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I kind of wonder whether it's easier to just desensitize a dog to fireworks than to knock them out with drugs. Like, take them to a fireworks show, but stay a long ways away, do so again but get closer another day, repeat.
It is worth trying 8f you get a puppy but a lot of people have rescue dogs, some of whom have had a tough life that makes them jumpy. My friend has a retired racing greyhound and has been trained to respond to a bang but, out of the racing context she just freaks out, and that's a lot of dog to be suddenly frantic.
I've desensitised 15 year old dogs, dogs are trainable at any age.
Not all dogs (and other pets) can be desensitised to fireworks, and as the UK has more pets the amount needing alternatives will increase also.
Kind of hard when it's a once-per-year event. Desensitisation is an effective training strategy, but takes time and effort. You might have some success with loud fireworks recordings, but nothing can really replicate the pure noise, light, reverberation and smell of the real deal.
Medicating pets for a day or two is not the end of the world and helps them not having to experience the utter helpless panic.
I have a real beef with the anti-medication crowd, they completely ignore how life altering it can be for those that need them, just because they don't suffer themselves so don't see the need for anyone to have them.
It's it better not to need them? Of course. Should you try alternatives first? Absolutely. Is it a failure if it turns out the medication is the only thing that actually helps? Abso-fucking-lutely not.
It's easier than that to desensitise, there's 8 hour videos of fireworks on youtube. Put it on starting really quiet so you can barely hear it for a bit each day, then slowly increase the volume. I foster so I do it with every dog that comes in, usually every day for 2 weeks. None of mine even flinch.
There's a lot who don't want to put the work in, but their dogs are already desensitised to loads of other loud noises like the TV, Ambulances passing, even low flying planes. Think of all the people who put war films on and don't think twice about all the bombs and gunshots.
We live in a society where it's becoming increasingly easier to treat the symptoms of issues than it is to treat the causes of issues.
Sometimes treating the cause isn't possible.
Sometimes treating the cause is a lot tougher than just popping a pill and suppressing the cause.
I personally think it's possible that we're becoming too reliant on drugs. Many dogs were still scared of fireworks twenty years ago, but if you heard the owner saying that they wanted to sedate them rather than just stay up with them, calming them and helping them, you'd think they were mad.