Dogs and fireworks: how to get your dog through Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve

In Britain, firework season isn’t one night, it’s weeks: Diwali, Bonfire Night, then New Year’s Eve. For a frightened dog, that’s a lot of evenings spent shaking behind the sofa. Preparation starts weeks before, and on the night, a few simple steps make a real difference.

By Jérôme Mascarin, dog trainer and founder of Canibest updated 11 November 2026

Pug wrapped in a blanket, helping a dog through fireworks — Photo: Free-Photos, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and titled by Canibest

NouveauRecevez des conseils personnalisés pour votre chien et les rappels de ses soins, gratuitementCréer mon espace →

When fireworks are allowed in the UK

In England and Wales, fireworks can’t be set off between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night (until midnight) and on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year (until 1am). Private displays still happen on plenty of other nights, so the season stretches from late October to early January.

Weeks before: build a den

Choose a quiet corner, away from windows: a covered crate or a space behind the sofa with your dog’s bed and a blanket over the top. Feed treats and chews there so it becomes the best place in the house. Let your dog decide to use it, never shut them in.

If your dog is badly affected, see your vet early: there are effective medications and calming aids, and some need time to work. Sound-desensitisation programmes take weeks, so start well before the season.

On the night

walk your dog in daylight, on a lead, and keep the evening walk short
feed dinner a little earlier
close curtains, put the telly or music on
stay at home and stay calm: comfort your dog if it comes to you, it won’t “reinforce fear”
never punish a scared dog or drag it out of its hiding place
check the garden is escape-proof, and the microchip details are up to date

Signs of fear to watch for

Shaking, panting, pacing, hiding, clinging to you, drooling, trying to escape, loss of bladder control, refusing food. A dog that panics every year, or gets worse each season, deserves help from a vet and a qualified behaviourist: it won’t fix itself.

Read more on why dogs shake, and how to tell fear from pain or poisoning.

Fireworks: your questions

Should I comfort my dog during fireworks?

Yes. Calm, quiet reassurance helps. The idea that comforting reinforces fear is a myth.

Do calming products work?

Pheromone diffusers and calming supplements help some dogs mildly. For real panic, talk to your vet about medication.

Should I take my dog to a fireworks display?

No. Even confident dogs can panic close up, and escaped dogs are a big problem every November.

Sources: PDSA, dogs and fireworks, Blue Cross, dogs and fireworks, The Fireworks Regulations 2004