Hi All

I have got a 16 month old westie called Hamish, he is a lovely happy dog who is friendly and lively, but our only problem is he goes absolutely mad when he hears noises. It started last October when the dreaded fireworks started, and ever since the slighest noise he goes berserk, he paces the floor whining and barking and then scratches at the back door and when you let him out into the garden he barks like mad, he sounds as if he is hyperventilating as he just paces the floor getting really wound up and we don't know what to do with him to calm him down, he doesn't get sickness or diarohhea like some dogs get but he just barks and barks. When we have the windows open and he hears the children outside he barks like mad because he can hear them but cannot see them. We have never had a dog before so i am not sure whether a lot of dogs are like this, somebody said it is because he is a terrier and they are very protective of their property but he is not viscious he would more lick them to death than bite them. Are a lot of dogs like this, i know you hear a lot of dogs barking but 1 of our neighbours keeps complaining about him barking out in the garden but this is only because their children get out their barking like a dog to start him off in the first place and i don't think it is fair for me to tell him off for barking if people are agrivating him in the first place, only if a dog hears a noise they are going to bark, i know after a while it gets on your nerves but i don't know what else to do with him, i do tell him off for barking and then he quietens down but then the children start shouting and barking again which of course starts him back off so in the end i feel i am fighting a loosing battle because they are making him bark in the first place, i did say to her when she complained that if her children didn't bark like a dog themselves that he would not bark but she said that it was not her children doing it!!!!
If anybody has got any suggestions about trying to keep him calm re fireworks and sudden noises i would be very interested to hear from them, surely Hamish isn't the only dog that goes mad with noises, as to the children it is not really his fault if he is being agrivated but i just get fed up when people complain and it is their kids causing him to bark in the first place, i don't let him bark late at night or early in the morning out in the garden for long but during the day you cannot keep him locked up indoors so that he won't bark in the garden as it is not fair to him.
Helen and Hamish

What do you do when he starts up?

Hi

I have tried a few things when he starts,especially whe fireworks go off, i have shouted at him but this seems to make him worse. I have tried ignoring him and this seemed to work for a while as he looks at us to get a reaction and if he gets nothing sometimes he calms down but not every time. I have sat on the floor with him to try and calm him down.
As to when he is out in the garden, and he hears anything i tend to leave him as i feel it is not fair to tell him off when he is protecting his property but the fireworks are a real problem.
Have you any other ideas as to what i can try?
Helen

There is a CD you can buy (it is available at my vets - not that that is any good for you!) that has a lot of different loud noises on it. I suppose you would use it to de-sensitise your dog, by starting at a low volume and then slowly increasing it. And then rewarding for the right behaviour.

Hopefully someone will be along shortly who knows more about it.

The best suggestion I can make is to buy Jan Fennel's book 'The Dog Listener'. It will explain why your dog is behaving the way he is and give you simple and kind methods to help sort the problem out. The main idea is to ignore the dog when he is behaving in a way you want to discourage, eg pacing and whining(check he doesn't need the toilet or a drink first!) if ignoring doesn't work you can use what she calls 'banishment'. A dogs desire is to be with his pack where he is safest so when he is pushed out of the pack even for a few minutes it really makes them sit up and think. Always apply the 5 minute rule on reuniting, this is explained in the book(now available in paperback for a few pounds).
As for the barking outside, you are right he is protecting his property and this should be praised with a quiet 'thank you' and maybe a small treat. After saying that you should give the dog two more chances t quieten down before you quietly remove him from the situation, first just keep hold of him until he calms(release with a quiet 'good boy'. If he starts off again you can employ the timeout rule and put him on his own ina safe room until he stops the noise. Wait ten seconds and let him out.
Hope this helps and it all makes sense when you read the book, I highly recommend it even if your dog has what we call problems, it can help them actually starting in the first place. Good luck with your boy and hope you manage to sort out the situation
Emily
PS the CD mentioned before is a really good idea for the fear of loud noises such as fireworks but make sure you know how to do it before you start the training. You could also try fitting a DAP(Dog appeasing pheromone)diffuser which looks like a plug in air freshener and can help calm highly strung dogs. Also check diet, exercise etc and if you are really concerned go and see your vet who should be able to advise you.

Ms Fennells theories work for a few dogs, but only a very few - for many more it actually seems to make them worse.  To teach a dog that barking is not wanted by ignoring it takes a long time - it's often far easier when trying to eliminate any behaviour to ask the dog to do something that's contra indicative to the behaviour - so if the dog is hurling itself at the door - ask it to go to its bed............  However, it sounds as if this dog is hyper sensitive to noise (I assume you've had him checked by a vet, if not I'd recommend it - he may have a low grade ear infection that is made more uncomfortable by noise :( )

If he gets the all clear, then I'd suggest the noise is either actually scaring him or he's concerned about his territory (If he's scared this so called 'banishment' is likely to make it worse, unless the dog actively chooses to be in a safe place of his own choosing :( )  If he's scared the CD is an excellent idea - but must be used very carefully as it can cause a nervous dog to start to recognise the signs you give out before it starts (like going to the CD player) as triggers for nervous activity :(  Some nervous dogs are better if taken out and actively shown that there is nothing to be concerned about - make sure who ever takes him out has him on securely on a lead, and that they take a very upbeat approach - no sympathy, no 'good dog' when he's making a fuss, plenty of reward when he listens to the handler etc.

DAP defusers are also very useful for the nervous dog.

Hi

Do you know where i can get 1 of those DAP defusers from as this may be worth a try with him.

Thanks
Helen

Your vet should know where they can be bought.
:)

Hi Helen :-) hope Hamishes tummy is better now? Sent you a message not sure if you got it. FIREWORKS Where does Hamish spend most time in his bed ..this should be the place he feels most safe, get him used to having a radio on there, stay with him and read sometimes ignoring him. He will get used to the calm atmosphere and the radio/tv on. When there are fireworks or loud noises outside do the same thing, sit quietly with the radio/tv on louder to mask the noise but ignore Hamish and appear calm yourself .I had my niece do this with her BC and eventually the dog calmed down. Hamish will watch you and pick up your mood, if you are worried about him and jittery it will make him worse,  try to stay calm and quiet.  :-D

Hi

Thanks for getting back to me, yes Hamish is fine now, i kept him on the chicken and rice for 5 days and then re-introduced his normal food and he has been fine since.
I will try your idea with him when we next have fireworks, we had a load last night just before 11pm and he went absolutely mad pacing the floor and whining, they seem to let them off all throughout the year now, they are a real pain in the ****. I feel sorry for some dogs that are really bad as it is such a shame for them.
As for barking in the garden and when he hears anything outside when the windows are open i think this is just were he is protecting his property and warning people off because as soon as the people go by he shuts up. He is a very protective dog and does pick up on me if i am feeling a bit tense so i will try this next time with him, i know a lot of dogs bark when they hear noises outside to warn people off, it is more the fireworks and loud noises that i am concerned about with him as he really gets worked up.

Thanks again
Helen

:-) that's good Helen, glad he is better was wondering about him the other day. Let me know how you go with the fireworks !

Hi All

What i forgot to mention was that when Hamish is on his own in a room and fireworks go off he does not bark at all. Overnight he sleeps downstairs and has the kitchen and conservatory to come and go in as i don't let him sleep upstairs with us, if we have already gone to bed and fireworks start he does not bark or make a noise at all, but if we are all up and he is in the same room as us he goes mad, this makes me think he cannot be scared of fireworks as surely he would bark more being on his own than when he was with us, but never having a dog before i am not sure.
He is a good as gold when he is on his own even when we have had a thunder storm overnight we have never heard him but as i say when we are up with him this is when he goes mad, any ideas why?

Helen

..perhaps he is protecting you :-) Brave little Westie!!!

Hi :)

It may be that he enjoys your attention when the fireworks go off, but i suspect that there is more to it and there is an element of fear there.

I used a DAP diffuser on my dog who was slightly nervous when the fireworks went off and was likely to get worse; there was a noticeable improvement over about 5 days (very subtel though!) and after about 10 days she was happy to actually snooze when the fireworks were being let off - the only trouble was the very very loud bangers close by which would be let off unexpectedly. I do feel the DAP diffusers can really help although to be fair, some people say they have noticed no effect and if a dog is wound up to the point of sheer terror the adrenalin may counteract anything else.

The best CD IMHO is "Sounds Scary" - www.soundsscary.com .....loads of fireworks noises, over half an hours worth, and a booklet explaining how to desensitise your dog slowly over a period of time.

If however you have no luck, it may be a good idea to get in a behaviourist via the vet as it may be that you are inadvertently doing something to stir Hamish up or to reward him for his reactions.

Re the barking, i always feel dogs should be allowed to bark but it should be under owenr control, therefor when owner says "Quiet" the dog responds. This does take some time and training to achieve. I used a clicker and food rewards and also would reward my dog if say, a dog barked outside and she looked at me before barking, or if she hesitated, etc.

Hth a bit
Lindsay
X