Houdini dog - fireworks, harnesses.

halfone

sheramber wrote: »

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A member of another forum with a houdini dog uses these. It is the only harness the dog has not escaped from.

Thanks sheramber this looks interesting although it does seem to loop round the dog in the same places as his current harness - he seems to have found a knack of tucking his 'elbows' tight into his body as he reverses out of the harness; I might have to do that harness up a bit too tight for comfort to stop that happening. I'll have a further look into it...

halfone

mtbbuxton wrote: »

The very best escape proof harness you'll ever buy is the Ruffwear Webmaster

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mtbbuxton thank you - this looks really promising, especially the extra strap at the rear; he's relatively narrow (for a stocky dog) in that bit between the hips and belly, so it probably would work effectively as an anchor. I haven't shopped with fetch before so the 15 percent off tip is also appreciated

halfone

Katiehound wrote: »

You can also try a CD which replicates the noises of fireworks, guns etc

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Katiehound yes - I have heard of these Although he's not bothered by guns or sharp noises etc. on the tv it can't hurt to try this. If I play it a bit each night presumably he'd get used to those sorts of sounds then not be so alarmed when the 'real' ones happen.
Thankyou!

tiz

You've got two months to de-sensitise him so it might be worth chatting to a behaviourist. Check your pet insurance - sometimes they cover this. Make sure they are properly trained and using positive reinforcement: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist

The Dogs Trust have a sound program (including fireworks) here: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-behaviour-health/sound-therapy-for-pets that you could also work through.

halfone

Cheers for those links tiz - I'm keen to get on with this, get him as well prepared as I can in as calm and gradual way as possible so these are really helpful. Hopefully two months is long enough to make some good headway.

I do occasionally encounter dog trainers/behavourists in my line of work...one in particular has an excellent reputation locally (and has given me some good advice previously); I'm not sure why I didn't think of giving her a call - thanks for the nudge.

I am a big fan of the dogs trust, I didn't know they did things like that - I will put the downloads on my phone a bit later and give it a gentle try over the weekend

catkins

I have a dog that was not scared of fireworks in the slightest until some went off very close by when I was walking him. Really annoying as it was nowhere near fireworks night and was only just starting to get dark.

He is not as scared of them as some of my friends' dogs but as soon as he hears them he shoots into his crate and is reluctant to come out.

Where I live fireworks seem to be let off year round. There were some one evening last week. Last year they were every night from the 29th October to 12th November. Drives me mad

I just turn the tv up or put music on. I cover the top of his crate also.

Those cd's are pretty good. My dog's breeder had used one as she lives in the middle of nowhere so the puppies never heard much noise. I then got one too when I first got my pup. He was never scared of anything - hoover, motorbikes etc and is only scared of fireworks now thanks to some idiot

halfone

Sounds like exactly the same situation catkins...it wasn't even properly dark. We were at the end of our walk - only about 50m from home and in sight of my house; unfortunately he ran off in the opposite direction and is now apprehensive about coming back home that same way, although he met one of his doggy friends there yesterday which was a very good distraction.

It sounds like you've got good coping strategies for him, though, so well done. Although it is a shame it's necessary. Horrible to see them like that

That's another vote for the audio recordings; definitely worth trying - thankyou.

krlyr

mtbbuxton wrote: »

The very best escape proof harness you'll ever buy is the Ruffwear Webmaster http://www.ruffwear.co.uk/dog-gear/harnesses/web-master-harness-ss17 They're expensive, but you'll never need to buy another harness as it'll last for years and years - I know people who have been using the same one on reactive hounds for 15+ years.
The 2nd strap fits around the narrower waist of your dog and means they physically can't back out. Shop around to get the best price, but if you haven't shopped with Fetch before, they have a code for 15% off your first order :money: https://fetch.co.uk/ruffwear-webmaster-harness-twilight-grey-376562011

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I can personally recommend these, my boy has escaped every harness except his Ruffwear, and the two I have are still going strong after 9 years or so now.

As above, the third strap goes around the belly area, meaning it can't come up and over the chest/ribs (my boy has learnt to squeeze his shoulders in and back out of other designs)

halfone

krlyr wrote: »

I can personally recommend these, my boy has escaped every harness except his Ruffwear, and the two I have are still going strong after 9 years or so now.

As above, the third strap goes around the belly area, meaning it can't come up and over the chest/ribs (my boy has learnt to squeeze his shoulders in and back out of other designs)

Many thanks krlyr - I did get one of these ruffwear ones in the end, had it since Monday and it's looking good so far (I do have to check the straps as they seem to work themselves a bit loose if he's excessively 'pully'). It's really interesting to see the photos you've posted as it looks a lot smaller compared to the size of dog on your dogs' backs. I followed the sizing guide and got a 'small' but my lad is very short bodied so it covers quite a bit more of his back. The 'belly' strap seems to be doing its job as intended so a good result I hope.

Just in case anyone's reading and interested in the pros and cons of various harnesses I had one of these temporarily - although it does have the 3 straps, unfortunately they are wide, and the position of the third one made it impossible for him to wee. It might work well on a longer bodied or female dog though. Would be good at keeping them dry too.

halfone

Fireworks update

I've been playing the recordings and he's seemed interested/watchful rather than scared, which I was taking as a good sign. However, he got very fearful and anxious in the house when we had the high winds the other night, and panicky when he heard wheelie bins getting blown over. I think he can tell the difference between recorded noises and real ones, and it's any loud, sudden, outdoor noise that bothers him. He did calm down slightly when I sat on the floor by him and talked to him, but he was on red alert for more noises all the time. I have ordered a calming spray diffuser recommended by doglover86, hopefully that will help. I'll continue with the recordings too, just in case it's helping. Still thinking about the thundershirt.


Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply and suggest things, it's very much appreciated