Helping your dog through fireworks and thunderstorms

If fireworks are going off or a thunderstorm is rolling in right now, focus on helping your dog feel safe and keeping them secure. A frightening event is not the time to begin teaching a dog who is already overwhelmed.

In this post, I talk about how to make a plan for that night and start preparing earlier for the next holiday.

When the noise is happening

Fireworks and thunderstorms can frighten dogs into trying to escape, even from a familiar home or yard. A dog trying to get away from the noise may jump a fence, dig underneath it or slip through an open door. Plan for that possibility before the noise starts. Bring your dog inside early, check the places they could escape, and make sure everyone in the household knows to keep outside doors and gates secure.

Keep your dog indoors during a storm and away from fireworks displays. Check doors, gates and windows, and make sure your dog’s identification and contact information are current. If your dog has gotten lost, this video walks through making a clear poster and getting the word out, and other strategies that can help.

Settle in a familiar, comfortable room with fewer windows, and close the curtains.

Try a fan, television or gentle background sound if it helps. Keep that sound comfortable, too. You don’t need to overpower every bang with another loud noise, but having some additional noise to distract from the scary sounds outside can help lessen the intensity.

Plan walks and bathroom breaks before the expected noise whenever possible.

If a bathroom trip is necessary and it is safe to go out, keep your dog securely leashed, stay close to home and return indoors promptly. Use their harness rather than a loose-fitting flat collar they might slip out of. Check that the harness fits securely, and clip the leash on before opening the outside door.

Stay available to your dog throughout their ordeal. Comforting your dog does NOT reinforce their fear.

Fear is an emotional response. Offering comfort your dog enjoys does not teach them to be more afraid of thunder or fireworks.

AVSAB’s discussion of the research supports comforting a frightened dog who wants it. Offer contact if they seek it and enjoy it; let them use a safe hiding place if they prefer space. Don’t pull them out to join you or make them face the noise if they’re resistant.

An indoor potty area, such as a puppy pad or a grass tray, can give your dog an option when going outside is unsafe or too frightening. Set it up in a quiet, accessible place away from their bed and food.

Introduce it on ordinary days, before you need it during a storm or fireworks. Go with your dog to that spot at times they’re likely to need to go, such as after waking, give them time to sniff, and reward them just after they finish. A dog who has always gone outside may need practice to understand that this new spot is okay, too.

If your dog is already frightened, don’t turn using the new potty area into another demand. Offer the option without pressure, and calmly clean up any accidents.

A crate is an option ONLY if your dog already feels comfortable there. Now is not the time to teach your dog how to tolerate a place they’re not already comfortable with. Identify the place where THEY feel safest, and create your plan around allowing them to stay there whenever possible.

If your dog wants food or play, offer something they enjoy in that comfortable space, especially if they’re receptive during the actual noise or storm.

A distant bang can be automatically followed by a treat or a little game – you don’t need to make your dog do anything like sit, stop trembling or perform a trick to receive comfort or food.

If they won’t eat or play, don’t insist. Reduce the exposure to the best of your ability, and just focus on helping them feel safer.

Trembling, panting, pacing, hiding, frantic escape attempts or a sudden change in willingness to eat can be signs that your dog is really struggling. Taking a treat does not, by itself, mean they’re comfortable enough for more exposure.

Make YOUR plan before the next noisy night

Talk with a veterinary behaviorist as soon as you notice fear of fireworks, storms or other sounds. Describe what you see, and how long it takes your dog to recover.

If medication is prescribed, ask how and when to try it before the event; follow your veterinarian’s directions.

Plan for neighborhood fireworks over several days, not just during the advertised display time.

Spend comfortable time in your dog’s safe room on ordinary days. Bring a favorite food or toy, rest nearby, or enjoy a quiet activity together.

You want the room to feel familiar before your dog is looking for somewhere to retreat.

During storm season, keep the comfortable room available and pay attention to forecasts so you can prepare and time potty breaks and outdoor exercise for before the situation becomes frightening for your dog.

BUT! A storm is more than a sound

Thunder may be only part of what worries your dog.

In her noise aversion guidance, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lisa Radosta explains that dogs can also associate lightning, rain, darkening skies and changes in air pressure with a storm.

Your dog may need support before you even hear the first rumble.

That also helps explain why a thunder recording may not produce the same response as an actual storm – but recordings can often still be helpful when you’re working on this!

Introduce sounds at a level your dog can handle

For planned practice, use sound you can control. A recording allows you to start very quietly and stop immediately.

Begin at a level that leaves your dog comfortable.

Pair the sound with something they enjoy, keep the session brief, and stop while they are still doing well.

Only increase the sound a little when the current level is easy.

If your dog becomes tense, scans for an escape, stops enjoying the activity or moves away, stop the recording. Make the next session easier.

Don’t raise the volume to see how much your dog can tolerate, and don’t use real fireworks or an approaching storm as a test.

Recordings do not reproduce every part of a real event, and some dogs respond very differently to them, but success with recordings is useful information when you’re in the early stages of working on this.

SEE VIDEO LESSONS AND EXAMPLES ↓

In this thunderstorm lesson, starting at 2:14, I talk about comforting a dog and letting them use a place where they feel safer. I also explain how my dog Venus preferred a closet during storms.

Notice how the lesson changes each time. It’s not about meeting a pre-set goal. Each different dog’s response helps guide what we do next.

You can watch Inertia become more worried and move back indoors with me, from 10:26 to 10:59 in this video.

Notice her changing behavior and the move to a quieter place when the outdoor exposure was a bit too much; ideally, for your own preparation, follow the indoor, gradual approach above. There is no need to find your dog’s limit by pushing until they are frightened.

Dr. Lisa Radosta’s Fireworks Survival Guide and noise aversion guidance cover comfort, preparation and veterinary behaviorist help.

Dr. Megan Maxwell also explains gradual sound work on the AVSAB website.

The #1 Rule: Keep the next session small enough that your dog can have a good experience. You’ve got this!