My dog is scared of fireworks: what to do tonight

Start a steady background sound hours before the fireworks are due, not when the first bang lands, and settle your dog into a spot it already trusts, curtains closed, before the sky lights up. Slo plays brown noise free in your browser, with a timer that covers the whole evening. Be clear about what the sound does, though: it softens the bangs and can’t hide them, and the deep thud still travels through the floor. It’s one part of tonight, and the rest of tonight goes better once it’s running.

Brown NoiseReady to playLoadingNow playingCould not play this sound.

What to do before the fireworks start

Walk your dog and feed dinner before the fireworks are likely to start, not after. A tired, fed dog settles faster once the noise begins. Then shut the house down: doors and windows closed, plus any gate or pet door a spooked dog could squeeze through. Check the collar tag and confirm the microchip details are current, because a dog that bolts during fireworks can end up a long way from home before anyone notices it’s gone.

Set up the spot your dog already treats as safe, a covered crate or a corner with its usual bedding, wherever it naps on an ordinary day. Close the curtains or shutters there. That blocks the flashes and takes a little of the sound off too. Then start the background noise hours before the first bang. Reach for brown noise: it’s a deep rumble, the closest match to a firework going off a few streets away, so it blurs those thumps instead of sitting on top of them. Set it at a level you could still hold a conversation over.

Some evenings the noise outside is sharper than a thump: a car alarm, or bangs echoing off the buildings across the street. Add white noise over the brown for that: it’s a flat hiss, so it blurs the sharp sounds while the brown carries the deep end.

What to do while the fireworks are going off

Stay in the room and act normal yourself. Dogs pick up on a tense owner, and calm behavior from you counts for more than anything you say. If your dog comes to you for comfort, let it, holding or petting a frightened dog doesn’t teach it to be more afraid. Offering a chew or a quick game of tug is worth trying too: in one large survey of dog owners, that was one of the few things linked to a calmer dog during fireworks.

If your dog would rather hide, let it. Don’t pull it out of the crate to “face” the noise. That’s not how dogs get less afraid of fireworks, and it just adds a second bad thing to an already bad night. Be honest about the ceiling here, too. No sound from a speaker covers a firework going off close by, and none of it touches the thud that comes up through the floor. That part of the night, you just get through.

When your dog’s fear needs a vet

Trembling, heavy panting, drooling, frantic hiding, or trying to get through a door or window go beyond ordinary fear. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior treats those as signs of noise phobia. If you’re seeing them, tonight’s plan still applies, but it’s worth calling your vet this week too. A vet can rule out other causes and talk through whether medication has a place. In that same large survey of owners, most of those who had used vet-prescribed medication for firework fear said it helped.

Before next year’s fireworks

If this happens every year, next year’s version of tonight can be easier. Fear of fireworks can be worked on with your dog, gradually, using recorded firework sounds at low volume, built up over weeks. The same vets’ group that names noise phobia is clear about the timescale: six to eight weeks at minimum, often months, to reach calm behavior at full volume. That means starting in the quiet months, not the week of the display. If medication might help, that conversation belongs there too, not on the afternoon of.

The same thinking applies if the loud night isn’t the only problem, if it’s the doorbell, being left alone, or the hallway outside your apartment that sets your dog off year-round. White noise for dogs covers that everyday case on its own, including where to put the speaker.

What if my cat is scared of fireworks?

Cats rarely bark or pace the way dogs do, so a frightened cat is easy to miss. You just notice it isn’t in the room any more. The RSPCA recommends keeping cats indoors after dark with the pet door blocked, and making sure whatever spot your cat already prefers, up high or tucked into a box, stays easy to reach and gets left alone once your cat is in it. White noise for cats goes into when sound helps a cat and when it doesn’t.

The nights to plan around

In the US, that’s July 4th, then New Year’s Eve. In the UK, it’s Bonfire Night on November 5th, then New Year’s Eve again. Put the date in a calendar a week ahead rather than noticing it that afternoon. Everything above only works if it starts before the first firework does.

Common questions

How do I calm my dog during fireworks?

Start the background sound hours before the display, settle your dog into its usual safe spot with the curtains closed, and stay close once the noise starts. Comforting a dog that comes to you doesn’t make things worse.

What noise works best to drown out fireworks?

Brown noise. It’s a deep rumble, close to the sound a firework a few streets away makes, so it blurs those thumps better than a hiss can. It won’t cover one going off outside your window, and it does nothing about the thud you feel through the floor.

Does white noise help a dog during fireworks?

It helps with the sharper part of the evening, like a bang echoing off the buildings or a car alarm going off in the street. Brown noise does more for the deep thumps. If you can only run one sound, start with brown noise.

Should I comfort a scared dog, or will that reinforce the fear?

Comfort it. There’s no evidence that holding or petting a frightened dog teaches it to be more afraid. What helps is staying calm yourself and letting your dog choose whether to come to you or stay hidden.

What can I give my dog for fireworks?

Ask your vet, and ask weeks ahead rather than on the afternoon of the display. Vets do prescribe medication for firework fear, and in a large survey of owners, most of those who had tried it said it helped. Don’t guess with anything from a shelf.

How do I know if it’s more than fear?

Trembling, heavy panting, drooling, frantic hiding, or trying to get through a door or window go beyond ordinary fear. Vets treat those as noise phobia, and it’s worth a call to your vet this week.

Sources

• American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, A dog’s least favorite holiday, on treatment timelines for noise phobia and when a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or veterinary behaviorist should take over.
• Riemer, S. (2020). Effectiveness of treatments for firework fears in dogs, Journal of Veterinary Behavior 37, 61–70.
• RSPCA, Fireworks advice for pets, on keeping cats indoors, hiding places, and pheromone diffusers.

Filip Kowalski is the developer of Slo and writes about sound, sleep, and focus.