Well, this is Bodie's second 4th of July and it was not nearly as successful as last year. This evening, Bodie freaked out at the really loud, booming fireworks. I was surprised because he was so good last year. I tried to associate fireworks with positive things by using treats.
I took his favorite treat, Beggin' Strips, and broke one into 10-20 little pieces. Then each time there was the sound of a firecracker he got one. It worked to a certain extent. Bodie quit freaking out, and with each firework he looked to see if he would get a piece of Beggin' Strip. After a while, he only got a piece with the really loud ones. But he did not go potty before putting him to bed.
I thought I would stay up late and try to take him out after it quieted down. When I hadn't heard any fireworks for about 20 minutes, I tried to take him outside but a really loud firecracker went off right then and I couldn't get him to even take one step out back. Oh, well... I will try again after midnight.
