Tjibbe is also extremely afraid of fireworks. Tjibbe is a cheerful Frisian Stabyhoun of three years old. “They are hunting dogs. But when the dog hears a bang, he is so anxious. Those fireworks are a disaster,” says Pieter van der Kaaij.
The dog will pull tightly on the leash when it hears fireworks. “Then he wants to go home as quickly as possible and sits in a corner. And if there are a lot of fireworks, he goes to the kitchen in a corner to pant. That’s really sad.”
Pieter and Gertie Boleij have been trying to avoid the fireworks for months. “But that’s not possible. We come from Nijmegen and fireworks are banned there. But it seems as if they are distributed for free. It is serious. It looks like war.”
Fireworks training
The dog is anxious. “But that’s because he was bitten by another dog last year. And the fireworks only made the fear worse.” They have previously worked with a behavioral therapist. “Then you can try to train fireworks by making soft pops. You reward the dog if he doesn’t respond. But that doesn’t work with Tjibbe.”