Is Your Dog Afraid of Fireworks?

This is part 2 of the Sound Phobia series Part 1 Fireworks and thunderstorms can cause anxiety in our pets. Is the 4th of July your favorite festivities? While it may be yours, for most of our four-legged companions it is not quite so much fun. July 5th and for several days after the 4th of July, many shelters are at their busiest because of dogs that have escaped and injured themselves. There are three behavior modification programs that you can utilize to lessen your dog’s anxiety to fireworks, thunderstorms, or any sound sensitivity that your dog might have. 1. Habituation. Habituation is a form of learning in which there is a decrease or cessation in responses by repeated presentation of a known stimulus. It requires repeated exposure to a stimulus. For example, a police dog at the firing range my habituate to the sound of gun fire as no significant consequences (positive or negative) are associated with it over time.  Caution: Habituation can sometimes make a dog worse.  Taking a dog to a firing range may make the dog more sensitive to other loud sounds. 2. Desensitization. Desensitization, on the other hand, is a structured plan based on the process of making a dog less sensitive to a stimulus by reducing his exaggerated, emotion-based reaction. Desensitization is mostly used to treat pre-existing behavioral problems. Desensitization works GRADUALLY and slowly exposing the dog to low and controlled levels of the stimulus that he is aggressive to or fearful of so that he can learn to control his reactivity and behavior when faced with the stimulus. Desensitization is simple yet so very complex. Whatever you are getting your dog use to (the stimulus) needs to be carefully controlled. Short duration exposures of low intensity interspersed with praise for calm responses and counter conditioning with toys and/or food are the key. The training sessions should be short and never geared toward getting your dog upset or to the point where the undesired reaction occurs. As soon as you see the first sign of trouble, back up or go farther away from the stimulus. If at any time your dog reacts with fear, aggression or stress, you are going through the exercise too quickly and trying to progress faster than your dog can handle. You are also risking all the good behavioral training that has gotten you to this point by again making the stimulus invite fear or aggression. It is crucial to do your best to keep the negative behavior from happening. If you or your dog is having a bad day, skip the training exercises. It takes patience and a calm attitude to desensitize properly: forcing the issue is likely to set you back rather than help you progress. Essential Oils can help quicken the process of desensitization. 3. Counter conditioning. Counter conditioning usually is synomynous with desensitization. For counter conditioning, use a leash and have your dog do down stays and reward calm behavior. Practice without the sound at first. Then practice with the sound. Through A Dog’s Ear have several recorded tracks of various sounds that provoke anxiety, such as fireworks to slowly desensitize your dog to. Give a special treat during the sound while doing the down command.

Whatever you do, don’t make the situation worse. It takes time to create a change.

Here are some tools that you to help lessen your dog’s anxiety: • Through A Dog’s Ear. Recorded soundtracks of various sounds to choose from. • Thundershirt. Applies pressure through the abdomen area of the dog and lends to a calming effect. • Essential Oils. These are by far our favorite tool to help lessen a dog’s anxiety. Veterinarians like Dr. Nancy Brandt, DVM, CUA, CVC and Barbara Fox, DVM, ONLY recommend using Young Living Essential Oils because of the high quality, therapeutic grade of the oils. Please do not use any other brand of oils on your pets, as they will most likely cause harm. Essential Oils   The following are Essential Oils that help decrease fear, stress and anxiety: Peace and Calming – helps to reduce nervousness, stress and anxiety. It promotes relaxation and a deep sense of peace and emotional well-being. It is a blend of Blue Tansy, Patchouli, Tangerine, Orange and Ylang Ylang. Lavender – Calms and relaxes the nervous system. Valor– promotes self-esteem, courage, and confidence. It is a blend of Rosewood, Blue Tansy, Frankincense, and Spruce. Stress Away – Brings feelings of peace and tranquility and supports the nervous system. It is a blend of Copaiba, Lime, Cedarwood, Vanilla, Ocotea, and Lavender. How To Use Essential Oils Simply place a drop of the oil and pet onto your dog. If your dog is new to the oils, stay away from the face and pads. If you have a small dog, rub the oils into your hands first before petting onto your dog. You may also diffuse the oils by placing 5-12 drops of the desired oil into the diffuser. Simply turn it on and watch your dog relax! Most owners report that their dog lays in the room where the diffuser is running or even lays right next to it. Testimonies “Last year I used Young Living Essential Oils on my pack of fearful dogs on the 4th of July. Before starting my diffuser with Peace & Calming, my dogs were pacing and barking. They were in a very agitated state. I placed a few drops of Peace & Calming in the diffuser and turned it on in the back bedroom. After about twenty minutes, the dogs discovered it and fell asleep on their pillows. They have never slept through the middle of fireworks. It is usually a very stressful night for me, trying to keep them calm and not injuring themselves.” ~ Karen Widaman, Owner of It’s A Dog’s World K-9 Academy, Inc. “My dog shakes uncontrollably when there is a storm, she starts well before the storm hits. I take 1-2 drops of Peace and Calming and 2-3 drops of Lavender oil and rub in my hands. I rub my hands down her muzzle, on her throat and ears. The Peace and Calming works instantly to take the edge off, about 15-20 minutes later the Lavender has kicked in and she is relaxed at my feet.” ~ Michelle Briggs “I have 2 Pembroke Welsh Corgis and 1 of them is extremely afraid of thunderstorms. He usually keeps us up all night whining and barking when there is lightening, thunder, or even during fireworks. The other day I decided to diffuse Peace and Calming and Lavender throughout the night in our room to see if that would help. It was amazing! It was a pretty bad storm with lots of thunder and lightening and Einstein slept through the whole thing! There wasn’t a peep from him! Thank you Young Living!” ~ Amber Konop How to Order So what are you waiting for? Get your kit today! Starting today through the end of July (July 31st) anyone who enrolls with Young Living as a member and orders the Premium Starter kit, will receive a FREE copy of the Essential Oil Desk Reference book ($25 value). So what exactly are you getting during the month of July when you sign up for Young Living with the Premium Starter kit? I’m glad you asked! You are going to receive 11 oils (Frankincense, Purification, Lemon, Peppermint, Thieves, Lavender, Valor, Panaway, Peace & Calming, Stress Away, & Joy) plus the home diffuser, informative literature, and samples to share with family and friends. *JOY was recently added to the Premium Starter Kit and not shown in picture. Plus, you will receive the Essential Oil Pocket Reference Book for FREE! This book contains nearly 400 pages is the most informative pocket reference. This reference guide has both the single oils and blended oils sections, chapters on Safety, Applications, Raindrop Technique, Vita Flex, & Emotional Response. TO ORDER YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS: *You can order as a customer: Retail full price *You can order as a wholesale member: 24% off

Go to YoungLiving.com and choose your country (This promotion is only open to US members)

1. Click on “Member Sign-up”  linked it (HERE) 2. Click on Young Living Wholesale member (not customer) 3. You will need to enter a SPONSOR ID and an ENROLLER ID. You will enter my MEMBER ID FOR BOTH: #1468806 4. When you sign up as a member, you will then order your 1st STARTER KIT (that is under STEP 1).Choose the Premium Starter Kit. STEP 2 will ask you to order an ESSENTIAL REWARDS KIT, but you can click the button on bottom that says, “No, Thank You” and sign up for Essential Rewards later. 5. If the system logs you out before your order is complete, please make sure you log back in to make sure your order has processed. A lot of people have been reporting that their order did not initially go through because the system logged this out.

The Premium Starter Kit will be mailed to directly to you!

HAPPY SUMMER! And HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!