The Modern Guide to Fireworks

Getting your puppy through firework season

Fireworks are a few noisy nights to us. To a puppy they can be the most frightening weeks of the year, and most firework fears start in the first year of life.

I've been training dogs for over 30 years, and I wrote this the way I'd talk to you if we were stood in a field together.

What's inside

• Why fireworks are so hard for dogs, and how common firework fear really is

• Reading your puppy: the quiet signs, and how to tell a startle from a fear

• Pain, vets and medication, and what the research says about sprays and supplements

• Sound work: teaching your puppy that a bang means something good

• Building a safe den your puppy will choose for themselves

• A four-week plan, and what to do on the day itself

• Fireworks night: comfort, play, toilet trips, and what to do if your puppy panics

• The morning after, the weeks after, and planning for next year

• Halloween in Ireland, New Year, rescue dogs and older dogs, plus six myths and your questions

There's a printable fireworks night checklist and a tracker for your puppy's signs at the back.

Who it's for

Anyone with a puppy facing their first firework season, a dog who was frightened last year, or a rescue dog whose history you don't know.

What you get

A PDF and an EPUB in one ZIP file, emailed to you straight after checkout. Read it on your phone, tablet, e-reader or computer.