For those of you with cannons, I can't think of a better way to celebrate Independence Day than making some booms with them. That's awesome. That's one of the reason's we enjoy the Symphony Above the Clouds in Woodland Park so much. Ft Carson sets up cannons on the track at the middle school and blasts them to the 1812 Overture just feet from everyone. I really hope they can do it this year, the last few years have been cancelled either due to weather of covid.

encorehunter, I'm sorry that my comment may have come off as kinda offensive. Not my intent. I would have said the same thing to any one of my friends, sometimes lighthearted comments don't translate well.



Quote Originally Posted by eddiememphis View Post
Apples and oranges.

Teaching tricks and trying to break a terrified reaction to external noise are very different.

I have read and watched and talked to trainers about my beagle's response to fireworks. Nothing has worked so far. I live across the street from Cherry Creek and we often walk within earshot of the rifle range. It doesn't bother Popcorn at all.

Some asshole just shot a rocket that exploded next to my home. Pop jumped off the bed and pissed on the carpet.

It's not as easy as you claim, whisperer.
I get that. I don't claim to be any dog whisperer but my point is so many people think occasional exposure or comforting treats is training when it's not. I'm not talking about you or other people here, but people that I have talked to over the years with the same problem. They either give it a half hearted effort or don't try at all considering it just how the dog is. So many people this time of year say their dogs even hurt themselves because of fireworks, that's sad. They say they've done "everything" and nothing helps. In reality, most of them haven't done anything to train the dogs, they've just tried to comfort them with treats or distractions. I wish people would include loud noise training in their training routines when they work with their dogs and not wait until it becomes a major problem. Be proactive about it with every new dog. Seems like only gun dog owners work on that. How many dog owners who don't hunt them even bother with loud noise training? Any one here know anyone else who actually included daily and slowly increasing loud noise in their non-hunting dog training? I have never met anyone who did that. People should.

I had one rescue dog that was scared of loud noises that I was able to slowly work with her until it wasn't a problem anymore. A dog that was scared of loud noises ended up being a pretty good hunting dog. Gunshots, fireworks, all good. I currently have two dogs that I was able to work with as puppies to not get gunshy. One was super easy and the other was very skittish so I had to make sure I went REALLY slow with him. He didn't get to hunt until long after I would have liked to hunt him because I wasn't convinced he wouldn't get gunshy. But a lot of careful work and now he hunts like a pro and sleeps through even the loudest fireworks.

Everyone trains their dogs to sit, stay, come, etc. It's beyond me why people don't also include loud noise training with that basic obedience since loud noises are such a problem for so many dogs.