07/01/2026
It's almost that time of the year. The 4th of July. If you have a puppy who has never experienced the 4th, the importance of this week goes far beyond words. If your dog is afraid of fireworks, gunfire, maybe even storms. This post is for you.
Whether or not a dog is afraid of fireworks is completely up to the humans around them. Some people may have accidentally helped create this fear in their dog, or their dog came to them afraid, or maybe your dog naturally doesn't care! It is OUR job to make sure we are properly setting our dogs up for success.
When a dog is afraid, nervous, or anxious, the humans typically around it rush over, petting them soothing them, coddling them, cuddling them, holding them, or even worse, picking them up. You typically also do these things when your dog does a good job and want them to do it again. You're using positive reinforcement to teach the dog to that being nervous is okay. It rewards their fear and anxiety, that if it hadn't been rewarded, most likely would have passed. It trains them to be afraid. Associating those noises with their physical reaction and then followed by your physical reaction. Are you trying to do that on purpose? Of course not. Though, your dog is most likely seeing it that way.
If your dog came to you already in fear of fireworks, it is your duty to help them have the confidence and security in themselves to move on and not be bothered.
There's many things you can do to work on it. Act completely normal in the house as if nothing is happening. Your dog should see you acting calm and not making a big deal of anything. Walk them - at a distance - while they are going off. Walk them early when there are only a few fireworks going off, then build it up. Of course don't take them too close to them for obvious safety reasons. Use your obedience to give their brain something to do and focus on. Play with them while the fireworks are going on, get excited, have fun, show them that there's nothing to be afraid of. Use the crate. Calmly put them in, no reaction. Do not drown out the noise. Let your dog hear them. Train. Work through it! 🧨 And please reach out for help!
