Get Ready BEFORE the 4th of July

If you have a dog who is fearful of the noise associated with fireworks, or a puppy who has never experienced the unique sounds of a holiday like the 4th of July, I think that it is much better to start getting them ready BEFORE the 4th.  Waiting until the actual date, and rushing your puppy into the house just as the booming begins not only may not be effective, it can signal to the pup that those noises ARE something to be afraid of...creating a problem that might not have been there to begin with.

Here are some things that I have done that seem to help the problem:

• Keep the dogs indoor as much as possible during the days leading up to and through the 4th of July.
• Introduce a fan and a radio to create white noise. It usually is hot anyway, so the fan can solve two problems as it helps to keep the pups cooler as well.  During the times firework noise is most likely to occur, you can turn up the radio volume a little.
• Stay close to your pup during the time when noise is the worst. If you don't want to miss the fireworks yourself, ask someone to sit with the pups.
• During the times the noise is going to be the loudest, engage in some active play with your pup. A healthy game of tug of war and your behavior that signals you are having fun and are not concerned will help them realize that nothing is to be feared.

I think it is extremely important not to shield puppies from noise, even when they are very small. I periodically introduce noises, dropped metal pans on concrete, heavy garbage cans, doors slamming, engines starting, and more so they are used to the fact that noise can come unexpectedly.  In all these cases, I make sure they are in a location where they feel safe and have somewhere to retreat to (a dog enclosure, someone's lap, a dog bed) if they want to.  I also start with softer noises (rubber dish dropped from 12 inches as opposed to metal dish dropped from 3 feet), then work my way up to louder and louder noises as the pups begin showing that they aren't concerned. 

These techniques have worked for me even with very timid puppies.  That being said, all dogs are not created equally and some puppies or dogs will never be able to handle loud noises easily.  For those, I strongly suggest you work with your veterinarian to see if you need some medication for holidays like the 4th of July.  I also suggest you try to keep "white noise" around all the time.