Ollie and Fireworks

krandall said:

That is great, and an encouraging sign. However, firework and thunderstorm phobias normally develop when dogs are a bit older. Typically around 3 years old.

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Well, darn! And here I was so proud of him. LOL The only thing I’ve seen him nervous of at all is when Canada Geese fly low enough overhead that you can hear them honking. I live near a river so he’s going to hear a lot of that. The first time he heard them, he turned tail and ran. I thought maybe I could get him to associate the sound with a treat but he was too nervous to even take one. Yesterday, he heard them for the second time and was noticeably nervous, but did take a treat. Hopefully I can desensitize him more on future walks. It’s weird sometimes the things they react to. 🤷‍♀️

krandall said:

That’s a tough one, because you’d like to start treating him before he reacts, and it is likely that he can hear them LONG before you do!

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That’s what happened today. He suddenly stopped and looked off into the distance. I wasn’t sure what he was seeing or listening to but gave him a treat just in case and then I heard the honking. He did eat three treats today and then listened, but didn’t try to run, until the geese disappeared. I‘ll have to take my cues from him and treat him if he looks worried when we’re in the spot where the geese tend to fly over. He may end up with a few more treats than usual but he won’t mind. 😉 He did recover faster today when the honking stopped. He gave himself a good shake and continued on his way with his tail up. 😀

We have birds of prey here too. He only saw the geese the first time, the next two times, they were out of sight and he only heard them. I guess he thinks hawks honk! 🤣 I shouldn’t laugh, I know it’s all very serious to him. Actually, I’m kind of scared of Canada Geese myself!

Tom King said:

They said their horses were calm quarter horses, and could be tied to anything, looking down their noses at us.

When the fair opened, they simultaneously set off a big fireworks show. The calm quarter horses that could be tied to anything left with the chain link fence.

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🤣🤣🤣 I’ve owned a few Quarter Horses in my lifetime. 😉