Thursday, July 2, 2009

Arming up for July 4

I hate July 4th and New Year's Eve because my neighborhood sounds like a war zone during those holidays. It's hard enough for me to endure the explosions but it's torture for a dog who is afraid of loud noise. Having been introduced to noise from an early age, Miro should be OK. Alanis is another matter; even the occasional distant booms of the past few days have sent her running indoors from outside or searching for me if she's inside.

As much as I'd like to hunt down and do violence to the people making the noise, the law forbids. Instead, I'm getting the dogs ready, laying down a stock of Melatonin and Acepromazine for Alanis and conditioning the dogs as best I can with bubblewrap practice.

This training exercise requires sheets of the large-size bubblewrap, high caliber treats like chicken or stinky liver, and the ability to hop around like a fool while chanting, "Oh boy good doggies," and such. A little bit of dexterity is needed, as you crumple the bubblewrap in both hands so that it goes pop-pop-pop like firecrackers, hop around, praise the dogs, and hand out treats at relatively the same time. We have been doing this nightly. Miro thinks all excitement is good; even Alanis is working up some enthusiasm. Whether or not bubblewrap explosions will help inure her to real fireworks remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, a spur-of-the-moment view of Biteyface:

7 comments:

  1. Hello.... Blu Loo Loo here.... we live in New Mexico where the fireworks are legal year round. You would NOT believe how dawg awful it is around here. Most of us can handle the noise, but a few of us go insane. My Hooman Mommy wishes she had some quite place to take us on the 4th of July as it will be a "bagillion" times worse than ever....

    Aireslaps,
    Blu Loo Loo and the tribe

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  2. Mom feels exactly the same way about fireworks that your mom does, Alanis!
    Let us know if the bubblewrap experiment works!
    Why did fireworks ever have to be invented?! UGH!

    Love ya lots,
    Maggie and Mitch

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  3. It looks as if he is as tall as she is?!! Good luck on the fireworks preparations; we know how it goes!

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  4. We were most interested in your game of Biteyface it looked such fun.

    We hope you get on OK on 4th July with all the fireworks. Will be thinking of you.

    Molly and Taffy

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  5. We hope the bubble wrap experiment works for Alanis. Mom has been conditioning Penny with a taped sound of the car door slamming at night. She will start barking at all hours of the night if she hears a car door slam. How fun for the rest of us.
    Happy 4th.
    Love Ruby & Penny

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  6. Keep your ears shut for the big bangers! We hope for you that it will pass quickly...

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  7. Oh, I want to play Biteyface with you too! Finni and I play just like that. I was very scared of fireworks this year too, usually it's Finni who barks and barks ... I was just looking for something to crawl under.
    Nibbles
    Nelly xx

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