRANQUILIZER YET!!!!!! you should only give it to the dog once you realize he has a bad problem with the fire works like whining and hiding under your bed scratching at the carpet trying to jump through a windo that kind of thing also talk it over with your vet kuz dogs can be allergic to wierd things. i used tto have to give them to my dog for thunderstorms and fourth of july but seriousely dont even consider them until you are 1000% sure thiers a problem and give the tranq to him next time thiers a thunder storm or fire works not this fourth of july

Thanks for all the great input it helped alot. I had never thought of allergies. Sounds like it is best not to give them to him this year and see how he handels it. Thanks again you guys have be a great help.

Grap a dead bird and everytime a fire work goes off throw it at him!