Firework advice for dog owners

In this blog post, you’ll learn practical steps to prepare and support your dog during fireworks. Whether your dog is typically calm or anxious, these tips will help you create a safe and comforting environment, minimise stress, and manage any adverse reactions.

Written by

Roz Pooley

Published on

June 11, 2024
BlogDog behaviour, Dog health and wellness
Dogs Hiding From Fireworks behind a curtain

Preparing for fireworks

If your dog is okay with fireworks, don’t take this for granted! It doesn’t matter if they’re a puppy, adult or a senior dog. Sound sensitivity often develops after a particularly intense episode, such as a firework being let off when a dog is on a walk or in the garden, or a particularly busy night of loud bangs.

It can be linked to pain, hence why many dogs over six years old appear to develop a sudden onset of sound sensitivity. It can change very easily and it’s not uncommon for us to see a sudden reduction in tolerance to fireworks when dogs get to 2+ years of age, having appeared unphased by them as young dogs and puppies.

Unfortunatly, it’s very common for dogs to generalise their fear to similar sounds, such as car doors shutting on walks, building works etc. In some instances, they can become nervous of going out for a walk altogether.

As dogs can develop sound sensitivity at any time, I strongly discourage owners leaving their dogs home alone on the nights where the bangs will be at their worst and to put measures in place to protect dogs from the random bangs that litter October – January!

Steps to take to help your dog cope with fireworks

  • Give your dog a slightly larger meal than normal: This can have a calming effect (the big pasta dinner effect). Be cautious with deep-chested dogs or those who become nauseous when anxious.
  • Provide a distraction: Give your dog a long lasting chew, kong, Lickimat, or snuffle box (treats in a box of paper). Raw meaty knuckle and marrow bones are great as they last ages. Shop chews here!
  • Move to a central room: If there’s a central room in your house (surrounded by walls with no or few windows), move there with your pets. Even if this is the bathroom!
  • Use the TV for noise: Turn the TV up louder than normal and for some dogs, it may help to move the TV in front of the window to create a wall of sound. For NYE, where the intensity of fireworks tends to be at one specific time, some dogs do well for there being fireworks on the TV! As this masks out the sound of the real deal- and dogs can generally tell the difference and react less (or not at all, ideally!) to bangs on the TV!
  • Choose the right music: If you are giving your dog access to multiple rooms, then having sound in other rooms (or music on the TV) can help mask the bangs. Classical music may be calming but won’t cover the sound of fireworks well. Consider playing something with a beat to it. We have enjoyed listening to 70s disco on 5th November before.
  • Invest in brown noise speakers: Purchase brown noise speakers and situate these in front of windows. We have two mini speakers around the home that play brown noise and one that plays the sound of a rippling stream/water. The variety of sounds can be a bit wearing after a few hours, but it blocks out a lot of the noise which helps the dogs. We use ‘LectroFan speakers which are amazing.
  • Consider alternative noise sources: Consider putting some shoes in the spin dryer (ones you don’t mind potentially ruining!). Be sure to start this before fireworks so it doesn’t make your dog more anxious.
  • Muffle the sound: Hang duvets or heavy blankets over your windows. This may muffle the sound. Alternatively consider teaching your dog to comfortably wear some muff mutts. Just be mindful that any stillness (lying in their bed) is genuine relaxation, and not because they don’t like wearing these on their head.
  • Create a den: Make a den out of chairs and tables and hang duvets or heavy blankets over these, or over a crate that your dog already happily goes into.
    Please don’t shut them in it when there are fireworks going off though – as being unable to escape could make them more anxious!.
  • Cover the fireplace: If you have a fireplace/chimney, cover this with thick blankets as the sound can travel down and into the room it connects to.

During the fireworks

  • Avoid outdoor trips: Try and avoiding taking your dog outside for a wee when fireworks are going off. Ensure your dog has toileted around 4pm so they can hold on until later if needed. It’s advisable to NOT walk your dog in the evenings around fireworks seasons, even if your dog doesn’t appear phased. It’s just not worth the risk!
    If your dog asks to go out to the toilet, go with them and play music on your phone to try and mask the bangs!
  • Make light of sudden bangs: If a bang goes off when your dog is in the garden toileting or is audible within the home, try to make light of it by responding with the ‘jolly affect’ where you say ‘oooooh never mind’ or ‘waheeeeeeey’ to try and make light of it. This will not likely work for phobic dogs but may help dogs who are startled or slightly anxious.
  • Use treats for positive reinforcement: If your dog will take food, give them a tasty treat after each bang or even do some fun training with them. Ad hoc counter conditioning has been found in research to improve sound sensitivity parallel to psychoactive medication, and can also be done to similar noises on walks if your dog shows sensitivity on that context.
    Click here to read.
  • Allow hiding: Let your dog hide if they want to. Ensure they have the option to hide, whether that’s retreating under the stairs, table, behind the sofa, under the bed etc.
  • Reassure your dog: Reassure your dog if they seek comfort; this won’t reinforce their fear.
    Keep reassurance calm, so you do not accidentally stress your dog by being stressed yourself. This isn’t easy, seeing as it can be incredibly distressing for us to see our dogs in an anxious state.

Seeking professional help

Medication can be an absolute god-send for dogs who are anxious, or anticipated to be anxious, to fireworks. For example, if your dog has other anxieties that have developed over the past year, you may want to make the assumption that fireworks this year may be challenging for them! Medication can help your dog relax and sleep, but also can inhibit memory formation of that event.
Plan ahead and ensure you have medication from your vets and everything you need in place. Sometimes stocks become low of the medication in peak season, so ordering it 1 month ahead is advisable. It’s also sensible to run a test away from fireworks, to check how your dog responds to the medication.
If your dog is really struggling with fireworks mid season, call your vet first thing tomorrow morning and discuss fast-acting medication. Cast aside any stigma attached to medicating dogs if it means they are going to be free from distress. They shouldn’t (and generally don’t!) become zombies, and being a little woozy is probably emotionally and physically healthier than being terrified. Sound sensitivity can generalise to daytime, where dogs start to become anxious of banging noises and refusing to go for walks. If medication helps give them a better quality of life, then we should explore this option as soon as possible.

Long-term desensitisation

It’s too late to desensitise your dogs just before and during fireworks season, so focus on sound blocking, ad-hoc counter conditioning and distracting them using food and chews. Next year, you could start desensitisation around March/April after your dog has not encountered the stressor for a while. However, the research suggests that this may not be as effective as ad-hoc counter conditioning, medication, positive distraction etc.

By following these steps, you can help your dog stay calm and safe during fireworks, ensuring a less stressful experience for both of you.

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