Dog Training - Stop fear of Fireworks + Loud sounds

Introduction

This leaflet will help you to recognise a normal response to fear in your pet. It will help you to determine whether your pet is behaving normally or irrationally. The leaflet will discuss possible causes of abnormal behaviour related to fear and phobia and will suggest ways to manage that behaviour. The therapy provides a step-by-step guide with which to manage your pet’s fear or phobic behaviour. Used correctly and, if necessary, in conjunction with advice from your veterinarian or animal behaviourist, it can help you and your pet regain the confidence that will encourage a more stable and enjoyable pet-owner bond.

What does fear mean for a pet?

Fear is a normal emotion that helps to protect an animal or individual from harm. Fear causes physical changes in the body to prepare it for "fight or flight." Fear is a necessary mechanism for survival. Both animals and humans have natural fear responses that provide ways to survive potentially fatal situations. Such responses include changing demeanour to appear threatening when facing a predator or using sensory capacity to avoiding dangerous situations. Fear only becomes a problem when the fear response is habitually triggered in non-threatening situations. Fear responses in inappropriate circumstances can cause unnecessary stress and, in some cases, have a detrimental effect on overall health.

Pets have the potential to develop irrational fear to things that should not cause a fear response. Depending on the object of fear, the fear response can be ever present causing continual stress for the animal. For example, a pet that is fearful of the doorbell may constantly be coping with his fear, even when the bell is not being activated.

What constitutes a phobia in pets?

A phobia is a state of fear that has reached the point where it is stressful, irrational and detrimental to health. In contrast to fear, it does not aid survival and can be crippling

Using the doorbell as an example, a pet may avoid the front door or lie in front of it excessively, exhibiting obsessive behaviour. If the doorbell rings, the pet may react with erratic behaviour and take a significant length of time to calm down. Fear of the doorbell may limit the pet's participation in other activities and prevent his ability to relax and enjoy the home environment.

What types of things trigger phobia in pets?

Objects, people, noises and situations can all become triggers of phobic behaviour. Humans can typically develop a phobia to a combination of sensory inputs such as the sight of a spider or the thought of flying, whereas pets commonly develop phobias to sudden, sharp or loud noises. Other stimuli can also be the cause of phobia in pets, but their acute sense of hearing is a large reason for sensitivity to noise.

What constitutes a phobia in pets?

A phobia is a state of fear that has reached the point where it is stressful, irrational and detrimental to health. In contrast to fear, it does not aid survival and can be crippling.

Using the doorbell as an example, a pet may avoid the front door or lie in front of it excessively, exhibiting obsessive behaviour. If the doorbell rings, the pet may react with erratic behaviour and take a significant length of time to calm down. Fear of the doorbell may limit the pet's participation in other activities and prevent his ability to relax and enjoy the home environment.

How can I recognise phobic behaviour in my pet?

Phobic reactions are defined by two factors -- intensity and duration. The exact behaviour can vary but the main indicator is that the pet's reaction will be disproportionate in scale to the trigger or situation both in terms of the extreme behaviour and the length of time for which the pet reacts. Triggers can also be cumulative. One sound such as a car can trigger a minor reaction, but followed by the sound of a bouncing ball the reaction can intensify, and so on. In these cases, the pet can exhibit phobic responses to sounds that were not initially a trigger. A pet can also develop contextual phobias and exhibit a fear of certain locations, weather, or anything related to a trigger or group of triggers. This contextual association can contribute to a pet's debilitation over time

Why do pets develop irrational fear and phobias?

Pets have a limited ability to cope with new situations, as do humans. Genetics play an important part in this ability to cope with environmental sensory stimuli. Different breeds vary in their cognitive capabilities and behavioural characteristics. Behavioural patterns can be learned in puppy-hood and modelled after those seen in the parents. These behaviours are the result of "nurture" rather than "nature".

What exacerbates fear and phobias?

Puppies can be influenced in the womb by stress mechanisms occurring in the mother, and a puppy's risk of developing fearful behaviour is exacerbated by parents that exhibit such tendencies. If either parent has known triggers, especially if the puppy may have learned behavioural reactions to such triggers, it is reasonable to assume that a puppy will react in similar ways to similar triggers.

Environmental Factors

The environment plays a key role in pet behaviour. Hostile environments and traumatic events are obvious possible causes of fearful reactions and erratic behaviour. However, lack of experience with these environmental factors, or even worse, isolation because of an owner’s fear of an undesirable reaction will lead to a cycle of poor behaviour. This cycle leads to fear and phobia in the pet. It is therefore critical that, from a young age, a pet is exposed to as wide a variety of environments, people, animals, objects and noises as possible. The young pet will not only experience a broad range of possible triggers and frightening situations, but more importantly, the pet will be given the opportunity to overcome fear and develop coping mechanisms before that fear can become extreme. This strategy of early and extensive exposure also allows the owner an opportunity to determine possible sources of fear and work with the pet to overcome their reactions to those fears.

The need for fear as a survival mechanism may explain why young humans and animals are so curious regarding their environments. Between the ages of about six to ten weeks puppies explore and adapt at a rapid rate with virtually no fear or anxiety; this is the ideal time for extensive exposure to many different experiences. By introducing puppies to experiential stress in the form of varying levels of noise, action and excitement up to the tenth week of life, they will build tolerance and coping mechanisms that will teach them how to control their fear response into adulthood.

A pet will and should continue to exhibit fearful behaviour when confronted with an unusual or threatening situation. However, it is only fair to your pet to provide the opportunity to develop the ability to know when a situation is not one that requires an overly excessive reaction, for example, when hearing thunder and lightning, or a loud vehicle.

A traumatic event, while an unfortunate experience for a pet, may result in your pet fearing similar situations no matter how much he is exposed to similar situations with better outcomes. In addition, if the pet is ill or under stress, his reaction may be more extreme. As a pet owner, however, the relationship that you develop with your pet will guide you and provide an understanding of whether the pet is simply suffering from a lingering recollection of a traumatic event, or a case of fear or phobia that is becoming unmanageable.

The Role of the Owner

Pets are pack animals and the owner plays the role of pack leader. In the wild, packs rely on communication and social structure for survival. Consistent and predictable behaviour from each individual in the pack order is required and expected. Behaviour that is not the "norm" from any individual can result in displays of fear and apprehension from other pack members.

Inappropriate use of punishment by an owner can result in fearful behaviour from your pet because, in your role as pack leader, you have behaved unpredictably and caused confusion. Conflicting signals from owners are a leading cause of fear in pets.

13.Punishment

If used incorrectly, punitive measures will exacerbate fear-based behaviour in your pet. A good example is an electric fence that may be used to contain your pet. If your pet runs toward a passing car and receives a jolt from the fence, the pet may associate that jolt with cars and develop a phobia of cars. The pet will not associate the jolt with the fence perimeter which was the desired effect. Punishment can cause a similar result.

Natural Progression

Fear can progress into a larger problem at a rapid rate. A pet that is frightened by a child throwing a dish onto the floor may become afraid of children, which can grow into a fear of parks where children play. This natural progression is the reason why proactive steps and intervention is required as soon as fear is exhibited in a pet in a situation where it is inappropriate. Not taking proactive action will make the problem worse.

As pack leader, you should model calm behaviour that reinforces the idea that the event was not a real threat. If the noise or trigger is ignored and the pet's reaction is treated with indifference, the pet will react the same way. The next time the pet experiences the same trigger, he will remember to treat it with indifference and react calmly.

Reinforcement of Phobic Response

Positive reinforcement is a powerful training mechanism. A treat or reward given to a pet that sits on command tells the pet that he may get a treat when he repeats the same action again. This learning process can also perpetuate fearful behaviour. A major misconception is that a fearful pet should be reassured and comforted. Attempts to do so can backfire. A pet will quickly learn that by behaving in an agitated way he will receive attention as a reward. The pet may also interpret soothing words as a human response to fear, confirming that he is correct to assume a defensive manner. Another training process called "flooding", sudden exposure to a stressful situation without allowing the pet to escape, can be both cruel and dangerous for the pet. When the pet is able to leave the trigger or the situation, feelings of intense relief will further intensify the fear. When the pet escapes the trigger or stressful situation, the pet believes that his feelings of fear were correct and that by exhibiting fearful behaviour he was able to escape the danger. A strategy then of exposure to a known trigger in the hope that the pet will adjust is not recommended.

The Effect of Confinement

Animals will often hide away when confronted with fear. It is a natural response and shows a desire for self-protection. Inescapable confinement, however, will cause additional stress and intensify the fearful or phobic experience. Providing a safe place to hide for your pet is important, but it should be one from which the pet is able to come and go at will.

Consider where you place your pet when you leave the house. Some environments are louder than others. A room that has open windows will be louder than an internal room with closed windows and could be a troubling environment from which your pet is unable to escape. A simple fear could develop into full blown panic for a pet locked in such a situation with no means of escape. It would not be surprising if that pet did not ever want to enter the same room again after experiencing a traumatic event during which he felt trapped.

Less obvious situations can show the same effect. A pet on a leash is unable to escape; when forced to confront a frightening object during a walk the pet may panic and react uncontrollably. Later, the suggestion of a walk might instil fear in the pet, even though the object may not be encountered, and the mere sight of the leash might cause the pet to react irrationally.

Another example of the effect of confinement is to imagine that you are locked in a blue room with no way of escaping. A rat appears followed by another, and then another. As your fear increases, your physical responses become so heightened that you are soon in full panic mode. When you finally are able to escape the room, you flee. It is quite likely that in the future you may experience similar feelings of escalating fear whenever you enter a blue room and may even react in a desperate way to avoid a repeated confinement in that room.

The experience described is termed "flooding and confinement" and is far from the best option for fear management. A far better option is to find the source of the fear and avoid potential trigger situations from which the pet in unable to escape.

Eliminating Generalisation

Generalisation is a powerful and subconscious process by which a fear can escalate into a phobia. A fearful reaction to the noise of a ball bouncing can develop into a fear of all balls. A fear of loud sudden noises, while expected in a pet, can develop into a fear of busy streets or areas where there is a level of noise that should not be troublesome. The range of potential stimuli therefore can grow quickly, severely limiting quality of life for you and your pet.

Pets as Role Models

Some owners opt to try to obtain an additional pet that will model good behaviour to the problem pet. The problem with this solution is two-fold. Firstly, it is the behaviour of the owner as pack leader that must change. Secondly, fearful behaviour in pets is infectious. One pet is more likely to develop the fearful behaviour of the other and minimise its potential risk to the imagined danger, rather than the fearful pet learning calmer less defensive behaviour from the newcomer. Once the fearful or phobic behaviour is under control, getting another pet should not be a problem, but the existing problem should be resolved first.

Section 2: How to Use the therapy

Assessing the Severity of Your Pet's Phobia

Behavioural Analysis Questionnaire

Results Analysis

Treatments for Phobia

Using the Brave Pet Academy therapy

Use of therapy Phase 1: Desensitisation

Use of therapy Phase 2: Counter Conditioning

Will My Pet Require Drug Treatment?

How Do I Measure Improvement?

What Can I do to Prevent Future Problems?

Seeking Professional Help

Section 2: How to Use the therapy

The therapy is designed as a desensitizing program. The success of the therapy depends on the following factors: the severity of the phobia, the correct use of the therapy and the monitoring of behavioural change during the process.

It is important to note that some cases of pet phobia may require veterinary or professional behavioural support. If you think your pet needs such support, contact your veterinarian who will be able to recommend a quality professional that can help you.

Assessing the Severity of Your Pet's Phobia

To assess the severity of your pet's phobia and to determine whether you might need professional help, some simple questions can provide a starting point for proactive intervention. Below is a questionnaire that can assess your pet's behaviour. The questions are related to the particular noises that you notice can act as a trigger, environments where your pet seems to act fearfully and the length of time that your pet exhibits fearful or phobic behaviour. It would be helpful to keep a diary of your pet's patterns and behaviours, noting the triggers, the environments and the duration of the questionable behaviour, so that you can easily identify patterns and similarities.

Pay particular attention to the pet's escape mechanisms, whether he runs and hides, whether he tries to escape from the leash and note these patterns too. This will help you to determine whether or not the behaviour is related to his ability to escape from the situation. Also note the specific behaviours so that you can detect a trend of generalisation or progression in behaviour over time.

A behavioural professional or a veterinarian will recommend that you keep a record of your pet's behaviours. Doing so might help you identify the problems yourself and circumvent the need for professional intervention.

Results Analysis

If your answer to question 1 is "yes" then you should consult your veterinarian or behaviourist for further advice before using the therapy. A pet with such sensitivity to noise will be very difficult for a nonprofessional to manage without possible exacerbation of the situation.

The higher the score the worse the phobia is for your pet. The larger the number you have in response to question 2, the more generalised your pet’s phobia has become. Question 3 shows how preoccupied your pet has become with the noises to which he is fearful. Question 4 indicates the level of anticipation that a pet has developed regarding an impending event; this pet is looking for signs that will trigger his fearful behaviour, for example, reacting to wind before a storm arrives. An affirmative response to question 5 shows an association with locations where stressful events might occur and a fear of those locations. The number of locations to which the pet is fearful may well increase. Questions 6 and 7 reflect how nervous your pet remains after a frightening event, and question 8 indicates to what level mutual enjoyment between you and your pet has been effected.

A score of 9 or above is considered alarmingly high and indicates a severe case of phobia in your pet. Such a score indicates a pet who has generalised an expansive range of noises and situations and who has no doubt become deeply stressed by fearful responses and phobia. This is especially true if the answers to questions 3, 5 and 7 were “yes”. For a pet suffering to this extent, specialist help is required and perhaps even drug treatment to provide some initial relief. Consult your veterinarian immediately if this is the case.

A score of 3 or less indicates some fear or phobia that might be affecting the quality of the pet’s life and you should contact your veterinarian or a behaviourist for further analysis.

Treatments for Phobia

Before starting any treatment the pet should be checked for any health issues that might be contributing to the fearful behaviour such as pain or chronic illness. Obvious things to look for are changes in appetite or weight, lameness, extreme thirst or extreme urination, diarrhoea, eye discharge, a dullness of the coat, difficulty breathing, etc. Age could be a factor. If your pet is old enough to show signs of confusion, or is becoming incontinent, senility could be a reason for strange behaviour.

Once other factors have been ruled out the questionnaire results can give you an indication of the length of time treatment may take and the likelihood of success. A mild phobia can be treated in two months or more with daily training sessions; more complex cases will take longer depending on the characteristics of the pet.

Attempting to change a learned behaviour, such as an automatic response to fear, requires persistence and patience. It is better to plan for a long period of treatment and to take one slow step at a time than try to rush to achieve quick results. The more gradual the change, the easier it will be for the pet and for the owner and the less likelihood there will be of the pet reverting to old behaviour.

The best treatment for sound phobias is to use a strategy of systematic desensitisation within a controlled environment in conjunction with counter conditioning. Conducted together, these two learning processes are likely to achieve long term success with minimal additional stress for the pet and owner.

Systematic desensitisation is a process where the pet is put into a relaxed state before being exposed to a small amount of stressful stimuli. The goal is that the pet is so relaxed and the stimulus is so weak that there is no behavioural response from the pet. The stressful stimuli can be in the form of a sound that is gradually increased in volume in small increments. At each level of sound, the process is repeated many times so that the pet develops an indifference or desensitisation to the sound.

Counter conditioning if often conducted in conjunction with systematic desensitisation. The process relates a stressful stimulus to a pleasant, non stressful experience which causes the pet to associate the stressor with feelings of pleasure. For example, before playing a sound that the pet usually would react to negatively, a treat is given to distract the pet so that he does not react at all. Eventually, the pet will associate the sound with a treat.

Successful treatment depends on the sounds being administered in a controlled manner. They should be played very quietly initially followed by one gradual incremental increase at a time. Exposure to the real sound at full volume, for example the sound of thunder, may destroy any progress already made. Therefore, it is better to initiate treatment at a time when the risk of exposure to the pet of a real trigger is minimal.

•Using the therapy in the comfort of your own home gives you full control of the environment and the noise level of the stimuli. It is also the place where your pet, hopefully, feels most secure. Both you and your pet will be at your most relaxed state.

•The Brave Pet Academy therapy has been specially designed for maximum effectiveness of desensitisation and counter conditioning. The therapy features several 20 minute long tracks for the first phase of the programme. These are followed by a number of shorter tracks for phase 2 of the programme.

Use of therapy: Phase 1

Phase 1 of treatment is designed to acclimatise your pet to each of the first three tracks. Each of these three tracks is similar in that they all begin with a period of silence to give you a chance to prepare, followed by a ten second fade-in so that you have a sense of the sound level and can adjust it straight away before it gets too loud.

Desensitisation: Begin the desensitisation process when your pet is calm and relaxed. Use the noise level which produces no response at all in your pet.

1. Set the stereo volume to zero and increase it slowly until you see some sign from your pet that he can hear the noise (it may be before you do!). Watch his ears as they will give you the first indication that he can hear the sound. As soon as you are sure that he can hear the sound, note the volume level so that you can repeat the exercise at exactly the same noise level next time. Using stickers on the volume control can be useful.
2. Play the therapy at this level for five to ten minutes several times a day for a few days. Once you are confident that your pet is not showing any reaction to the current level of noise, the volume can be increased very slightly for the next session and the process repeated at this slightly higher level. Always start your session at the same level as the last session rather than starting at zero each time.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2, gradually increasing the level of sound and playing that level for a number of sessions. Eventually, your pet will have become so accustomed to the sound that he will not respond to it even at full volume. The process may take several weeks depending on your pet and his level of phobia.
4. Remember to act in a relaxed, calm manner during these sessions, even if your pet reacts in a fearful way. If your pet reacts in any way other than with a slight recognition of the sound, stop the session immediately. This is an indication that you are progressing too quickly. Start the next session with the volume at the level of the previous session, or at the level where the pet was tolerant of the noise.

Counter Conditioning: The counter conditioning stage, or phase 2 of the treatment is designed to condition your pet to associate a pleasurable activity with the same activity or noise that causes fear or a phobic response.

1. Play the therapy in the background at a very low noise whenever the pet is doing something pleasurable such as eating, playing, being groomed or petted. Use the noise level at which your pet shows signs of recognition but does not exhibit any fearful behaviour. As soon as you turn on the therapy, begin the pleasurable activity such as feeding the pet, playing with him or grooming him. Remember that if the pet starts to react in any other way than showing signs of hearing the noise, immediately turn off the therapy.
2. Repeat this exercise several times until you notice your pet begin to expect the pleasurable activity as soon as you start to turn on the noise. Once you are confident that your pet is relaxed with the low noise level, gradually increase the level at each session (do not increase the noise level during a session).
3. Continue these sessions just as you did during the desensitisation using a slightly higher volume for each subsequent session, starting at the same level as the previous session rather than going back to zero each time. Eventually your pet will become excited when you turn on the therapy and will expect a pleasurable activity. Tracks 1-3 are almost continuous with no quiet periods so that the pleasure emotions that your pet experiences are not interrupted.

Use of therapy: Phase 2

Once desensitisation and counter conditioning have been achieved and your pet is calm in response to tracks 1 to 3, you can move on to phase 2.

1. Turn on your therapy with no volume. Play track 4 repeatedly. Gradually raise the volume until you notice that your pet can hear the noise but reacts calmly and normally. You will notice that there is ten seconds or so of silence between noises on track 4.
2. Each time you hear a noise, behave as though you are happy and relaxed and initiate a brief play with your pet, give him a treat or pet him. Do this after each noise for five minutes. Repeat these sessions on a regular basis as you did for phase 1 of the programme.
3. At each session, gradually increase the level of volume, just as you did in phase 1 of the programme always starting at the same level that you finished the last session. After a number of sessions your pet will exhibit happy anticipation each time the pet hears a sound.
4. Repeat this training for each of the individual sounds that you hear on the therapy. Your pet will learn to anticipate pleasure when he hears a sound such as a bang or a screech.

Pets learn to associate events with contexts and environments as discussed earlier. As part of the training, occasionally try to vary the situations in which your pet hears sounds and noises. Start off at home with different rooms and then progress to the back garden. Perhaps try to conduct some sessions in the car, at someone else's house or even at a local park. Conduct the sessions at the end of a walk, activity or visit to the park so that the work achieved is not undone by another noise that may frighten the pet.

Limit these training sessions to a maximum of three or four a day, and keep in mind that it can take weeks or months before you see any change in your pet's responses. Eventually, your pet will learn that he can cope with a loud noise and not remain stressed or fearful for an extended period of time as he did before.

It is important to continue to expose your pet to loud noises and stressful events, even when you feel that his phobic behaviour is much better. If the pet is not exposed, the fearful behaviour can return and the pet will lose his coping capabilities. You may wish to use the therapy periodically as a refresher for you and your pet, and to ensure that his calm responses are the automatic and desired ones. Frequent exposure and repetition is the key to desensitisation and counter conditioning success.

Will My Pet Require Drug Treatment?

Depending on the level of severity of fear or phobia in your pet, it might be difficult for a pet with a severe case of phobia to learn effectively in the initial stages of the programme. Medication may assist in controlling the pet's fear responses initially, so that some behavioural change can begin. Consulting with your veterinarian or a behavioural specialist will help you decide the best strategy for your pet.

In a case where a pet gets no relief from a fear inducing sound, such as a pet who has a phobia to a dishwasher, people or a common activity, medication may be required. However, the goal of a behavioural management programme is to limit medication and the duration that it needs to be administered and to have a behavioural change take effect as quickly as possible so that the need for medication is eliminated. Pets with high scores on the questionnaire are the most likely to benefit from drug therapy.

If medication is recommended by a professional, it should not have a sedating effect that will leave the pet unable to respond to a noise in a natural way such as hiding or escaping. The pet needs to be able to function naturally, but not irrationally, and he needs the cognitive capacity to take action in response to his fear.

• The volume of the therapy sound being played.
• Your pet’s reaction to therapy sounds at each setting.
• Which sounds your pet has a fearful reaction to.
• The time that your pet takes to recover from a fearful reaction.
• Your pet’s reaction to a diluted version of a fear inducing noises other than the therapy (such as fireworks or noises on the television.
• Occasions when your pet encounters the fear inducing noise and does not react in a fearful way.

What Can I do to Prevent Future Problems?

Try to anticipate situations that might prove challenging for your pet. Avoid them if you possibly can, or try to intervene in the early stages of a fearful response. Perhaps you can distract him by playing or by rewarding him before he is displaying fearful behaviour. Remain as calm as possible, resist the temptation to comfort him, but offer your pet a way to escape the stressor by walking away with your pet, or allowing him to run into another room to which he has free access. Although it is inevitable that your pet will exhibit a fearful response, he will be able to take action to escape the stressor which is teaching him valuable coping skills.

Seeking Professional Help

Contact your veterinarian as soon as you notice troublesome fearful behaviour in your pet. Your veterinarian can assess your pet's overall health to eliminate other possible factors that could be augmenting the issue. S/He will be able to advise you or recommend a professional behaviourist if your pet should require one, and s/he can determine whether your pet could benefit from medication. Fear and phobia are debilitating for a pet and stressful for the owner. Take action to help your pet and your hard work as a team will result in a stronger pet-owner bond