How do you reassure a dog that's frightened?

Stay calm and as normal as possible: your steady voice is an anchor for him. You can comfort him in a soft voice and let him press against you, it doesn't reinforce his fear. Also let him reach his hiding spot if he's looking for one.

Why are dogs scared of storms?

Several causes combine: a lack of exposure to noises, a hereditary part (sensitive parents), and sometimes hidden pain. A storm also adds signals that thunder alone doesn't: a drop in pressure, lightning and static electricity, all sensed before you.

How do I get my dog used to firecrackers and fireworks?

In steps and off-season: a recording at a very low volume, paired with food or a game, always at a level where he stays relaxed and eats. You turn the sound up only when he's calmly anticipating the treat. An entrenched phobia is worked on with a veterinary behaviourist.

Fear of thunder, fireworks and loud noises

Training & behaviourPart of · Training & behaviour

Fear of thunder, fireworks and loud noises

Q: How do you calm a stressed dog?

In the moment: tire him out beforehand, give him a calm refuge (a dark room, background sound) and stay serene. In the long run, the only real lever is to re-pair the trigger with something positive (food or play) at low intensity. If the stress is a daily thing, talk to your vet about it.

Q: Does reassuring my dog reinforce his fear?

No, it's a persistent myth. Fear is an emotional response (Pavlovian), not a behaviour you reinforce by giving attention. What really matters is not getting flustered yourself : your dog reads your state and falls in line with it.

Q: My dog shakes and hides during storms, what should I do?

Let him reach his hiding spot: it's a coping strategy, not a problem, and you never drag him out of it. Stay available, steady voice. If you were already playing with him, carry on: the positive activity covers the noise.

10 min read

Does your dog shake, drool or hide at the first clap of thunder or firework? It's a common fear, not a flaw in his character. In the moment, stay calm and let him take shelter wherever he wants. The real work happens afterwards, in calm conditions, in very small steps.

Where his fear of noise comes from

This has nothing to do with a weak character, and it isn't something he's doing on purpose. Fear of noise usually has several causes at once: parents who were already noise-sensitive, few sounds heard when he was young, sometimes one specific bad memory. And a storm isn't only a noise: it adds signals that thunder alone doesn't give, a drop in air pressure, lightning, static electricity, all of which your dog senses long before you do.

During the storm or the fireworks

In the moment, the aim isn't to “fix” anything: it's to get through the episode safely and calmly.

Close every window and door straight away

A dog in a panic sometimes tries to flee: he can jump out of an open window or claw at a door to get out. Before anything else, close the windows, the doors and any way outside.

Let him take shelter, or show him where

If he bolts under the bed, into the bathroom or into a cupboard, let him: hiding is a way for him to settle himself, never a whim. Never drag him out. If he's pacing around with nowhere to go, point out a shelter on the spot: a dark room, the space under a table, an open crate with a blanket.

Stay yourself, and stay close to him

The two go together. Keep your behaviour as normal as possible: your dog watches you and takes part of his reaction from yours. And stay available: talk to him in a gentle voice, stroke him if he presses up against you, you can even join him in his hiding place to keep him company.

If he was already busy, let him carry on

If he was playing, chewing a toy or hunting for treats before it started, let him carry on: the activity helps cover the noise that's coming.

Storm forecast, Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve: get these few things in place during the day, before it all starts.

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Ready for the evening

The long game: teaching him the noise means nothing

The deeper work is done out of season, in calm conditions, always at a level where your dog can hear the noise without getting stressed: too much stress stops him learning.

Step 1 / 3

A dog used to all sorts of sounds reacts less strongly to a noise he doesn't know.
- Have background sound on day to day (radio, music, TV on low), so that total silence isn't the norm.
- Take him to lively places, a market or a busy street, where the hubbub becomes ordinary background sound.
- Keep a few treats to hand and drop one when he's spontaneously calm, or say “yes!” right on a calm moment and then reward: he learns that staying settled pays.
Move on when: He stays relaxed even in a noisy everyday environment.
The storm sound starts to predict food or play, rather than danger.
- Find a recording of a storm or of fireworks (a video, an app) and play it at a barely audible volume: the right benchmark is that you, a few metres away and in the same room as your dog, can hear the sound, but only just.
- Work trial by trial: one brief sound, then a treat or a game immediately afterwards, then you start again. It isn't the sound running in the background while you hand out food at random, it's each sound announcing, every time, something pleasant.
- As long as he's eating and looking at you, you're at the right level. If he refuses food even at the lowest volume, turn the sound off and stay at the previous stage, with no sound, for longer before trying again.
Move on when: He turns his head towards you, full of hope, as soon as the sound starts.
A more realistic volume leaves him just as calm as the quiet version, before the real storm season or fireworks night arrives.
- Turn the volume up one tiny notch, only when the previous stage leaves him completely calm. If he reacts or stops eating, you've gone up too fast: come back down.
- Go back a step without hesitating the day he can't cope: it isn't a failure, it's the sign that you need to slow down.
- Keep sessions short, a few minutes, once or twice a day, and start weeks before storm season or fireworks night: short and regular beats long and rare.
Move on when: A realistic volume leaves him unbothered, busy chewing or playing.

The long game

A recording doesn't reproduce everything: the drop in pressure, the lightning and the static electricity of a storm are all beyond audio.

How far you can go on your own, and when to hand over to a professional

You can guide him yourself

The fear stays moderate: he's tense and looks for a hiding place, but he can still eat and settle.
It's triggered by one specific noise (storms, fireworks) and it fades once the episode is over.
You have the time to do the deeper work out of season, step by step.

This is a job for a professional

Extreme panic: he injures himself, he destroys things, he tries to flee and puts himself in danger.
He no longer comes back down, even long after the noise, or he anticipates as soon as it rains.
The fear appeared or got worse in adulthood: a veterinary behaviourist can put a real plan in place, and a check-up rules out hidden pain.

To work out where you stand, and when to hand over.

Manageable

He shakes, pants, seeks contact or a hiding place
He calms down once the noise has passed
He'll still take a treat

Needs serious support

He refuses all food, drools and freezes
He takes a long time to come back down
He's starting to anticipate: he panics as soon as it rains or as soon as you get the evening ready
At this stage, book an appointment now with your vet or a behaviourist: don't wait for things to get worse before asking for help.

A job for a professional

His panic puts him in danger: he bolts, injures himself, destroys things
An established phobia is spilling over into his whole daily life
His fear of noise is new or clearly worse in adulthood

Lopes Fagundes et al. — Noise sensitivities in dogs: an exploration of signs in dogs with and without musculoskeletal pain, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2018)
Position Statement on Humane Dog Training, AVSAB (2021)
Merola et al. — Social referencing in dog-owner dyads? (2012)
Sandi — Stress and cognition (2013)

Going further

guideRebuilding trust with a fearful or mistreated dogWhen the fear goes beyond storms alone, this guide helps you rebuild a fearful dog's confidence day to day.Read the guide guideHe growls, stiffens, reacts (reactivity)The desensitisation this guide teaches also helps calm fear-driven reactions.Read the guide guideReading your dog's body languageLearn to spot the signs of stress before the storm, so you can step in sooner.Read the guide guideMy dog is shaking: understanding and reactingA shaking dog isn't always frightened: this guide helps you tell emotion apart from a health problem.Read the guide guideTeaching your dog to stay home aloneFear of noise and separation anxiety often go hand in hand: to make his time alone feel safe too.Read the guide guideExercising and occupying your dogA well-exercised, well-occupied dog copes better with sudden noises: practical ideas to channel him.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you reassure a frightened dog?

Stay calm and as normal as possible: your steady voice is an anchor for him. You can comfort him in a gentle voice and let him press up against you, it won't reinforce his fear. Also let him go to his hiding place if he's looking for one.

Why are dogs afraid of thunderstorms?

Several causes combine: few sounds heard when he was young, parents who were already noise-sensitive, sometimes one specific bad memory. A storm also adds signals that thunder alone doesn't give: a drop in pressure, lightning and static electricity, all of which your dog senses before you do.

How do you calm a stressed dog?

Before the episode, give him a good workout and set up a quiet shelter for him (a dark room, a bit of background noise). In the moment, stay calm yourself. Over time, what really works is re-associating the noise with something pleasant (food, play), at a low volume. If the stress is there every day, talk to your vet about it.

Does reassuring my dog reinforce his fear?

No, that's a stubborn myth. Fear is an emotion, not a behaviour he repeats to get attention. What matters is that you don't panic yourself: your dog reads your state and falls in line with it.

My dog shakes and hides during storms, what should I do?

Let him go to his hiding place: it's a way for him to settle himself, never a problem. Never drag him out of it. Stay available, with a steady voice. If you were already playing together, carry on: the activity covers the noise.

How do I get my dog used to fireworks and bangers?

Go step by step and out of season: play him a recording at a very low volume, paired with food or a game, always at a level where he stays relaxed and keeps eating. You only turn the sound up when he's calmly waiting for his treat. An established phobia is worked on with a veterinary behaviourist.

Updated on July 11, 2026Sources

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