03/11/2025
Was just writing an article when this great article came up. So i thought id share this to save me writing the same thing.. THe only things i would add is that most puppies are not scared of fireworks. Fear of fireworks (like most fears) grow greater with age. So your 1 year old who does nit fear fireworks might do so this year. So build a secure den. Great article ...well worth a read.
TODAY OUR BREED EXPERT Carol Price looks at why fireworks are so scary for dogs – and how you can best prepare for them
YOUR SURVIVAL GUIDE TO THE FIREWORK SEASON
For those of us living in the UK, the dreaded fireworks season has come round again; night after night of flashing and banging nationwide, from Bonfire Night (supposedly 5 Nov but likely the most noise will come from displays this weekend) via Diwali to the New Year, with seemingly little respite for our poor dogs inbetween, and particularly those in which they inspire such terror.
Moreover, rather than limit their use to one particular night, or even specific time, people seem happy to let these things off anywhere, anytime, and it is the additional unpredictability of when the bangs and blasts will occur that can make them so much harder for owners to prepare for, or dogs to cope with.
Fireworks to me, or anyone else who has witnessed the devastating trauma they can cause our fellow animals, are just another example of supreme human selfishness. We do not care who or what we harm as long as we have our fleeting little bit of noisy entertainment. And we know of dogs who have actually died as a direct result of the stress and trauma caused by fireworks.
WHY FIREWORKS ARE SO TRAUMATIC FOR DOGS
Although it is possible to more gradually desensitise dogs to many different sounds that initially scared them, by attaching more positive associations to them in the dog’s mind (like food rewards), making many dogs cope better with fireworks can still be pretty hard, even with the use of things like sound-replication CDs.
First because, as previously mentioned, of their more unpredictable occurrence. Second because they are not just about noise – of a kind that can actually cause them physical pain - but also a whole host of other ‘sensory horrors’ for more sensitive dogs. Like bright lights, flashing patterns, vibration and even the more acrid stench of burning, smoke and cordite. Third, because they are JUST SO DARN TERRIFYING to a mind that has zero conception of what causes this sensory bombardment or where it comes from. And last because you cannot fool the primal brain!
When fireworks go off, many dogs’ survival programming tells them they are in a scenario of highest possible threat. And as there is nothing more obvious to fight, the only other options are to run and hide or freeze, and whether they are hiding or freezing wave after wave of adrenalin and stress hormones will still be surging through their bodies, with the inevitable side effects of panting, shivering, shaking or extreme agitation. You cannot convince a dog in this state that there is ‘really nothing much to worry about’, when their brain tells them their world seems to be exploding around them.
RIDING OUT THE FEAR WAVE
Why some dogs are so terrified of fireworks, and others far less bothered, is one of those more baffling things to do with any dog’s more individual fear mechanisms, and levels of sensory sensitivity or reactivity, rather than anything an owner has or has not done in the past. But dogs cannot help what they feel or are compelled to do, once their fear switches flick on. And sometimes it can help to just accept that, and do what we can to help them ride out the ‘fear wave’ rather than add more pressure on them, in trying to make them behave any differently.
Below are some suggestions that might help your dog get through the firework season a little better. Followers might also like to share their own experiences of what has worked for them in getting their dogs through the firework season in a calmer state.
1. KEEP MAIN EVENTS TO DAYLIGHT HOURS
Well before you think fireworks will be going off, get into the habit of never walking your dog after dark if possible. The reason for this is that if you go out after dark and a firework goes off, your dog may make a lasting mental connection between the fright and being outside after dark - meaning you may have trouble getting them out at all on a walk after dark later, even after the firework season has ended. Also feed your dog their main meal in the morning, or way before it gets dark, and ensure they also have a really good walk before it gets dark. Dogs may get too stressed to eat after dark if they anticipate fireworks.
2. BUILD A DEN
One of the most helpful things you can do before the firework season is build your dog a safe place to go and hide, and sit out a fright. Dogs have a primal urge to seek some small, darker, secure place - like a den - when frightened. Your dog may have already chosen a spot like this - like under a table or dresser, in a shower cabinet, behind a sofa, under the stairs or in a crate. But you may also need to insulate it more from sound, with things like a duvet or extra blankets and cushions.
If your dog still unduly frets in the first place they have gone to, or keeps restlessly moving from one place to another, the 'den' you originally built/selected for them is still not quite safe enough in their mind. So keep experimenting with different places, and additional insulation, until you finally find one where they are happier to settle. Dogs are always happier when they know exactly what to do, and where to go, in the home when they are frightened. When they go to their safe place, never try to coax or persuade them to come out again, before they are ready to, as this can load extra pressure on the dog. Let them decide this, always, for themselves.
3. OTHER MEASURES
Other measures suggested to make your dog feel calmer include Thundershirts, Adaptil appeasing pheromone collars, and Scullcap and Valerian tablets or Rescue Remedy drops you can put in your dog's water. But there can always be mixed reports on the efficacy of these in different dogs - obviously we would welcome comments on this page from others who have tried them. If you feel your dog gets more excessively stressed, you could also talk to your vet about the potential use of sedative medication. Although many owners may prefer not to go down this route, for some dogs they are the only way to better reduce otherwise more extreme anxiety.
4. LAST TOILET BREAK
One of the most stressful parts of sitting out firework nights is wondering when, or if, you are ever going to be able to get your dog outside for a last toilet break before bedtime. And in this respect I would advise waiting as long as you possibly can, until you are sure the fireworks have finished for the night, if only to avoid the aforementioned risk again of your dog going out in the dark and getting frightened by a firework. Then making a more lasting connection between the two things.
In an ideal and more enlightened and compassionate world, none of us would be having to nurse our dogs through this ongoing sensory torture every year. But alas we seem to be a long way still from living in that place. In the meantime I am hoping you and all your pets get safely through the firework season.
Meanwhile all aspects of fear and fear responses in Border collies is covered in BOOK THREE (green cover) of my BREED APART trilogy (green cover): BEHAVIOUR – INSIGHTS, ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS.
All text © Carol Price 2025
Carol Price collie books: In the UK from: https://performancedog.co.uk/?s=carol+price In the USA from: https://www.dogwise.com/ # and https://www.cleanrun.com/product/border_collies_a_breed_apart_book_1_secrets_of_the_working_mind/index.cfm In Canada from https://4mymerles.com/collections/books In Australia from: https://gameondogs.com.au/ And in the Netherlands and Belgium from: https://mediaboek.nl/border-collies-a-breed-apart-book-1.html
