Instructions
Devote a good amount of time to training your puppy. Training may take longer than you expect, so be sure that you are prepared to take on this task.
Train your dog during puppyhood. Timing is key when training dogs. The chances of success are much greater in the younger dog. Training should begin around three months of age in order to take advantage of the developing brain and mold the dog's behavioral patterns. At younger ages, dogs respond much better to training.
Expose your puppy to a variety of loud noises. Slamming the garage door, dropping books on the ground, opening wine/champagne bottles and even walking around the house louder than normal will help desensitize your dog to loud noises. Another option is making a CD of fireworks explosion sound clips and having it continually looping on a CD player that the dog can hear. This is beneficial because you can start out with a low volume and slowly work up to a louder volume setting, thereby desensitizing the dog to the sound of fireworks explosions. In the "Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training," Steven Lindsay describes a similar method in working with thunderstorm anxiety, for which a CD of thunderstorm noises can be used, playing the CD at a loud volume initially and then slowly decreasing the volume to mimic a retreating storm.
Comfort your dog, but not during training. The number one mistake that dog owners make when training their dog to prevent fireworks phobia from developing is comforting their dog. This is not okay to do, as this will reinforce the submissive, scared behavior. When a dog cries out and hides to get away from the noise and the owner comforts the dog, the dog will take that as getting praised for being scared and will continue to exhibit this behavior. This will make training even more difficult.
Throw a ball and play with your dog during the loud noise rather than making an attempt at comforting the dog. You should talk to the dog and act as if it is not a big deal during the firework explosions. Also, providing the dog with a shelter will act as a safe haven, where he can get away and feel safe without attempting to dig a hole in the house wall to get away.
Stress to your dog that the loud noise is not going to harm her. If done successfully, you will not have to worry about your dog stressing so much over fireworks explosions, or thunderstorms for that matter.
How to Prevent Fireworks Phobia from Developing in Your Dog
Fireworks explosions can cause a great deal of anxiety in dogs. This phobia can lead to stressed behavior, such as digging at house doors or at the ground in an apparent attempt to get out of the house and away from the noise. Dogs that are never desensitized to loud noises will most likely develop this fear of fireworks explosions. Not only is this hard for owners, but it is very hard on the animal's health. Stress can lead to many health problems, especially prolonged stress.