Life with a Firework Phobic Samoyed Ain’t Easy
The Story of the Scaredy-Wolf Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bangs…
Updated November 2021
“Remember, remember the 5th of November”, or so goes the rhyme. No one (and that includes us) with a firework-reactive dog is ever likely to forget. The first fireworks of bonfire-season went off near us recently and Sally went back to hiding in the (empty) bath – it’s a cold, enclosed, small space so it makes her feel safe.
Sally is firework phobic and has been since a fear period after her second season coincided with the Edinburgh Festival. She was exposed to the Tattoo and then the end of Festival fireworks at a time her hormones made her frightened of everything. Her phobia has expanded to include shotgun shots (there’s often deer and grouse shooting near Grandpaw’s house), the birdscarer guns used to protect crops, motorcycle engine backfires and any sudden sharp loud noise.
It severely impacts our quality of life. There are places we can’t walk at certain times of year, walks have to done in daylight around Bonfire Night, and no one in our house celebrates New Year as we have to stay home and comfort the dog! She’s on the leash more around firework season to protect her from bolting off and she wears a GPS tracker everytime she leaves the house. In the evenings we stay inside and all curtains are closed and I play the radio or TV to mask outside noises. So, needless to say, if there’s a remedy or treatment for noise-phobia we’ve tried it. We’ve found a few things that help, and a lot that have no effects whatsoever, and we’re still searching for that magic cure…
Remedies We’ve Tried
Spoiler for the TLDR folks:
Adaptil calming pheromone and high strength (tincture) valerian are the only two things that significantly ease Sally’s noise-phobia. We’ve tried just about every type of non-prescription “cure” on the market so I’m going to go through them systematically and give you our honest reviews.
Every dog is different so things that didn’t work for Sal might be the solution for your pet. If they are in severe distress then please talk to your vet who can prescribe tranquilizing medication (not to be taken long term but can see you through Bonfire Night or New Year etc).
Remedies that we’ve tried can be classed into:
- Sound Desensitisation
- Physical Comfort
- Herbal Calming
- Amino Acids
- Pheromones
I’ll give you a rundown of what we’ve tried and whether it worked for us.
Why Are Dogs Scared of Fireworks?
First, why are some dogs so scared of fireworks? And just how widespread is this fear?
I did a quick survey on Sal’s Instagram Stories and found about 45% of respondents said yes, their dog was terrified. Adaptil claim up to 50% of pets show some fear of loud noises. But why? I couldn’t find any scientific studies that identify whether the trigger is the noise, the bright lights or the chemical smell. In Sally’s case, I think it’s the noise as she reacts similarly to motorcycle backfires and to shotgun blasts.
I always believed the snow dog story that it makes good evolutionary sense for some members of the pack to be scared and lead their pack away from loud sharp noises such as the cracking when an ice-sheet breaks. But then I had an interesting experience when there was forestry work up the glen and a tree was felled on the opposite hillside. The first sharp “snap” as it fell sounded like a loud gunshot and Sal was terrified. She immediately turned and tried to run for home. After this experience, I still think it’s an evolutionary adaptation, but I think it’s far more likely that she’s reacting to noises that sound like falling trees (a more likely hazard to all wolves/dogs than northern breed specific arctic ice breakup). I also think there’s higher frequency harmonics she can hear that are beyond our hearing and that aren’t recorded on tape. My reasoning is that I can play war movies (she’s happily snoozed through the whole of the Sharpe and Hornblower series) with cannon and gunshot and she doesn’t react, not even at deaf Grandpaw sound-up levels!
What Can We Do to Stop Our Dogs Being Scared?
1. Undiagnosed Pain
First of all look for undiagnosed pain. A ground-breaking study claimed a link between dogs reacting anxiously to loud noise and undiagnosed muscular or skeletal pain. Once put on a course of painkillers they were less reactive to noise. They claimed that when a dog with chronic pain tensed up in response to a scary noise, this caused additional hurt, setting up a negative feed-back loop that noise = hurt, which caused them to be fearful of noise as it caused them extra pain. So, if you have a dog who seems irrationally scared of fireworks, it might be worth booking them an appointment with your vet or vet physio to check for any underlying issues. Don’t give your dog over-the-counter medication, if your vet thinks your dog would benefit from painkillers, they will prescribe pet-safe drugs. Personally (after getting Little Miss Fluffy checked out by an excellent dog physio who found nothing wrong), I’m somewhat skeptical of the claims about untreated pain always/most likely being the cause. I do think that if you prescribe painkillers to a scared dog, you will see a reduction in anxiety – simply because drowsiness is a common side-effect of most painkillers. However, it’s a fair point that the fear *could* be the result of untreated pain, so I’d suggest a vet/physio trip to rule this out.
2. Sound Desensitisation
This is a really simple idea – play the scary sound at low (well below threshold to scare) volume and reward with their favourite treat/toy etc. The idea is to create a positive association with the sound. Start days/weeks before the fireworks are likely to occur and SLOWLY work the sound level up. The UK Dogs Trust produced a guide “Sounds Scary”, and audio tracks to play with the whoosh and bang noises of fireworks. We tried this last year. Sally lay mildly twitching her ears and showing no signs of distress while I cranked it up to full volume. Clearly for her what’s scary about real fireworks didn’t pass over onto the recording. Some vets and behavourists now advise against this method as it can cause more fear to an already terrified dog to expose them to the noise. For us this wasn’t an issue as Sal just didn’t react.
You can also find tracks of supposedly comforting classical music to play to drown out the noise. In the UK, Classic FM schedule an evening of relaxing music on Bonfire Night with the aim of helping scared pets. My personal view is that it doesn’t matter what you play, but turning up the radio/TV volume, and shutting the windows and curtains before the fireworks start are good ideas to drown out some of the noises from outdoors.
3. Physical Comfort
As I said at the start, one of the places Sal likes to go if she’s scared is the bath tub. It’s cold (always desirable with her fluffy coat), enclosed, and she feels safe there. Many animal behaviourists advise making a safe “fireworks den”, a small space (behind the sofa, a dog crate, under a table) and encouraging the dog to view this as their safe space (put their favourite toys/chews inside and generally make them comfortable). Leave them well alone in their den so they associate this place as somewhere safe where they will be undisturbed.
The next level in physical comfort is to use a “Thundershirt” or wrap. This is a tight-fitting wrap or jacket (you can make one from a scarf tied tightly, or you can buy a special tight jacket) which puts gentle pressure on the dog’s ribcage. Being tightly held makes the dog feel safer. It sounds crazy, but it does work for many dogs. I tried the DIY version on Sal last year with a long scarf. Compressing her fluff meant it lost it’s magic thermoregulation capabilities and she started stress panting due to overheating. This year we were gifted a Thundershirt from Adaptil to try out. She doesn’t seem particularly comfortable wearing it as she stress/overheating pants with it on, whether it helps her be less reactive to the bangs I’m not sure.
But, I have found that she’s less reactive to bangs on walks when she’s wearing a harness (with a tight belly strap) than when she’s just on a flat collar. So much so that during fireworks season I’ll walk her in her harness on walks where she would normally only be wearing a collar, as the “hug” from the harness seems to be sending her fluffy brain relaxing signals. Given our experiences, I do think a Thundershirt would be worthwhile on a shorter-haired dog.
4. Herbal Calming Aids
Valerian
There are many different herbs noted for their calming properties: lavender, chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, mistletoe etc. Of all of these, only valerian has been clinically proven in veterinary medicine to reduce brain activity associated with anxiety and increase the supply of “feel-good” GABA neurotransmitters in the brain.
In the UK, valerian tablets or tincture can be purchased from Dorwest Herbs or as a spray/plug-in from Pet Remedy (where it is mixed with a number of other (supposedly) calming herbal essential oils) or as a spray “Calm and Balmy” from Bella and Duke. I first tried the Pet Remedy spray two years ago as I felt that a spray was less intrusive than administering tablets, and it came highly recommended by the owner of another scaredy Samoyed. I saw absolutely no effect after three weeks of use during the sporadic fireworks in the run-up to Bonfire Night. I tried the Bella and Duke Calm and Balmy spray this springtime during birdscarer season but I’m not convinced that it had much positive effect on Sally.
Valerian tablets (Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian) also had no noticeable effect on her anxiety, but she seemed sleepier during the daytime (whether this was because of the meds, or because she was having disturbed sleep due to her anxiety I couldn’t say).
Next I tried the Dorwest alcoholic tincture. This had a noticeable effect within about half an hour of administering, she came out of hiding and wanted treats and attention again, she was still not happy and still ran to hide with each new bang, but we had time in-between where she wasn’t terrified. But again, the next day she was wiped out and only wanted to sleep. I honestly don’t know if this is a reaction to the drug, or a comedown from the heightened fear and adrenaline during the bangs. I now use Dorwest valerian tincture, but only for the actual night of Bonfire Night/New Year/during a thunderstorm. Based on our experience, I would suggest trying valerian, but start with a spray and see if this has any effect before progressing onto the tablets or tincture if required. Spray on a cloth or toy rather than directly on the dog to begin with so they can move away if they find the smell distressing.
I worry about the effects on her liver/kidneys from taking the tincture, because as a breed Samoyeds seem prone to drug side-effects. I suspect because they are an arctic breed that evolved in an area with almost constant access to fresh water (snow in the winter, meltwater in the summer), they may have poor kidney function compared to desert dwelling breeds, so may be inefficient at drug detoxing. This brings me onto the newest herbal cure-all, CBD oil, and why I haven’t tried it.
CBD Oil
You’ve probably heard of CBD oil, derived from hemp (cannabis) plants without the psychoactive compounds. It’s used in human patients for chronic pain management. One of the very many claims made for CBD oil is that it can cure anxiety. There are at present no published veterinary studies to prove this claim and in the UK there are no listed conditions for which vets may prescribe CBD oil. However, it is freely available to buy online and there are brands marketed for use with pets, there are even “hemp infused” dog treats on sale.
I haven’t tried it for Sally for two reasons: firstly, in humans, CBD oil can either help ease anxieties or in a small number of cases make them worse. I don’t think I could cope if Miss Fluffypaws became even more anxious… And secondly, more seriously, a veterinary study into CBD oil for managing arthritis pain in dogs found increased levels of liver enzymes after only 2-4 weeks, leading them to conclude that long-term use could possibly result in liver disease. As I suspect Sal’s Samoyed liver and kidneys are not the best able to cope with drug detoxifying, I’ve avoided the use of CBD oil. If you’ve used it, I’d be interested to hear about your experiences.
Bach Flower Rescue Remedy
A dilute tincture of various herbal extracts supposed to help ease anxiety. No effect on Sally, neither from the pet-specific (not in alcohol) or the standard preparation after a few weeks of usage. The dosages used are so low I feel this is a “safe” preparation to try. Sadly for us, it had no effect.
5. Amino Acids and Peptides
There are several brands of supplement that provide additional amino acids to increase the supply of GABA neurotransmitters, and the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which will allegedly help to reduce anxiety. One such example is YuCalm which contains the herb lemon balm which may increase GABA levels, the amino acid L-Theanine used as a precursor for serotonin and dopamine production, and fish protein hydrolysate which they claim also supports GABA and dopamine levels. It can take from a few days to up to 6 weeks to see an effect. I used one course of 60 day supply with Sal and saw no effect.
Another option is Zylkene, a peptide isolated from casein (milk protein). It supposedly has a calming effect as dogs have evolved to feel calm when (as puppies) their stomachs are full of milk, so this peptide has a role as a calming neurotransmittor. I tried a course (3 weeks) with Sally and saw no effect.
I suspect that for dogs on a limited diet of ultra-processed food, the extra boost from these tablets might help their brain activity, but for dogs such as Sally, fed a quality raw diet, the extra supplementation doesn’t amount to anything. There’s nothing in the tablets that can harm, and extra will simply be excreted, so it’s something that’s safe to try, but I’m not convinced it actually “works” (although the science behind them is sound, and they may help dogs on a restricted diet). This moves us on to the next “might work, can’t cause any harm” choice:
6. Calming pheromones
Mother dogs produce calming pheromones when nursing their pups. One is available to buy without a prescription from Ceva/Adaptil as a collar, a plug-in or a spray. Not all dogs will react to the Adaptil pheromone, but for those that do, it makes them less reactive to scary stimuli and more able to cope with life generally. It’s not possible to overdose, there’s a threshold dose needed for a reaction, more than this their brain simply ignores.
I first tried the collar (a plastic collar similar in appearance to a flea collar) as it seemed the best choice for Sal as the dog is supposed to wear it 24/7, so she would have it for reassurance in case we encountered noises on walks, and when she was home hiding from scary firework bangs.
At first, I thought I didn’t see much difference, but after three weeks I observed her starting to shy away as large lorries drove past, and jumping at small noises and I realised that I’d had three weeks of peace where she hadn’t jumped at little things (collars are supposed to be effective for up to a month, less if regularly submerged in water, and Sal had done a lot of sea and loch bathing). So, I bought a replacement collar. Within a day I noticed that she was calmer and more able to deal with scary noises. Birdscarer guns (we were now into the February planting season) were scary but she could cope and continue on her walk rather than turning and running for home every time one went off. When this second collar began to run out I saw her begin to get jumpy again, and it was at this point I realised just how much of a difference it had been making to her.
Then I bought the Adaptil travel spray (as this was into March and the main issue was birdscarer guns on walks, not fireworks at night) and sprayed her collar and a bandana before each walk. The spray is supposed to last least 3-4 hours, and there are 60-70 applications per spray bottle so this worked out more economical than the collars. Another consideration is that when pierced and washed out, the spray bottles are recyclable, the collars are not currently recycled.
I now use an Adaptil collar for Bonfire Night (starting a week or two beforehand as soon as the fireworks start) and another over New Year, but the rest of the time I use the spray on a bandana before walks. Adaptil doesn’t cure Sal’s anxiety, but it dials it down significantly. We’ve also tried the Plug-in and this also seems to add to Sally’s general resilience and ability to cope with bangs.
And She Lived Happily Ever After?
These are our experiences with the main remedies being sold for pet anxiety. Nothing “cures” her fear, but valerian and Adaptil make her less terrified and more able to cope. If there’s a magic bullet cure, we’re still looking for it.
One final word – the remedies don’t work in isolation, I’ve found it just as important to try to project calm, to make a calming environment for Sal to hide in, and to prevent “trigger stacking” so she’s not exposed to the same scary stimuli again before she’s had time recover from her last fearful encounter. This means that if she’s had a bad night with fireworks, we might not go a walk the next day (as I can’t guarantee there won’t be bangs), but play games in the house/garden instead. She trusts me to look out for her, to get her out of trouble, and if I put her into scary situations I am breaking that trust. I’ve learnt not to coax “just a wee bit further Sal, it’s okay” when she’s scared, because then the next time, she will refuse to leave the house/car. Now if she wants to go home, we go home. She knows she can trust me, and this means she’s more willing to try a walk, even when she’s clearly scared. I’m proud of how far she’s come, but it’s still a long journey ahead.
I’d be interested to hear your stories, what remedies work for you? Can you pinpoint an event that made your dog scared, have they always been reactive, or are they one of the lucky ones that know no fear?
Note: I have bought and tried (following manufacturer’s guidelines) all the remedies discussed here after consultation with Sal’s vets. We have been gifted Adaptil products, a Thundershirt and Calm and Balmy. Please always consult your vet or a qualified animal behaviourist before medicating your dog. These are only our lived experiences, sample size one fluffy wolf, experiment duration five years and counting…