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  • How to Keep Your Pets Calm and Safe

    How to Keep Your Pets Calm and Safe


    Fireworks can feel like Armageddon for our pets, and there’s solid science behind their fear. Pets, like dogs and cats, have way more sensitive hearing than us. Imagine hearing everything on full blast! That’s their world when fireworks go off. The loudness combined with the unpredictability of fireworks makes them especially scary for our animals.

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    Why Are Dogs and Cats Afraid During Fireworks?

    Why Are Dogs and Cats Afraid During Fireworks?

    While we might just hear a bang, pets are hearing layers of sounds and often can’t tell where they’re coming from. This can trigger their innate fight-or-flight response. Noise anxiety in pets isn’t just about the noise—it’s also about feeling trapped, unable to escape whatever’s causing the commotion.

    Some pets may be particularly wired to be scared of loud noises, thanks partly to their genetic makeup. Plus, a pet’s previous experiences play a role. If they’ve had a bad experience with loud noises, they’re more likely to be anxious when fireworks light up the sky.

    Signs Your Pet is Stressed Out Due to Fireworks

    Signs Your Pet is Stressed Out Due to Fireworks

    But how do you know when your pet’s really freaking out? Look for signs like shaking, panting, drooling, or hiding. Sometimes, they might even try to escape the noise. Knowing these signs early means you’re better equipped to handle your pet’s anxiety and keep them calm when the next big bang comes.

    How to Calm Your Pets During Fireworks

    How to Calm Your Pets During Fireworks

    Creating a safe, cozy space for your pet can work wonders to ease their nerves. Think of it as their personal chill-out zone. You could use a quiet room or even a cozy corner draped with blankets to muffle the sound and provide comfort.

    Music isn’t just for humans. A little background noise, whether it’s classical tunes or specially-designed pet-calming tracks, can help mask the bursts of fireworks outside. It helps in creating a soothing vibe, making them feel less tense.

    You can find suitable music for your pets during fireworks on YouTube.

    Ever heard of pheromone diffusers? These gadgets release calming scents that can reassure your anxious pet. It’s like giving them a big, invisible hug when everything gets too noisy.  You can find these on Amazon.

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    If you’re up for a bit of training, gradual desensitization works by getting pets slowly used to the sound of fireworks before the actual event. Practicing commands and rewarding calm behavior also works as a practical approach to manage anxiety.

    My recommendation for effective, inexpensive dog training is, The Dog Calming Code.

    My recommendation for cat training is this step-by-step cat training eBook.

    Lemonade pet insurance

    Should I Give My Pet Medication or CBD for Fireworks Anxiety?

    Sometimes the fear can be overwhelming for pets, and that’s when medication might come into play. There are two main routes: traditional prescription meds and natural remedies like CBD.

    Consult your veterinarian first!  Always remember, safety first. No matter what you choose, it’s crucial to check with your veterinarian to find out the correct dosing and any possible side effects. Not everything that works for one pet will work for another, so personalization is key.

    Prescription meds can provide relief but should be a topic of conversation with your vet. They’ll advise on what’s safe and effective for your pet’s specific needs.

    If you’re considering a more natural route, CBD is getting lots of nods these days. It’s derived from hemp and won’t make your pet high, but it’s been found to calm those jitters.  To be clear, I’m not recommending this.  Please talk with your vet!

    Finally, it helps to hear from others in the same boat. Many pet parents share success stories about how either medications or CBD have made fireworks less of a nightmare for their little buddies.

    Dogs and Fireworks: Summer Safety Tips

    Watch my video with tips from Professional Dog Trainer, Doggy Dan’s free tutorial about Dog Summer Safety Tips – and check out the full tutorial – it’s free!


    summer safety tips for dogs

    Cats and Fireworks – How to Keep Them Calm and Safe!

    Watch this video from cat expert, Jackson Galaxy, about keeping your cat calm and safe during fireworks!

    More Summer Safety Tips for Pets

    Check out more posts for tips on how to keep your pets safe this summer!

    Hot Weather Safety Tips for Pets: Avoid Heat Stroke in Pets

    How to Help Anxious Pets During Thunderstorms

    Fireworks & Pets: An Explosion of Fear for Animals

    peoplelovinganimals.com

    I Donate to Animal Charities

    Thanks so much for reading my post!  I hope you and your pets have a happy and safe summer.

    You should know I’ll receive a small commission if you make a purchase using links within my posts, at no extra cost to you.  I donate 10% of my profits to the animal charities shown here.

    Thanks again for visiting, and please share this post with fellow pet lovers and on social media.  Thank you!  Debra

    Check Out My Other Posts About Pet Care Here



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  • SPCA-Reports


    Initial Report to SPCA July 21, 2024:

    To SPCA Contact Page 7/21/24

    Printed and mailed 7/29/24

    TO: Niagara County SPCA

    There is an 86-year-old woman in my apartment complex who insists on walking her dog and has now started taking …

    The post SPCA-Reports first appeared on People Loving Animals.



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  • SPCA-Emails


    Re: Debra Sherman Ridgeview at Lewiston Dog Report
    DLS/ENZO
    Debra Sherman
    From:dlsherman1@yahoo.com
    To:Johnathan Bondi
    Wed, Apr 30 at 2:56 PM
    I’m going to pass because it’s not worth the risk of my being dismissed by her

    …

    The post SPCA-Emails first appeared on People Loving Animals.



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  • Make a Custom Recording for Your Thunder-Phobic Dog

    Make a Custom Recording for Your Thunder-Phobic Dog


    Diagram comparing two waveforms over time: a dryer and random noise. The dryer has vertical spikes that represent more sudden noises than the even random noise
    Comparison of the waveforms of a dryer and random noise

    No, I don’t mean you should record the thunder! Record a custom masking noise for your dog who fears thunder, fireworks, or other sudden or low-frequency noises.

    In my webinars and articles, I talk about the types of sound masking that work best. From a biophysics standpoint, the best multipurpose masking noises are brown or other random noise, fans, home appliances with motors, and music with a lot of bass and drums. Low frequencies can mask sounds of higher frequencies, but it doesn’t work the other way around (Kinsler et al., 1999, p. 318–320). That’s why I always recommend low frequencies as long as they don’t scare the dog.

    Beyond the considerations of physics, we must customize to the individual dog. For instance, taiko drumming recordings are great for masking booms, but because of that, they may trigger your dog. The way to go about it is to think of what is available in your household that your dog is already OK with. You can record these known sounds, especially if they are duration sounds that include low frequencies. Appliances your dog is used to are ideal.

    What Did I Record?

    An iPad and a black Bluetooth speaker with a handle on sit together on top of a washing machine

    As I was scrambling to cope with Lewis’ newly emerging fears, it occurred to me that fan noise and random noise (brown, pink, white, etc.) are homogeneous. They create a hum or a whoosh or a rumble, but no momentary noises stand out. See the bottom waveform in the image at the beginning of this post. When the masking background is homogeneous noise, that means that sudden environmental noises stand out.

    I realized that there is a household noise that Lewis is fine with that contains both a background hum/rumble, and occasional more sudden noises. That’s my dryer. See the top waveform in the first image. I’ve recommended in the past the “sports shoes in the dryer” trick (not original to me). I’ve never tried it with Lewis because I suspect it’s too close to his triggers. That could be a perfect solution for some dogs. But a regular load of clothes is perfect for Lewis. He hears it every two or three days without a problem. There is the homogeneous sound of the motor and the cyclical sounds of the drum rotating, and the occasional noise as a heavy piece of clothing makes a thump. In the waveform image above, those varying spikes on the top line represent the thumps and clunks.

    My washer is pretty helpful, too. If I know that storms or fireworks are coming, I plan my laundry loads for those times as a bonus to the masking team.

    But I can’t do laundry every time the scary noises come, not around here, where we have so many storms. And I don’t want to spend energy on unnecessary use. So now, when we get unexpected thunder, the first thing I do is throw some random clothing items into my dryer and turn it on to the air dry setting. But only for the time it takes to set up my little system. Then I play long recordings I’ve already made of the dryer on my Bluetooth speaker that has a subwoofer.

    It still makes me grin, hearing laundry sounds coming from the laundry room when the appliances aren’t on. And now my recordings are part of my plan for any loud noise event.

    Making and Playing Your Own Recording

    I’m not sharing my own recording for public use, since it will be a foreign sound to every dog who hasn’t lived in my household.

    But you can make your own recording of a dryer or other appliance your dog is habituated to.

    1. Use a smartphone app that can record and export in WAV or AIFF format if possible. But MP3 format is better than nothing.
    2. Make a 20–30 minute recording when the rest of the house is quiet. If you are recording the dryer, make sure you have a load of various items in there.
    3. After you’ve saved the file, if you have sound editing software, make the sound fade in so it isn’t sudden when you turn it on. Otherwise, you can always start it quietly with the volume control when you play it.
    4. Play it back on a good speaker to make sure it doesn’t scare your dog. Start it at a distance and at a low level and gradually turn it up to an appropriate volume. Ideally, he won’t even pay attention to it.
    5. If your dog is fine with it, set the sound file up on one of your devices so it can loop, or put multiple recordings on a playlist that can autoplay.

    When playing the recording, use a speaker that includes low frequencies. Do not play it on your handheld’s internal speaker; they are notoriously bad at putting out low frequencies. Send the sound to a wireless speaker with a good bass. I use an old tablet to play the sound files because I don’t want the devices I use every day attached to the speaker. You can get some unpleasant surprises and scare your dog that way.

    Here’s a link to the speaker I have. From the next room, it’s hard for me to tell the difference between the dryer itself and my recordings. And while Lewis probably can tell the difference, the recording doesn’t bother him and is a useful addition to the masking environment.

    Sound Comparison

    Here’s an auditory demo showing the difference between homogeneous brown noise and the dryer sound with its bumps and clunks. You’ll hear, in sequence: 1) brown noise; 2) my dryer recording; and 3) the two combined. Doubling or tripling up on masking sources is a great idea if your dog is OK with them all (separately and together).

    Lewis, a white dog with brown ears and ticking, lies on a purple bathmat in a bathroom in dim light. His hip is rolled and his body position is relaxed. He looks concerned but not panicked.
    Lewis during a thunderstorm (with added tornado siren). Because of meds, he’s doing much better than he did during previous sound events

    How Much Does Masking Help?

    Masking is a management technique. It isn’t perfect, because there are no noises we can generate at home that can mask the loudest thunderclaps and booms of fireworks without being scary themselves. But masking can make the distant booms inaudible and moderate booms blend more into the background. On those lucky days when the storms don’t get close, masking can protect your dog effectively. And on the worse days, it can at least put a dent into the overall exposure.

    For directly addressing our dogs’ fear, evidence suggests that medications, ad hoc counterconditioning, and relaxation training are our best tools (Riemer, 2020 & 2023).

    Copyright 2025 Eileen Anderson

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  • Enzo


    Top this page with cutest picture of Enzo

     

    3 Short Videos of Mrs. Ponzi walking Enzo:  Youtube private playlist

    Videos of My Outings with Enzo

    These outings were later forbidden by Mrs. Ponzi without explanation.  And, as I said …

    The post Enzo first appeared on People Loving Animals.



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  • Dog Park Etiquette


    Taking a dog to a dog park can be a lot of fun, not only for your dog, but for you too!  But are you and your pup truly ready for it?

    Like any other social activity, it’s important for …

    The post Dog Park Etiquette first appeared on People Loving Animals.



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  • Over-The-Top Overshadowing: How I Solved the Problem

    Over-The-Top Overshadowing: How I Solved the Problem


    A white dog with brown ticking and brown on his face is pressing his chin into a woman's hand. The woman is wearing a plastic food service glove.
    Lewis performs a chin rest on my hand while I wear a plastic glove

    If someone ever invents an overshadowing Bingo game, Lewis and I will win!

    About Overshadowing

    Sometimes a stimulus we try to classically condition has more than one aspect that can be sensed, like an object that can be both seen and smelled. This kind of stimulus is called a compound stimulus. The phenomenon of overshadowing may occur when compound stimuli are conditioned because one of the simple stimuli will likely prevent the other/s from being conditioned fully or at all.

    I recently encountered a situation where potentially five different stimuli were “competing” to be classically conditioned. And of those five, the one most likely to “win” the conditioning was not the one that I needed the most. I had to tackle the problem, because it was in a training project that was important for Lewis’ wellbeing.

    Oromucosal Medicine Administration

    Lewis has been diagnosed with sound phobia to fireworks and thunderstorms, and one of his medications is to be delivered topically to his gum and cheek tissue.

    The instructions for administering this medicine require that the human wear protective gloves so as not to touch the medicinal gel, which can be absorbed through, for example, a cut in the skin. Gloves are a new thing for Lewis.

    I thought about whether I should use classical conditioning to help him have a positive response to the gloves and gathered up what I needed. I use disposable kitchen gloves for a lot of tasks, so that’s what I got out. Whoa! These gloves make a distinctive noisy rattle when touched or manipulated. You can’t even get them out of the box without the dog hearing them.

    You probably see where this is going.

    I wanted Lewis to have good feelings about the gloves. But what aspect of them? How many things are potentially different for a dog when you put a glove on your hand for a husbandry task, one that includes putting your finger in the dog’s mouth? How about:

    • the sight of the glove on the hand
    • the sound the glove makes
    • the feeling of being touched by a gloved hand
    • the odor of the glove
    • the taste of the glove

    We’ve potentially got all five senses involved; the gloves present a compound stimulus.

    Bingo?

    How about another list? How many things about the gloves might bother Lewis? No need to repeat; it’s the same list. But knowing him, I would guess that having a gloved finger stuck in his mouth between his cheek and gums would bug him the most. But of all these, the sound often happens first, and is super salient. How can I classically condition the mouth touch without it being overshadowed by the crackle of the glove?

    The Environment Would Like a Word

    The plastic kitchen gloves I have are awful for the environment. I would make a different decision now. There is no perfect disposable glove yet, but latex is made from rubber and some latex gloves can be biodegradable. Reusable rubber gloves would be better than what I have, but they are too bulky for this job with this dog. Feel free to comment with suggestions.

    Solutions to the Overshadowing Problem

    So, how do I make sure that Lewis has positive feelings about being touched (in the mouth) by the gloves, given that classical conditioning is more likely to attach to the sound of them? Here are the possibilities I considered.

    Different gloves: I’m sure some of you are internally screaming a solution. Get different gloves! Quieter ones! Good idea. I’ll be looking for a better choice. But in the meantime, I’ll proceed with what I have.

    Workarounds: There are some things I could try to do about the sound. I could put on the gloves in a far part of the house and play masking sounds while I did that, just to be sure. Then I could approach Lewis and do whatever step of the plan comes next. Show him a gloved hand, treat. Or touch him with a gloved finger, treat. That could prevent some of the predictive power of rattling the gloves. But when I show him or touch him, the gloves will still make noise.

    Use an operant training plan: This is the solution I chose. The gloves were not scary to Lewis; they were just new and weird. So rather than aiming for classical conditioning, I went for desensitization coupled with operant conditioning.

    For our first session, I tossed him a couple of treats when I got the gloves out. Then I reinforced sniffing the glove, nose-targeting the glove while I held it loosely, and nose-targeting it while it was on my hand. Then I asked him to do a chin rest on a towel in my lap with the glove on top. Lewis said, “This is easy money!”

    In the next sessions, I had the glove on my right hand and touched his cheek while I held his muzzle with my left. We had previously worked on this step without the glove.

    The video includes excerpts from the three training sessions where we progressed from him accepting my finger in his mouth to accepting my gloved finger in his mouth. We spent six to seven minutes of training over three sessions, which was more time than he needed.

    Watch with sound if you want to hear how noisy the gloves are (and hear me say, “Good boy!” about a thousand times).

    Link to the video.

    Going Forward

    The operant work with the gloves made them predictors of good things (classical conditioning rode along). This work gave Lewis a great foundation for the next step: putting a syringe between his cheek and gum while wearing gloves. The gloved finger was a good early substitute for the syringe.

    A woman wearing a plastic glove on her hand holds a syringe along a white dog's cheek
    Introducing the syringe on the outside of Lewis’ mouth

    Compound Stimuli

    Multiple simultaneous stimuli are happening all the time. When presenting an object, you can bet that most dogs will smell it as well as see it. Lots of visual stimuli make noises, too. As one textbook points out, it’s almost impossible to avoid multiple stimuli (Pierce & Cheney, 2008, p. 58). This experience has made me think about them a lot more. The Bingo game is not all that unusual. I’m pleased I figured out a way to win this time.

    Thank you to the several professionals who provided materials and direct help for Lewis’ husbandry training. I could not have done it alone!

    Copyright 2025 Eileen Anderson

    References

    • Pierce, W. D., & Cheney, C. D. (2008). Behavior analysis and learning (4th ed.). Psychology Press.

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  • Custom Magnets Personalized Fridge Magnets Kids Room Decor Locker Decor Fun Gifts, Family Name Magnets Photo Magnets Variety of Sizes by 3DCandleCreations

    Custom Magnets Personalized Fridge Magnets Kids Room Decor Locker Decor Fun Gifts, Family Name Magnets Photo Magnets Variety of Sizes by 3DCandleCreations


    15.00 USD

    Add a splash of creativity to your space with these Custom Shape Magnets! Designed to brighten up your fridge, locker, or magnetic board, these vibrant magnets are perfect for showcasing your unique personality and decor style. The matte finish provides a sleek look, making them both functional and artistic. Ideal for students, professionals, or anyone who wants to organize their space in style, these magnets make great gifts for birthdays, housewarming parties, or holidays. They’re perfect for creative souls looking to add a personal touch to everyday life, celebrating any occasion with a pop of color and individuality!

    Product features
    – Matte finish for a sophisticated look
    – Durable vinyl surface suitable for various smooth surfaces
    – Vibrant colors achieved through advanced printing techniques
    – Custom die-cut design offers a unique shape
    – Flexible material perfect for outdoor use.

    Care instructions
    – Wipe the dust off gently with a clean, dry microfiber cloth

    http://dlvr.it/TL8lZ0



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  • Cardinal Mug Cardinal Lover Gift Cardinals Coffee Mug Bird Mug Bird Watcher Gift Bird Lover Gift Coffee Mug Lodge Mug Home Decor by 3DCandleCreations

    Cardinal Mug Cardinal Lover Gift Cardinals Coffee Mug Bird Mug Bird Watcher Gift Bird Lover Gift Coffee Mug Lodge Mug Home Decor by 3DCandleCreations


    13.30 USD

    Cardinal Mug Cardinal Lover Gift Cardinals Coffee Mug Bird Mug Bird Watcher Gift Bird Lover Gift Coffee Mug Lodge Mug Home Decor

    Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature with our enchanting Cardinals Flying Around a Large Tree Mug! 🌳🐦☕

    Picture yourself surrounded by the serene beauty of the great outdoors as you enjoy your favorite beverage from this stunning ceramic mug. Adorned with a captivating illustration of majestic cardinals gracefully soaring around a towering tree, this mug brings the wonders of nature right to your fingertips. 🎨✨

    Crafted from high-quality ceramic, this mug is as durable as it is charming. Its dishwasher and microwave safe design ensures effortless cleaning and convenience for daily use. With its generous capacity, it’s perfect for enjoying everything from your morning coffee to a soothing cup of tea in the evening. 🌅🍵

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    http://dlvr.it/TL7YgV



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  • Stop Dog Aggression NOW!


    Is your dog’s aggression getting out of control? Are you afraid it could hurt someone — or get your dog taken away?

    Watch a free video from professional dog trainer Doggy Dan showing you how to calm aggressive dogs quickly,

    …

    The post Stop Dog Aggression NOW! first appeared on People Loving Animals.



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