Keeping Your Dog (and Others) Safe for Firework Holidays

Let’s discuss some inside the box and outside the box firework safety topics for your dog’s behavior.

Holidays like the Fourth of July and New Years can pose a challenge for a lot of dogs, especially ones who already struggle with aggression, fear, and anxiety.

For whatever reason people are enthralled with loud, giant booming lights in the sky. But for many dogs (and wildlife) they create a terrifying war scene, often times for a few weeks surrounding these holidays.

Every year there are numerous dogs who get out, get lost, or injure themselves while escaping out of yards, homes, cars, and leashes. Everyone thinks it “will never happen to them.” Don’t be one of those people.

There’s also numerous dogs who experience extreme stress and fear. This can result in dogs panicking, injuring themselves, and in some cases redirecting and misplacing their stress onto others.

But with proper planning, we can keep everyone safe and help to reduce and minimize the stress that your dog may experience. The right planning includes taking action before, during, and after the holiday events.

PREPARATION: Identification.

Verify that your pet’s microchip information is up to date, have the numbers and chip information readily available.

Make sure that your dogs are wearing their ID tags or that they have your information embroidered on their collars.

PREPARATION: Create a Safe Space

When fireworks go off, it’s not just the loud booms that cause dogs to react in fear, distress, or panic. It’s the vibrations that reverberate through the air and into our bones. It’s the unpredictability of when they go off, how long they last, and how intense they are. In many neighborhoods it’s as if you are surrounded because so many people are letting them off. To your dog, it can literally feel like a war zone with bombs. They don’t know the difference.

While YES training can absolutely help via counter conditioning and preventive measures in young puppies, not everyone has the ability to implement this. So the next best thing is teaching dogs how to cope with the stress. Self regulation can include retreating or hiding, which in my book is a totally appropriate thing to do. Therefore, I want to set up a physical space where the dog can feel safe, secure, and comfortable.

Choose an area that’s away from the main movement and commotion from the house. If your dog is crate trained ideally the crate is in this area as well. The door can stay open for optional access.  Sometimes choosing the place that your dog naturally seeks out is most beneficial. The best places are more towards the center of the home, without windows.

Set it up with your dog’s favorite blankets and beds and add in their favorite toys and chew items. Offer high value edible items here in the space such as bones, bulky sticks, or food toys as great options to both aid in counter conditioning but to also keep them occupied and give them something to do. If you have multiple dogs or if you have a dog with a history of resource guarding, they should still be confined away from other pets and people with these food items. If the safe space you are creating is also their confinement space, then that’s perfect.

It’s helpful to keep lights on in this room to avoid repetitive flashes of light from the fireworks. In addition, keeping the curtains closed helps with this too.

Play background noise, TV, music, or sound machines. You can choose something that is familiar to the dog - as in something that plays often in the home. Or you could opt for something that’s just more likely to drown out the booms, like rock music or action movies. Sometimes classical music is too soft to help drown out noise.

I like to add in an Adaptil diffuser to this safe area as well because it doesn’t hurt and I have definitely had clients who think it helps reduce stress. Adaptil contains Dog Appeasing Pheromone which mimics the pheromones that the mother emits to her puppies, making it associated with safety and comfort. We can’t smell it, only the dogs can, so why not have it as another piece to the puzzle.

PREPARATION: Medications & Supplements

Medications and supplements prescribed by your veterinarian are not to be used as the sole “fix” for any type of fear or anxiety related to fireworks. There are absolutely some dogs who need them and there are many benefits to using the right type of medication and the right dosing in conjunction with training and proper environmental set up.

If your dog has been newly prescribed medication, please speak with your veterinarian about “testing out” the medications ahead of time, well before the fireworks begin. Why? Well for one, these types of as needed or situational meds are often times prescribed at the lower end of the dosing range. So it may not affect your dog at all. If you do a trial run with the medications (with the ok of your vet) during a normal non stressful day, and your dog is not affected at all then it certainly won’t affect them during a stressful event. This information can be relayed to your vet and then you can communicate with them to adjust dosing or the actual medication itself. The other reason is that you want to make sure that the dog does not have any negative side effects from the medication. If your dog has any negative undesired effects from it, it’s much easier to handle and wait out during a normal non stressful day. You do NOT want to be dealing with  negative side effects during the actual stressful event, that’s for sure.

If your dog is already established on a metrication, make sure you get your refill ahead of time instead of last minute.

And remember, they’re still not a standalone resolution.

PREPARATION: Escape Proof Your Walking Equipment

While I do not recommend taking your dog outside during the actual fireworks (unless you’re intentionally working on exposure as an exercise) the potty breaks beforehand and afterhand should be managed with care. You never know when a rogue firework might go off.

What makes your walking equipment escape proof? Here’s an overview of basic equipment.

Remember you can always do two leashes, one attached to one piece of equipment and another attached to a second piece of equipment. My favorite safety leash is called a “prong collar leash” and has two clips at the end (because sometimes clips fail too) on one leash, so it’s less cumbersome than handling two leashes. This can be used with any of the below combinations.

As far as collars go, never use a regular buckle collar as those are the easiest things for dogs to get out of. If you’re using a collar, the most secure options are an appropriately fitting slip collar or a British style slip lead that uses a stopper. The other option is a snug fitting martingale collar. If you’re using any type of prong collar, note that they are notorious for having links pop open (if you’ve never had that happen to you then consider yourself lucky). If you don’t have a safety back up for it, do it now. The most common options are: attaching the leash to BOTH a martingale ring as well as the prong collar D ring;  using a “prong collar leash” to attach to both the prong collar as well as a back up such as martingale or slip or harness; using a double ended leash to attach to both the prong and the back up of choice; or use a LOCKING carabiner to attach the O ring of the prong collar (not the D ring which attaches to the leash clip) to the martingale.

If you’re using a head collar, these are also very easy for dogs to get out of and/or small plastic buckles can easily crack and break. Examples for adding a safety back up with a head collar include: attaching the leash to BOTH a martingale (or slip) ring as well as the ring of the head collar; using a “prong collar leash” to attach to both the head collar as well as a back up such as a martingale or slip or harness; using a double ended leash to attach to both the head collar and the back up; or using a LOCKING carabiner to attach the rectangular part of the leash clip to the martingale or slip.

If you’re using a harness, please note that most of them are also very easy for dogs to escape from. They quickly learn how to suck their elbows in and dip their head down to back out of them. The two harness brands that I prefer the most are the Balance Harness by Blue 9 and the PetSafe 3 in 1 harness as both of these are much harder to escape from if they are fitted properly (starting at the neck and making it snug then moving your way to the back of the dog to size the rest of the straps). However I still recommend to add a safety back up to these harnesses as well. This can be: attaching the leash to BOTH a martingale (or slip) ring as well as the ring on the dog’s chest; using a “prong collar leash” to attach to both the harness as well as a back up such as a martingale or slip; or using a double ended leash to attach to both the harness and the back up.

It is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT to double and triple check your safety equipment back ups if your dog displays aggression, fear, and anxiety towards other animals or people. We never want any dog to get loose, but we especially don’t want these dogs to get loose!

PREPARATION: Exercise Your Dog

Physical exercise can go a long way in expelling your dog’s energy so that it’s not displaced elsewhere. While exercising your dog during the afternoon before fireworks start won’t solve all issues they may have, it can still be incredibly beneficial. This is especially true if you have a high energy dog. If you don’t give them a proper outlet then they will also have that energy to potentially put towards being upset about the fireworks.

PREPARATION: Finish Up Outdoor Activities Early

On the big fireworks days, our goal is to finish up all outdoor activities early so we don’t have to be outside while it’s dark (and while fireworks are still potentially going off).

The best way to do this is to feed your dog his dinner early. If you feed dinner in the early afternoon, then you can also pick up water early, and do your last walk or last potty break early, too, just before the fireworks begin. This avoids having to go out in the middle of it all.

DURING: Leash Your Dog, Even in Your Yard

Taking your dog out in the middle of fireworks is just not necessary, unless you are actively working on exposing your dog to them in your training. So if you are actively conditioning your dog to accept fireworks and you’re bringing them outside, you still absolutely want to make sure that all of your equipment is safe (see above ).

On the evening of fireworks, before and after I always recommend to leash your dog (again with safe equipment) if going outside - even if you have a fenced in back yard! Because rogue fireworks can go off and dogs can spook and you don’t want to learn that your dog can jump your fence out of panic the night of a firework holiday.

DURING: Secure Your Doors

Dogs can get spooked by sudden fireworks and dart out of the closest door. It’s really an unlucky coincidence to have somebody entering or exiting your home where they’re opening a door at the same time that a firework goes off, but it does happen. For this reason, I suggest to block off your dog’s access to the entry and exit ways that you may still be using on the night of fireworks. This can include setting up a configurable gate by the front door; gating off the entryway or hallway that leads to a front door or garage door; or simply crating your dog or confining them to a room with the door closed whenever you are going in and out of the house. This is especially important and true if you are hosting a party and if you have multiple people going in and out at random times. It’s better to be safe than sorry, accidents still happen even if you’ve done all the training in the world with your dog. Double barriers at your doors help prevent tragedies.

Anytime you are moving your dog around the house and in and out, whether it’s before, during, or after fireworks, I also recommend to practice and commit to doing “wait” at all entries, exit ways, gates, doors, etc. Being in the repetition of practicing impulse control at thresholds helps to remind your dog about slow thinking and making good choices.

DURING: Create Positive Associations

If possible, we want to create positive associations with fireworks when they occur. If your dog is willing and able to eat during fireworks, then this is definitely something that you want to utilize and partake in. It’s not only a good preventative measure for young dogs or new dogs, it’s also great maintenance work as dogs continue to age and experience firework holidays more and more often.

The easiest thing to do is to give your dog a special high value food item that is not available to them on a regular basis. Something that is coveted and rare for them to receive such as a pig ear, canned food stuffed into a kong, bullystick, etc. If you have multiple dogs or if you have a dog with a history of resource guarding, they should still be confined away from other pets and people with these food items. If the safe space you are creating is also their confinement space, then that’s perfect.

You can also make a game out of the fireworks. Any time there’s a loud boom you can toss a handful of treats onto the floor. The active movement, searching, and scavenging, for the treats is also a healthy activity for them to be practicing during the commotion. Eventually, your dog should start to associate that any time a firework goes off, there will be food to search for. This builds a positive association with the noise which turns into a game.

Playing with your dog with their favorite toys or any other game that they thoroughly enjoy engaging in can also help create a positive association to the fireworks. Anything fun can do this. Play can keep the dog active and in a much happier state of mind where they are not fixating on the fireworks themselves.

DURING: Provide Structure & Predictability

I stated earlier on, one of the reasons that dogs struggle with fireworks so much is due to the unpredictable nature of them. So another way to really combat a dog’s stress around fireworks is to provide them with the predictability that they are lacking.

I practice with a lot of my clients teaching their dogs a down and settle exercise, which also overlaps into a relaxation exercise. It’s basically a long down stay on leash at your feet where we reward for duration, holding the position during distractions, as well as physical signs of relaxation. Outside of providing some lower value food rewards while practicing this exercise, we really don’t interact with or engage with the dog very much. I want the dog to learn to stay down on their own by giving in to mild leash pressure, instead of us verbally engaging with the dog every time they pop up out of the position.

It’s a great impulse control exercise, as well as an off switch, where we just ask the dog to do nothing. But the best thing about it for this current topic is that when you practice it on a regular basis, it becomes a very familiar and predictable exercise. The dog knows what to expect, they know what’s happening, and they just let go and relax. If the dog is familiar with this exercise prior to a firework holiday, this can be incredibly beneficial for them to practice inside the home while fireworks are going off. Staying on the leash prevents pacing, which has the potential to snowball effect into increasing stress. It also takes the guess work away from the dog of having to decide where to go or what to do. This alone can greatly reduce stress. It is also perfectly ok to sit next to your dog while doing this and provide comfort through your presence.

Of course this is not something that you want to try and teach while the fireworks are going off and ideally it’s something you work on prior.

DURING: Leave The Dogs Out of the Party

If your dog displays aggression towards strangers  (whether you’re actively working on a behavior modification plan or not) the celebration holidays that involve fireworks can be a challenge because we tend to have a lot of our family and friends over during this time. So with MULTIPLE guests coming over, we definitely want to make sure that your dogs who aren’t really happy about strangers are safely and comfortably confined away.

The other time where keeping the dog separated is an intelligent option is when there’s a big party and/or a lot of alcohol. When people start drinking, they don’t make good choices. This is yet again another scenario that I hear often from clients - the dog was “fine” at the party until Uncle Joe went to go kiss the dog in the face or Aunt Susan stepped on the dog with her high heels. People get sloppy and intrusive with dogs when they drink and it’s so easily preventable by keeping the dog separated and safe ahead of any incident. Add in the potential stress of fireworks to this scenario and it’s a definite no. I make this suggestion for any dogs who have any little bit of hesitation, avoidance, or suspicion around guests.

AFTER: Note that Regression with Aggression, Fear, & Anxiety Can Occur

If you have a dog and you’re working through a behavior modification plan for overall fear, separation anxiety, confinement anxiety, leash reactivity, or aggression towards members of the household, it is very possible that the stress of a firework holiday can cause a regression in your progress. In other words, your dog’s behavior may get a littler worse even if they had been progressing nicely and consistently prior. I unfortunately see it often with client’s dogs and it’s just one of those things that’s mostly out of our control and we just have to accept it (and plan better for the next time).

Trigger stacking is a real thing, where too many stressors are piled up on top of each other to the point that the dogs (or we) pass our threshold of tolerance and then usually have some type of negative reaction or regression in overall desired behavior. A firework holiday is a major stressor for many dogs.

If this happens to your dog, please know that it’s not the end of the world. You will be able to get back to where you were much faster than the time it took you to initially get there in the first place. Just be accepting and patient and keep your forward momentum of training.

For the few days following the holiday, keep your dog calm and avoid high arousal situations or stressful scenarios involving triggers.  A three day period to allow for a reset and to recover without overdoing any pressure on them will help you and them immensely.

AFTER: Keep Up with Training

Training exercises that can help you during the firework holidays should be practiced and should continue throughout the year. These exercises include but are not limited to confinement training, independence training, impulse control work, settle/relaxation, confidence building exercises, practice coping with frustration, and whatever other behavior modification you’re working on.

AFTER: Create Next Year’s Plan

Take note of what worked and what didn’t work for this firework holiday and put together a plan for the next one. Preparedness always pays off in the end and every dog is different in what they may need and what may work for them.