Anyone elses dog going mentalist over fireworks?

[goingfriggincrazy]

My terrier is exhausting us..last night it was 4.5 hours of barking,howling and general skittish behaviour due to constant bangs and whizzes of fireworks.It's been like this since friday last week.
Phoned the vet yesterday aD had along chat about how to help/distract him and he suggested valium for sedation and buying a "scary sounds" cd to try and get him unconditioned to large bangs etc(obviously not going to work straight away-but we maybe able to help him before new yrs eve)He also sugested a DAP system-anyone tried this with success?

He had 15mg of valium and was like a loon-completely manic-vet said it could happen,.I'm hoping the fireworks wont start up again tonight.....the kids,us and the dog are knackered!

Anyone suffering too?

GFC,
YES I'VE HAD THE SAME PROB WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD STAFFY RESCUE TERRIER,
THE DAPS SYSTEM IS GOOD LAST YEAR SHE WENT NUTS THROWING HERSELF AT WINDOWS.
YOU NEED TO GET F/WORKS C.D. COUPLE OF WEEKS MAYBE 4 BEFORE NEW YEAR WE PUT IT ON COMPUTER WHILE ON P.C. DON'T OVERFUSS HER IF SHES GOOD BECAUSE THIS CAN MAKE HER MORE ANXIOUS.
GET A DAP COLLAR FROM PRIVATE VETS/INTERNET @£26 DAPS PLUG IN SYSTEM WITH C.D. @ £30.
PLUG IN AND COLLAR SHUD BE USED TOGETHER. IT GIVES OFF THE SAME PHERAMONES AS MUM DID WHEN SHE WAS NURSING HER [CALMING].
ON THE OCCASIONS WHEN MY DOG SEEMED TO GET INTO A PANIC[ALTHOUGH ALOT LESS THAN LAST YEAR] I PICKED UP A SPORTS DRINK BOTTLE FILLED WITH WATER AND SPLASHED HER WITH A FEW DROPS REINFORCED WITH AN AUTHORATIVE NO.
I KNOW SOME MAY THINK THIS IS CRUEL BUT IT STOPS THIS 'LEARNED' HYSTERICAL BEHAVIOUR AND IT WAS ONLY WATER. DO NOT TRY THE BOTTLE IF YOUR DOG IS VERY TERRIFIED JUST REASSURE HER BUT NOT OVERFUSS. I ALSO FIND A CRATE WITH A BLANKET OVER IT IS GOOD AS THEY FEEL SAFE [PUT NEAR THE DAP PLUG IN]
GOOD LUCK HOPE THIS HELPS.

thanks for that sal...gonna get the cd and the DAP system and give it a go!

hopes in the meantime theres not to many fireworks..

The cd and DAP system is well recommended but time is not on your side right now. For the here and now some tips...

• white noise is good - turn on the washing machine, tumble drier, turn up the tv and radio etc. all this to try and distract away from the other noises

• Have an area your dog can hide away in if it wishes - behind the sofa perhaps though allow the dog the choice of where to go. Puppy crate trained dogs even if they have not used one in a long time often feel very secure if they go in there for a while

• Do not start to make any fuss of your dog while it is behaving in a stressed manner. Trying to comfort them is a natural instinct for us, but actually reassures a dog that there is indeed something to worry about - and so without realising it the problem is actually being compounded.