# Ep 98 Fireworks Survival Guide for Dogs: From Prevention to Thriving this Season

An episode of [Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1721245241), 15 Oct 2025, 14 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2287608/episodes/17970635-ep-98-fireworks-survival-guide-for-dogs-from-prevention-to-thriving-this-season.mp3

Fireworks season is here again, and while it’s beautiful for us, it can be a stressful time for our dogs. In this episode, we’re talking about how to help your dog not just cope with fireworks, but actually thrive through the season. Whether your dog is already nervous or usually unbothered, this is your reminder that prevention is everything. You’ll learn simple, practical ways to build confidence, reduce stress, and create a calmer, safer environment for your dog when the bangs begin. You’ll discover several easy routines and strategies you can start right now. Don’t wait until the fireworks start to find out how your dog feels about them. Get ahead and tune in for strategies that make a real difference this year. ................ Whether your dog is unpredictable with other dogs or predictably bad… Whether it looks like freezing, barking, lunging or running away… Whether you are just starting out on your dog-owning journey or your dog has been labelled as having a “behaviour problem”… … this episode is for you and is going to give you huge insights! Want to join the Help! My Dog Online HUB? Here's the link: www.helpmydog.com/hub Dr Tom Mitchell is a world-renowned veterinarian, behaviourist and dog trainer and director of the Behavet behaviour clinic (rated Excellent on Trustpilot), which sees over 400 pet behaviour consultations each and every month no matter where you are in the world. In 2023, he founded Help! My Dog, an online dog behaviour learning platform to help even more owners all over the world and show that dog behaviour transformation is not only possible but it's FUN, with the right know-how! Make sure to subscribe/follow the podcast for the free weekly episodes! Useful Links: Follow Help! My Dog on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helpmydogofficial/ Schedule a Consultation with Behavet: https://www.beha.vet/ Follow Behavet on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behavet

## Transcript

[0:00] SPEAKER_00: Contrary to popular belief and contrary to most advice out there, movement is your friend.
[0:07] SPEAKER_00: Before we dive in, a warning.
[0:10] SPEAKER_00: The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners.
[0:15] SPEAKER_00: This is real life, and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic.
[0:20] SPEAKER_00: So listen on at your own peril.
[0:23] SPEAKER_00: As a veterinarian, dog behaviourist, best-selling author and trainer, over the past decade I've had an obsession with transforming the behaviour of dogs.
[0:32] SPEAKER_00: Understanding their brains and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home.
[0:38] SPEAKER_00: I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality.
[0:44] SPEAKER_00: In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size.
[0:51] SPEAKER_00: And suddenly our life of stress-free walks, a calm and cuddly household and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner.
[1:02] SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
[1:03] SPEAKER_00: Tom.
[1:03] SPEAKER_00: This is the Help My Dog Podcast, and this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you, and having a few laughs along the way.
[1:14] SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to this episode of the Help My Dog Podcast.
[1:18] SPEAKER_00: And of course, we've got to talk about firework season because it's upon us.
[1:22] SPEAKER_00: I don't know how, I don't know where this year's gone, to be honest, guys.
[1:25] SPEAKER_00: But um I don't know about you, but this seems like the fastest year ever.
[1:29] SPEAKER_00: I don't know if it's because there's a skin baby involved now or something.
[1:33] SPEAKER_00: This is just how every year's gonna be.
[1:35] SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
[1:36] SPEAKER_00: But it's um it's just flown by, and with that, I feel like it was only two minutes ago that I was last talking to you all about this, and here we are again for your yearly reminder of how to thrive rather than just survive firework season.
[1:52] SPEAKER_00: So, many dogs don't like fireworks.
[1:55] SPEAKER_00: Many dogs are fine with the noises of fireworks, but what I want you to realize, those of you that have a dog, have dogs that aren't worried about fireworks, is this is a constant prevention and safeguarding situation.
[2:08] SPEAKER_00: All of our dogs are now fine with fireworks, and yet we will be doing a lot of the things that I'm gonna talk about, okay?
[2:17] SPEAKER_00: Because you've got to safeguard it when you've got it.
[2:20] SPEAKER_00: You bec you know, just because they've been fine for the past five years, we see it every every year where dogs develop a fear of loud noises that were previously fine with them.
[2:31] SPEAKER_00: It makes sense.
[2:32] SPEAKER_00: It's an explosion.
[2:33] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is one of those scenarios where a dog's reactivity is kind of aligned with the event, right?
[2:40] SPEAKER_00: You if if there's explosions going off, you kind of want you, it would kind of be appropriate for your brain to go, where's the danger, where's the threat?
[2:48] SPEAKER_00: Like the sky is falling, yeah?
[2:50] SPEAKER_00: So safeguard or move to a world of thrive through everything that I'm gonna talk about.
[2:56] SPEAKER_00: So, first things first, first tip that I've got for you.
[2:59] SPEAKER_00: Everything that I'm gonna talk about, whenever you are listening to this podcast, start it right now, okay?
[3:08] SPEAKER_00: Um, that is really, really key because the sooner we start it and it just becomes a normal way of life for your dog in a normal evening, I hate to say routine, but a normal evening routine, the more established it's gonna be when they hear a firework in the evening.
[3:25] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[3:26] SPEAKER_00: Number one, start now.
[3:28] SPEAKER_00: Number two, contrary to popular belief and contrary to most advice out there, movement is your friend.
[3:37] SPEAKER_00: Okay?
[3:38] SPEAKER_00: So actually keeping your dog moving in the house when you know in the the period when you know fireworks is gonna happen is going to help.
[3:47] SPEAKER_00: It's easier to be confident when you are moving than when you are still and passive and and and stuck.
[3:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
[3:55] SPEAKER_00: So movement is your friend.
[3:57] SPEAKER_00: How might movement look in the evenings um when you are um in fireworks season?
[4:03] SPEAKER_00: Well, it might look like chasing bits of food, it might look like searching around the room for bits of food.
[4:09] SPEAKER_00: It might look like um, I don't know, playing your favourite game.
[4:14] SPEAKER_00: It does not look like manically tugging with a toy.
[4:18] SPEAKER_00: It does not look like crazy high arousal chasing a tennis ball.
[4:22] SPEAKER_00: What I'm thinking is fluid flowing movement.
[4:25] SPEAKER_00: Imagine the kind of movement you show up for crufts with your dog and you have got to do confirmation showing, and most of you would be like, I would not know where to start me either.
[4:35] SPEAKER_00: But the point is, is that's the kind of movement that you want to be seeing your dog doing in that time.
[4:41] SPEAKER_00: Um, third tip that I've got for you, this should probably come before the movement, it's a bit boring, so I always forget about it, is background noise.
[4:48] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, white noise, sure, but any noise is great, okay?
[4:52] SPEAKER_00: Um, and in fact, there are certain um certain like tracks that might be more suited, that might have a bit of like a boom or a bang in them that that might be helpful.
[5:02] SPEAKER_00: Some dogs prefer white noise.
[5:04] SPEAKER_00: Um, all of this is available on like Spotify or YouTube or whatever.
[5:09] SPEAKER_00: And literally, whenever you go onto my phone lately, it shows how like times change.
[5:14] SPEAKER_00: My like number one played track on um on Spotify is 10 hours of white noise.
[5:19] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, welcome to the world of skin babies.
[5:23] SPEAKER_00: It's like you are the top listener for 10 hours of white noise this month.
[5:27] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I know, I listened to it, and so um background noise is gonna be really, really useful.
[5:33] SPEAKER_00: Um, third, fourth, fourth thing um that I want you to do is that preparation is everything, okay?
[5:40] SPEAKER_00: So you want to have your freezer stocked with fully stuffed and frozen Kongs or marrow bones or whatever it is that that is appropriate for you and your dog.
[5:51] SPEAKER_00: Your shelves are fully stocked with long-lasting chews of you know great value.
[5:57] SPEAKER_00: And this is what you're gonna use to um employ your dog in those times so they can more readily disengage from what's going on outside the house and engage in what they are, you know, engage in what you're putting in front of them, right?
[6:12] SPEAKER_00: So that can be really powerful.
[6:14] SPEAKER_00: Next tip that I've got for you, what are we on?
[6:16] SPEAKER_00: Tip number five.
[6:17] SPEAKER_00: So, hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in in literally 10 emails a day, and that is how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle, whether that be reactivity, separation, anxiety, resource guarding, maybe you've got multi-dog household struggle right now, maybe your dog's just so over aroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you and they're chasing everything inside.
[6:41] SPEAKER_00: Like, can I get Tom's help?
[6:43] SPEAKER_00: Um, and the answer is that actually you can, and you can do that by booking a behaviour consultation.
[6:50] SPEAKER_00: That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that that made you get a dog in the first place, right?
[7:01] SPEAKER_00: Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller, and actually it doesn't need to be that way.
[7:05] SPEAKER_00: You just need to reach out for help.
[7:07] SPEAKER_00: Now, a couple of things to say on that.
[7:08] SPEAKER_00: First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with Pet Plan, Kennel Club, AgriA, or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance.
[7:19] SPEAKER_00: So you don't you don't pay out of your pocket, your insurance covers that.
[7:23] SPEAKER_00: And the second thing to say is that we have loads of options if you're insured with another provider, or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine.
[7:31] SPEAKER_00: We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you.
[7:36] SPEAKER_00: And because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog.
[7:42] SPEAKER_00: But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog.
[7:48] SPEAKER_00: And we know we can get you there.
[7:49] SPEAKER_00: So all you need to do is go to the Behave Vet website, and the way to do that is go B-E-H-A.V-E-T.
[7:59] SPEAKER_00: That's Behay.vet, and it will take you there, or just Google Behave Vet, right?
[8:05] SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can get scheduled in and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible.
[8:11] SPEAKER_00: We normally can accommodate it within a week, right?
[8:14] SPEAKER_00: So that you can be getting to your dream ASAP.
[8:17] SPEAKER_00: Next tip that I've got for you, what are we on?
[8:19] SPEAKER_00: Tip number five.
[8:20] SPEAKER_00: So if when your dog's having the passive calming activity, the long-lasting chew, they hear a firework outside, that doesn't mean that you still can't support them with even more food.
[8:31] SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
[8:32] SPEAKER_00: So this is an opportunity where you've got a little window to teach them that the noises are nothing to worry about.
[8:37] SPEAKER_00: They heard that noise, yeah?
[8:40] SPEAKER_00: Even if they don't react, we're not looking for reaction.
[8:43] SPEAKER_00: They're chewing away.
[8:46] SPEAKER_00: Boom, piece of chicken.
[8:48] SPEAKER_00: Whoa, chicken.
[8:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, back to having my long-lasting chew, right?
[8:54] SPEAKER_00: That's the perfect picture, right?
[8:56] SPEAKER_00: That's wonderful.
[8:57] SPEAKER_00: That's moving them in the right directions.
[8:59] SPEAKER_00: Brilliant.
[9:00] SPEAKER_00: Um, so um, that can be really powerful.
[9:03] SPEAKER_00: Now, the other thing that I love about long-lasting chews, and where I'm jumping back a bit, the other thing I love about long-lasting chews and treat dispensers and stuffed things, is that your dog has some level of um feeling, it gives them a sense and feeling of influence over the situation.
[9:20] SPEAKER_00: Often dogs get worried about fireworks because they're something is happening to them, yeah.
[9:25] SPEAKER_00: Booming, banging, exploding happening to them.
[9:29] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[9:30] SPEAKER_00: With when you give them a puzzle or a long-lasting chew or kong or whatever, they are doing something and it is having a positive outcome.
[9:40] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[9:40] SPEAKER_00: So they feel some level of control of the situation when they could easily feel out of control.
[9:46] SPEAKER_00: Does that make sense, guys?
[9:48] SPEAKER_00: So incredibly, um, incredibly powerful one.
[9:51] SPEAKER_00: Uh, next tip that I've got for you, which should go kind of without saying, is toileting and walking.
[9:59] SPEAKER_00: We need to be avoiding the even-ins as best we can, which I know is really tough, um, especially if your dog has a particular, you know, routine.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: Ideally, bringing their last toilet earlier, yeah.
[10:11] SPEAKER_00: Nice thing about fireworks is that people don't set them off until it's dark generally, because you don't really see them.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: And so, but I get that it's getting dark very early now.
[10:21] SPEAKER_00: Um, but try and get them to do most of their toileting before so that ideally it's just a quick toilet, you know, before bed, and certainly do not walk them from about 3 p.m.
[10:31] SPEAKER_00: just to be safe.
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: The last thing you want is to think, oh, I'll do a walk, you know, what's the worst that can happen?
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: Your dog slips their collar, they get spooked by a firework, they slip their collar, they disappear for, you know, hours and hours and hours, and you're, you know, trying to recruit a search party.
[10:44] SPEAKER_00: It's just not, just not worth it, right?
[10:47] SPEAKER_00: Not worth the risk.
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: We do not do it.
[10:50] SPEAKER_00: Um, equally, when you're toileting your dogs at this time of year after dark, being aware that it's not isolated to one day, right?
[10:57] SPEAKER_00: We're talking potentially a month of firework risk.
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: Um the it's very important that if you have to toilet them in the dark after dark, that you toilet them on lead, because we have had many situations where people have come for behavior consultation because their dogs have somehow managed to scale a six-foot fence in fear and they've gone.
[11:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they've gone, and you you now search party, but in the meantime, more fireworks are going off and they're getting more and more petrified, you know, running across roads, it does not bear thinking about.
[11:31] SPEAKER_00: So always have two mechanisms of containment, yeah?
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: Fenced garden on lead, right?
[11:38] SPEAKER_00: Ideally like harness and lead when you're toileting them, just in case the worst were to happen.
[11:44] SPEAKER_00: Now, that sound very doom, that sounded very doom and gloom.
[11:48] SPEAKER_00: But if you have prepped and prepped and prepped and you've got all of the ways to employ and engage your dog in that time, you've got your music on or your white noise on or whatever else, and you're competing with me on the white noise listening leaderboard.
[12:00] SPEAKER_00: You are keeping your dogs moving ahead of the fireworks, and even when they've got that long-lasting chew, breaking them into movement by throwing a piece of chicken to get them to reset to the long-lasting chew to incorporate movement and not leave them still for too long.
[12:14] SPEAKER_00: You're timing your high-value food with the booms and bangs when they're having the long-lasting chew, right?
[12:21] SPEAKER_00: You will find that you will get great results and that that you will you'll be winning.
[12:25] SPEAKER_00: And it might just be that you can make it 1% better for your dog, but trauma 1% better is a pretty good gift that we can give them, right?
[12:33] SPEAKER_00: Now, final thing that I would say is if you know your dog struggles with fireworks, please, please, please have a conversation with your bets, okay?
[12:43] SPEAKER_00: Um, about options for how we can support them.
[12:46] SPEAKER_00: Because there are actually lots of very good options now that are not sedating them, that are not immobilizing them, that actually can help to make them feel better.
[12:59] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[13:00] SPEAKER_00: And I'm not gonna talk about options or details or or anything because I want like that's not fair on your vet for you to then go and be talking about something and they might, you know, disagree or not know about it.
[13:12] SPEAKER_00: So have the conversation with them.
[13:15] SPEAKER_00: Um, and um, and all I would say is the the the one that you need to make sure that you absolutely avoid is one called ACP or asopromazine, because that is an immobilant.
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and dogs are perceiving things even though they are immobilized.
[13:32] SPEAKER_00: Thankfully, there's a there's been, you know, I I've done I've shouted about this for a long time, for many years, about how we shouldn't be using that um particular drug to support dogs through fireworks.
[13:43] SPEAKER_00: And I don't uh I can't remember the last time that I heard that it was used in recent years.
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: So um just a just a slight word of warning.
[13:50] SPEAKER_00: But otherwise, please go and have that conversation with your vet practers because it might be that there's something that they can do to make that 20% better, maybe 50% better.
[14:00] SPEAKER_00: Still might not be 100% better.
[14:02] SPEAKER_00: You're still gonna want to pair it with everything that I've talked about, but ultimately it also stops it from getting worse.
[14:07] SPEAKER_00: So, with that, guys, go forth, thrive, move away from the world of survive, and I will see y'all next week.

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