Many dog owners will view the festivities of firework night with dread rather than joy, as they know the misery their four legged friends go through each year. Large numbers of dogs are turned into quivering wrecks by the first muffled bang from a distant firework or rumble of thunder. Various theories suggest that a dog’s more acute hearing and general sensitivity to loud noises can make them susceptible to significant anxiety. Some breeds seem to get more anxious and anxiety can also be affected by how old the puppy was when they were first exposed to the noises.

So what can you do if you have a seriously stressed pooch? The first steps are to create a nice safe den at home, keep windows closed, curtains drawn and turn up some music or the TV to drown out outside noises. Plan in advance to walk and feed your dog before it gets dark if you can. Try not to fuss your pet if they show mild signs of anxiety as you can reinforce the anxious behaviour. If the anxiety is more significant, try a D.A.P plug-in diffuser (Dog Appeasement Pheromone) or one of the ‘Tryptophan’ dietary supplements that will increase their own natural serotonin levels (calming neuro-chemical) – e.g. ‘Kalm Aid’ or ‘Zylkene’. Failing that you can get stronger anti-anxiety medication or sedatives from your vet that can help them to chill out if they get very distressed. There is quite a nice sedative gel that can be squirted into a dog’s mouth for fairly rapid onset sedation for desperate cases.

Expose young puppies to loud noises
In an ideal world we would recommend trying to expose young puppies to loud noises (in a controlled manner) before they get too old. Some studies have shown that puppies born later in the year are less likely to be stressed as they get exposed to firework noise at a much earlier age.

The best long-term treatment for noise phobias is counter-conditioning or habituation. This involves a long, steady process of exposing your dog to low level noises at the same time as doing something your dog really enjoys – e.g. playing, food, getting the lead for a walk, etc. By gradually increasing the noise levels over many weeks the dog starts to associate the noise with something positive and slowly stops being afraid or phobic. You can buy CDs or download free audio files with firework or thunderstorm noises specifically for curing dog phobias (‘Sounds Scary CD’). In the long-term it is possible to cure a dog of noise phobia, but it requires a long- term view and it is best to start the drawn-out process of counter conditioning several months in advance of a firework period.