STORY:
Y2Kanine Your Dog For New Year's Eve

New product claims to help dogs overcome fears of loud explosions

While people are celebrating the new millennium, their canine friends may be terrified, hiding under beds or fleeing yards to escape loud fireworks. Pet owners should take precautions now to ensure their dogs are "Y2K ready."

After every New Year's Eve and Fourth of July, pet owners flock to animal shelters looking for dogs that escaped from homes and yards. Frightened dogs have scaled fences and chewed through screen doors to flee the blasts. Indoors, dogs can hurt themselves on furniture.

Experts say dog owners should secure their pets indoors this New Year's Eve, but that may not prevent long-lasting psychological effects. Loud fireworks not only terrify dogs and stimulate uncharacteristic behavior, they also can trigger long-lasting sensitivity to loud noises.

"Too much noise, too suddenly can cause a dog to become noiseshy-timid and fearful of any loud noise," says Larry Mueller, dog training expert and nationally-respected dog author in a press release.

Mueller believes a dog must be gradually exposed to the offending noise in a controlled and relaxed environment. According to a company press release, Mueller has tested an audio training program developed by Master's Voice Canine Training systems.

Master's Voice systems reportedly conditions dogs to prevent and overcome fear of specific loud noises including fireworks, thunder and gunfire. The systems allegedly use state-of-the-art behavior modification and desensitization techniques which relax the dog and then systematically expose him to the offending noise. Psychologists have long used these techniques to cure human phobias.

"Master's Voice systems are based on in-depth observations and hundreds of hours of testing by experienced dog trainers," said Phil Jost, co-developer of the systems in a press release.

The $44.95 compact disc training program starts with music, specially composed in a rhythm slightly slower than a resting dog's heart beat, to soothe the dog. The offending noise is gradually introduced with increasing frequency and volume. Training supposedly takes just a few minutes a day, with results in three to six weeks.

Source: Company Press Release

DATE: 7/13/99

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