Meet Riley

This is Riley an 11 year old terrier mix who presented with firework sensitivities at the age of approximately 4 years old. Her sensitivities have also progressed to gunshots and thunder. She has even associated precursors of these events such as heavy rain and will run and hide at the sound of this in anticipation of the thunder.

Her coping strategy so far has been to hide underneath her owners’ bed but due to a recent home move she no longer has access to this resource, as the stairs are too steeps for her aging legs to get up safely. Not having access to her coping resource 24/7 can be very stressful for dogs and so we need to provide an alternative.

The Plan

Riley has previously used a crate and so we have decided to develop this into a hide. This involves covering the crate to create a dark area and block out the noise. There is comfy bedding in there and also blankets for her to hide under if she needs to.

She is also under going nutritional support and using dietary supplements to help with stress and anxiety, these contain amino acids and B vitamins. Artificial pheromone plugins can be used near to the den to aid its appeal but Riley will be using this product in collar form in 2 weeks time which she will wear throughout the firework season.

To encourage Riley to use her den she will have treats put in there daily along with some tasty chews. As she becomes more relaxed in her den she will start to eat the chews. Chewing is an important activity for dogs as it is a ‘drainage activity’ which reduces their stress levels.

If you would like any help finding/creating or using a hide or would like any information on how to get your pet through these coming weeks please contact us on 01606 880890 Keep watching for weekly updates on how Rileys training is getting on.