Summer is the time of year when heavy thunderstorms and celebrations with fireworks are common---at least in North America. Many dogs are quite afraid of the associated noises and can cause substantial stress for both you and your pet.

There are three ways to approach noise fear in dogs. But first you have to avoid mistakes that make the problem worse. You see---when you love on them and comfort them and tell them it's OK, you are actually reinforcing the fear behavior in the pet. All your dog understands is that this particular behavior gets your positive attention.

The first option for fixing the issue is to help your pet overcome the fear through extensive reconditioning. This means you expose your pet in controlled situations to the noise. You should consult your veterinarian on how to do this so that you don't accidentally make things worse.

The second option is to cover the offensive sound with other noises. For example, during a bad storm, put your pet in an interior room with a loud radio playing.

The third option is to use medications during particularly difficult times to ease your pet's anxiety. Discuss this option thoroughly with your veterinarian, then if it is a good solution for your pet's specific situation, your veterinarian will prescribe an appropriate medicine and instruct you on its use.

Sometimes a combination of all three is needed to control very difficult cases of noise fear in dogs.

This is from the Healthy Dog series.
Jackie, Miss Daisy and Perry