Health & Safety

Bonfire Night and fireworks: how to keep your dog calm

A simple before, during and after plan for Bonfire Night, Diwali and New Year's Eve fireworks.

By 6 min read
Dog lying down and calmly licking a filled purple Freezbone

For a lot of dogs, Bonfire Night is not one night. It is weeks of unpredictable bangs, starting before Halloween and rumbling on past the weekend displays, and then it all comes round again for Diwali and New Year's Eve. If your dog spends 5 November shaking behind the sofa, you are far from alone.

You cannot stop the neighbours' rockets. You can make your home feel safer, plan the evening around the noise, and give your dog something calm to focus on before the first bang. Here is how.

Walk your dog before dark, close the curtains, turn on the TV or radio and set up a cosy den they can retreat to. Give a frozen lick toy before the fireworks start, stay home with them, and never punish fear. If your dog panics, hurts themselves or the fear gets worse each year, talk to your vet well before the next fireworks season.

Why are dogs scared of fireworks?

Fireworks are loud, sudden and impossible to predict, and dogs hear far more keenly than we do. Add flashes of light and the smell of smoke, and there is no way for your dog to know the noise is harmless. Some dogs barely notice. Others are terrified.

Signs your dog is frightened include:

  • Trembling, panting or pacing
  • Hiding, or clinging to you
  • Barking, whining or howling
  • Trying to escape, dig or chew their way out
  • Toilet accidents in the house
  • Refusing food or treats they would normally love

When is fireworks season in the UK?

OccasionWhen to expect fireworks
Bonfire Night5 November, plus displays and back-garden fireworks on the weekends either side, often for a couple of weeks
DiwaliAutumn, usually October or November. The date changes every year
New Year's EveMostly around midnight, sometimes earlier in the evening too
Other celebrationsAny time of year, often without warning

Put the big dates in your diary now, so you can plan your dog's day around them rather than being caught out.

How do I prepare my dog for Bonfire Night?

In the weeks before

  • Set up a safe den and let your dog get used to it
  • Give frozen toys in the den, so it becomes a good place
  • Check their microchip details are up to date and their collar tag is on
  • If last year was bad, speak to your vet now, not on the night

On the day

  • Walk your dog in daylight, on a lead
  • Feed dinner a little earlier than usual
  • Take them into the garden for a last wee before dusk
  • Fill and freeze a toy, or two

Before the bangs start

  • Close windows, curtains and blinds
  • Switch the lights on to soften the flashes
  • Turn on the TV, radio or some music for background noise
  • Give the frozen lick toy

Have ready

  • A second frozen toy for a long evening
  • A plan for the front door if you have visitors
  • Their favourite blanket in the den
  • Someone at home for the whole evening

How do I make a safe den for my dog?

A den is a cosy hiding place your dog can choose to go to when the noise starts. It works best somewhere quiet, away from windows and outside walls.

  • A crate covered with a blanket, with the door left open, or a gap behind the sofa or under a table
  • Their own bed and blankets, plus something that smells of you, such as an old jumper
  • Water nearby

Let your dog decide whether to use it. If they would rather hide in the bathroom or under the bed, that is their den now. Never shut a frightened dog in somewhere they are trying to get out of.

Why give a frozen lick toy before the fireworks start?

Licking is a naturally settling activity for many dogs, and a frozen fill takes far longer to work through than a handful of treats, up to 45 minutes. That gives your dog something calm and absorbing to do just as the evening gets noisy.

Timing matters. Give the toy before the first bangs, while your dog is still relaxed. Once a dog is very frightened, they may not want to eat at all. If yours walks away from a favourite treat during fireworks, do not try to coax them. It is a sign of how scared they are, and useful to mention to your vet.

Freezbone tip

Use part of your dog's dinner, softened and packed in, so the treat does not add extra food. Prep two toys the night before, one for early evening and one for later. The Freezbone recipe videos have fills that hold together well.

“I love these because they take about 20-30 min depending on how much you fill them. This is a really good size for just a small activity. Bigger freeze bones last forty five minutes and up. I like these for when I first walk in after work.”
Erika B., verified buyer

What should I do during the fireworks?

  • Stay home. Fireworks evenings are not the night to leave your dog alone.
  • Stay calm and act normally. Your relaxed voice and routine help.
  • Comfort them if they come to you. A calm stroke or sitting nearby is fine.
  • Never tell them off for barking, hiding or an accident. Fear is not naughtiness.
  • Do not drag them out of hiding. Let them come out when they are ready.
  • Keep doors shut. A frightened dog can bolt through an open front door, so be careful when answering it.
  • Leave them at home if you go to a display.

If your dog needs the garden during the evening, go out with them and keep them on a lead.

What about the morning after?

Before you let your dog into the garden, check it for spent fireworks, sticks and other debris that may have landed overnight. Do the same on walks, as parks and pavements can be littered for days afterwards. Let your dog take things easy, and keep your routine going: fireworks season rarely ends after one night.

Darker evenings mean more time indoors anyway, so our guide to indoor enrichment for dark evenings is worth a read, along with our autumn walk hazards.

Planning for Diwali and New Year's Eve

The same plan works for every fireworks night, with one twist for New Year's Eve: the big bangs come at midnight, long after dark. Walk your dog in the afternoon, take them out for a last wee in the early evening, and have a frozen toy ready to give around half past eleven.

New Year parties also bring rich food and drink within nose reach, so keep plates and glasses up high. Our list of Christmas foods that are dangerous for dogs applies to party nibbles too.

When should I talk to the vet about fireworks fear?

  • Your dog hurts themselves trying to escape, or damages doors or windows
  • They shake, hide or refuse food for hours or days afterwards
  • The fear is getting worse each year
  • They are now frightened of other noises, such as thunder
  • Nothing in this guide seems to help

Your vet can check for anything else going on, such as pain that makes a dog more sensitive, and talk you through the options for your dog, which may include longer-term sound training. Go in the weeks before fireworks season, not on the day, so there is time for any plan to work.

General information, not veterinary advice. If your dog is very distressed by fireworks, speak to your vet.

Frequently asked questions

  • Walk them before dark, close the curtains, put the TV or radio on, and set up a den they can hide in. Give a frozen lick toy before the bangs start and stay home with them.

  • Yes, if they come to you. Calm stroking or sitting nearby is fine. Never tell your dog off for being frightened, and do not pull them out of a hiding place.

  • In daylight, on a lead, before the fireworks are likely to start. Take them into the garden for a last wee before dusk too.

  • Fireworks often start before Halloween and carry on for a couple of weeks around 5 November. Diwali falls in October or November, and New Year's Eve brings another night of them.

  • It is common in very frightened dogs. Give a frozen toy before the bangs start, while your dog is still relaxed, and mention it to your vet if the fear is severe.

  • If your dog hurts themselves, stays distressed for hours or days afterwards, or the fear is getting worse each year. Go in the weeks before fireworks season so there is time to plan.

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Written by Freezbone Team

We design freezable, refillable chew toys and test every fill and routine on our own dogs before we write about it. Freezbone LTD ships across the UK.

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