Greeting “Big Dog” Blog followers! I hope you had a nice holiday. I surely did, but it was chaotic at times
with three other dogs, and two little girls ages 6 and 2! The house was definitely noisy and cluttered. On the up side, however, there was an above average amount of
food that fell to the floor and of course needed to be picked up. J
Today I want to share some information with you that I’ll
bet you don’t often consider. It’s about all those loud noises in our world
today and how they affect us dogs. Even though you often attribute us with
human characteristics, we do function differently in lots of ways. So hopefully
this can help you appreciate what we need to help us deal with this big
bustling world.
Dogs notice how excited humans get during holidays, like our
recent Christmas celebration, New Year’s Eve coming up this weekend, 4th of
July, birthdays … even Super Bowl parties. Now that I’ve turned 7, I’ve pretty
much figured out when the noise is going to happen around our house and where I
can go to minimize its effects on my sensitive ears. But younger dogs …
especially puppies after 3 weeks, don’t have a clue … and it can be quite
traumatizing.
You see as puppies, we’re deaf at birth and can’t hear
until we’re about 3 weeks old. Once our hearing is completely developed,
however, we can hear about 4 times better than humans. This means I can hear a
sound in the house from 80 feet, that you won’t likely hear it until it’s
within 20 feet. You humans generally detect frequencies from 31 to 19,000 Hz
whereas we can hear from 64 to 44,000 Hz. Certain sounds drive us especially crazy.
Very high frequencies, thunder, other dogs barking or howling, vacuum cleaners,
crying babies, sirens and alarms of all kinds can make us skittish.
Did you know we have 18 different muscles that control
our external ears? Humans have just 6 allowing you to move yours
minimally. On the other hand, we’re able
to perk ours up, move them towards what we’re trying to hear, lay them back,
and generally adjust what we’re able to hear.
By just being a little more mindful about the sounds we
encounter in our homes, cars, and when we’re outside in the neighborhood, you
can add greatly to our peace of mind!
Veterinarians and government officials tell us noisy
holidays are when more dogs run away from their homes. The terror experienced
can be of such magnitude dogs have been known to crash through glass to get
away. Once outside the familiarity of our home, we’re at much higher risk of
theft, injury, or even death.
When you’re preparing for holidays or events where you
know there’s going to be a lot of loud noises, simply think about the effects
these sounds might have on us. Some people put their dogs in a secluded room as
far away from the noise as possible, but this doesn’t necessarily reduce fear. We
feel more secure when we’re close to you, so sometimes just reassuring us, or
letting us sit close to you is all we need. The main thing is to simply
anticipate what sounds might create anxiety or fear in us and be prepared to
take action that helps us feel more secure.
Recently, one of the more popular methods of soothing us
during times of loud noises is the so-called “thunder coat.” No one is quite sure
why this brings a sense of security, but for many dogs it reduces their
panting, pacing, and overall stress and anxiety. Placing such a coat on a dog
well ahead of anticipated noises can make all the difference.
For dogs not accepting of a thunder coat, there’s an
array of naturally-sourced, herb-based products available in chewable treat
form. These won’t “knock your dog out” but they may well act as a soothing
agent. Check with your veterinarian on one they might recommend. Generally, you
can give as much as is needed without harmful side effects. Cesar Millan, the well-known Dog Whisperer, recommends
using a lavender essential oil as a calming agent. Place just a drop on the far
backside of the dog as well as the underneath portion of their bedding. Just be careful to not get it near the face.
Well, I hope this information was useful. I know your dog
will appreciate your following these recommendations to make their celebrations
as enjoyable as possible.
Happy New Year, and we’ll see you back here in 2017!
Love,
Buddy
