Step 0: Support Emotional Readiness

Dogs learn best when they feel calm enough to cope. If anxiety is high, even gentle training can be hard at first.

Many families choose natural supplements to help support a normal stress response and make learning feel easier while working through the steps below.

Natural supplements may be used for:

• Daily support: a consistent daily amount to support overall balance
• Situational support: a higher amount before known triggers or practice sessions

BSAVA principle: Learning cannot occur when emotional arousal is too high.

Explore Calm+ products here

Step 1: Prevent Full Panic During Noise Events

Goal: Keep fear at a level where learning and recovery are still possible.

Once panic takes over, the brain switches into survival mode — and learning stops.

It is normal for a dog to feel a little uneasy around loud noises. Mild, short-lived discomfort is part of adaptation. What we want to avoid is intense or prolonged panic, which makes future reactions stronger and harder to manage.

What to Aim For

Your dog may:

• Startle or look for reassurance
• Still accept food or treats
• Be able to settle again with support

These signs suggest your dog is coping, even if they are not fully relaxed.

Signs Fear Is Too Intense

• Refusing food completely
• Ongoing trembling, pacing, or vocalising
• Attempts to escape or difficulty calming down afterward
  When these signs appear, your dog is overwhelmed and no learning can occur.

If Panic Happens

• Prioritise comfort and safety over training
• Allow access to a safe space and reduce demands
• Adjust future steps to be smaller, slower, and more predictable
  

Preventing panic does not mean avoiding all noise.

It means managing exposure carefully so your dog can stay engaged, recover, and regain emotional balance.

BSAVA principle: Emotional regulation & readiness for learning — lower baseline stress supports adaptation.

Step 2: Create a Safe, Predictable Space

Help your dog feel protected when noises like firework and thunder occur.

What to do

• Provide access to a quiet, enclosed space (bedroom, closet-adjacent room, bathroom, laundry room)
• Close windows and curtains
• Use background sound (TV, fan, white noise, or calming music)
• Let your dog choose where they feel safest
  

A note about nighttime storms

You do not need to stay awake or allow behaviors that overwhelm you.

If your dog jumps on you, vocalizes loudly, or prevents sleep:

• It’s okay to keep your bedroom closed
• Set up a comfortable, predictable safe space outside the bedroom
• Close doors before storms start, not during panic
• Calm availability means your dog can access safety — not that you must actively soothe all night
  

Setting boundaries is supportive, not harmful.

BSAVA principle: Environmental management & predictability — a safe, controlled environment reduces fear and supports coping.

Step 3: Reduce the Impact of the Noise

Lowering sound intensity helps keep fear manageable.

Helpful strategies

• Use steady background sound to mask sudden noises
• Prepare the environment before storms or fireworks begin
• Keep routines predictable during noisy periods
  

This step supports emotional safety in the moment.

BSAVA principle: Arousal modulation & sensory management:
Reducing sound intensity helps keep fear below threshold.

Step 4: Gradual Sound Exposure

Goal

Help your dog build resilience to noise by learning that sounds can occur without danger.

Exercise: Controlled Sound Practice

1. Choose a time when your dog is calm and relaxed
2. Play a recording of the sound at very low volume
3. Pair the sound with something positive and calming (food, chewing, resting) SEE STEP 5.
4. Keep the sound playing only while your dog remains comfortable
5. End the session before any fear appears
   

Progress rules

• Increase volume slowly, across days or weeks
• Progress only if your dog stays relaxed and engaged
• If fear appears, stop and return to a quieter level next time

Progress is based on your dog’s emotional comfort, not the volume of the sound.

BSAVA principle: Desensitisation & counterconditioning — gradual exposure below the fear threshold supports learning and resilience.

Step 5: Pair Noises With Calm Activities

The goal of this step is to help your dog learn that noises can happen while they still feel safe and regulated.

During the gradual sound exposure, use simple,  calming behaviors that are always available:

• Resting on a familiar bed, blanket, or safe spot
• Quiet time near you, without interaction
• Sniffing the environment (slow, unhurried sniffing in the room or yard)
• Calm, predictable routines (dim lights, steady background sound)
• Slow, predictable touch if your dog enjoys it — such as gentle, steady strokes in the same rhythm and location. Avoid patting, talking, or changing pressure, and stop if your dog becomes more alert rather than calmer.
  

Avoid exciting activities such as fetch, tug, rough play, or animated reassurance.

Treats can be fine but avoid excitement. 

The goal is calm regulation, not distraction.

Important:
Training happens between noise events. During real storms or fireworks, focus on comfort and safety — not practice.

BSAVA principle: Calm counterconditioning — neutral stimuli are paired with safety and regulation.

Step 6: Support Recovery After Noise Events

Some dogs need help settling even after the noise has stopped.

What helps

• Calm activities and supplements
• Gentle, low-key reassurance
• Predictable rest times
• Returning to normal activities gradually

Recovery time matters just as much as the event itself.

SAVA principle: Post-stress recovery & emotional regulation.

Please talk to your veterinarian if:

• Fear is intense or worsening
• Panic occurs even with mild noises
• Your dog hurts themselves trying to escape
• Recovery takes hours or days
• Progress feels impossible despite consistency

Extra support can help your dog feel calm enough to learn.