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How to calm a dog with extreme anxiety from fireworks and thunder?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | English Pointer | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 5 months old

I have an english pointer bitch. She is afraid of gunshots, fireworks and thunderstorms. She keeps on barking and crying. I have tried bringing her inside the house too but nothing calms her down. What should I do? She is on the extreme of her anxiety level.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on August 14th, 2017

Poor Suzie! Fireworks and loud noises can be really scary for dogs. One important thing to do to when she acts scared is not to reassure her. We think we are comforting him when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling him it's ok to be scared. I recommend getting her a thundershirt to wear when there are fireworks or loud noises. These have been reported to help dogs with anxiety. You can get them off the internet. Inside the house, you can put her in a dark quiet room by herself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. Finally, you can consider get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. If these techniques do not work with Suzie, then take her into the vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety drugs.

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Fireworks and loud noises can be really scary for dogs. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure him. We think we are comforting him when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling him it's ok to be scared. I recommend getting him a thundershirt to wear when there are fireworks or loud noises. These have been reported to help dogs with anxiety. At home, you can put him in a dark quiet room by himself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. Finally, you can consider get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. If none of these things help, I'd take Scooter into the vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. I hope this helps Diane!
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