Fear of Fireworks in a Pet Dog

Puppy socialisation involves introducing your puppy to sights and sounds at an early age. They are then less likely to have adverse reactions to strange sights and sounds in later life. However, there’s no guarantee that even the soundest of dogs won’t display an unexpected reaction later in life – it only takes a single scary event to induce a fear response.

The "firework season" seems to be getting longer each year and the fireworks get louder and louder. Fear of fireworks is one of the commonest problems when considering fear in our pets

D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) can help your dog to get through this worrying period. All lactating females release substances called "appeasing" pheromones, the function of which is to reassure their offspring. As the young animal faces the big new world, the pheromone manufactured by its Mum brings it a degree of calm and serenity and this has been found to be useful when dealing with panic induced by fireworks in adult dogs as well as puppies.

Some Suggestions That Will Help Your Dog To Cope

• Make sure that he is in a secure environment and can't escape 
• Try to ignore signs of stress and reward any calm relaxed behaviour 
• Close the curtains and turn on the radio or TV 
• Feed him before the noise starts - He'll be more relaxed with a full belly 
• Don't leave him alone 
• Choose safe times for exercise and toileting 
• Occupy him with food-filled toys such as a Kong 
• Ensure that he's wearing a collar and name disk in case of escape