Don't throw your pup to the Wolves!
PSA: YOU HAVE TIME TO GET YOUR PUP READY FOR JULY 4th!
I hate Fireworks! This July 4th might be your puppy's first time hearing major displays, depending upon where you live. First off, NEVER take them to a 4th of July display, like NEVER! Thinking ahead what can you do to help prepare them for the loudest day of the year? Do you wait until the day of and let them freak out? and potentially have them generalize scary noises later or become sound phobic? Or will you be pro-active and try to help lessen their experience?
BC pups are often one trial learners both good and bad-if you can avoid them having BIG negative experiences while they are puppies (& as adults), or help them have a different CER (conditioned emotional response) to something that can be scary (like me playing games with baby pups of banging on things and tossing metal bowls for them daily while growing up here) they are more likely to get through it with Your SUPPORT. Comforting your pup or making them feel safe when they are afraid of anything, does not reinforce fear-it gives your pup a feeling of support. Whether sounds or socializing your pup in general-throwing them to the Wolves does NOT help them to learn how to "deal with it".
Pairing the fun and rewarding play/games/tug you have built with your pup (not "training") with Huge Thunderstorms as they roll in and are occurring, helps them to get through it. If they don't want to engage, just comforting them might help or let them choose a safe place. Providing a safe space, or keeping them engaged can help to change their emotional response to what could be scary.
So what if your pup has already had a bad sound-related incident? In the aftermath of a bad experience, taking it slow and building fun/calm into where there was fear, can also help your pup. My young dog was in a crate in my Jeep, when it was hit-n-run in a store parking lot. I couldn't control that experience for her and it was very unexpected. At 10 months that sound/experience of impact and being dragged was strong for her. Soon thereafter I noticed a reaction to similar percussive impact type noises, while out and about or at class. We have worked on a CER + to that type of noise over the last few months, just in case. Once in awhile I see a stress reaction to a similar sound, but when I first saw how the impact had affected her, we worked on pairing a different reaction so that her stress (cortisol) reaction was lessened and she didn't pattern it. Control Unleashed games like "Up/Down" also work well in this context.
For some people they may not see the need for all this and expect their pups to get over it. If all of this seems like too much effort to get out of your comfy chair and you are a wait & see type, don't blame your pup later if they show signs of fear in the future. Some dogs/breeds like Border Collies are more prone to developing sound related fears-but at least we can TRY to not let that happen. Dogs have an incredible sense of hearing! Hill dogs were bred to have a keen sense of hearing, so can we blame them? While some sound sensitivity can be a genetic predilection, I believe that in a pup who shows no sound worry prior to a big event, I feel their response is from bad experiences (some we may not even realize have happened). Admittedly BC's are weird! Their quirkiness is part of what I love about them, but we also have to ty to read their minds to figure out the "why" sometimes. A pup with a high startle response is one I would be even more proactive about sounds/CER work with, before anything major happens.
If you aren't sure what steps to take, consulting with a behavioral trainer who uses a positive approach and methodology with relaxation protocols (thank you Dr Karen Overall) and can help you learn how to create a positively conditioned response to "scary" stuff, is key. Our pups rely upon us and trust us to help them navigate through their new world.
Check it out!
https://clicketysplitdogtraining.com/puppy-firsts-fireworks/
