Dilemma over a new puppy and the Fourth of July and an idiot

[Bert&Ernie]

Both pups are cute...can't go wrong with either choice!

I'd agree with everyone else. Just ignore the noise (or even treat occasionally if the pup doesn't react). If it's time for the pup to go outside during all the commotion just be sure to go outside with the pup and ignore the noise/lights...hopefully he'll follow your lead. It'd be tough to wait even longer to pick up the puppy just because of a neighbor's "patriotic" display

[littlelab]

I agree with everyone above. When the fireworks started, he looked at us to see how we were reacting. We acted as if nothing unusual was going on. I think it also helped that he played a lot in the morning and had a kong.

[Meeps83]

We let maverick out and didn't even pay attention to it. It was just a noise and we didn't make a big deal.

[Jeff]

Like others said, don't make a big deal about it. Your anxiety over it will be what scares him. He is a new puppy he will have totally different reactions to things. When I got my boy and the first fourth of July you can see the city fireworks from my deck. He was very curious so we went out and watched them from a long way away. Then next year when they went off he was like dad dad come on lets go see them. Then last year I took him to a fire works show. Which he had one of the best times at.

Like anything with dogs. If you make it a happy experience then it will be forever. Especially as a puppy that's when they learn. That's when they are excited and when they grow.

My boy at the fireworks show, and yes he has a glow in the dark necklace from a vendor just like all the other kids. I am old myself, I haven't been to a fireworks show in years. I went because Hemi wanted to go. He loves them so much and the crowds and the kids and excitement.

[moosebytes]

Like others said, don't make a big deal about it. Your anxiety over it will be what scares him. He is a new puppy he will have totally different reactions to things. When I got my boy and the first fourth of July you can see the city fireworks from my deck. He was very curious so we went out and watched them from a long way away. Then next year when they went off he was like dad dad come on lets go see them. Then last year I took him to a fire works show. Which he had one of the best times at.

Like anything with dogs. If you make it a happy experience then it will be forever. Especially as a puppy that's when they learn. That's when they are excited and when they grow.


My boy at the fireworks show, and yes he has a glow in the dark necklace from a vendor just like all the other kids. I am old myself, I haven't been to a fireworks show in years. I went because Hemi wanted to go. He loves them so much and the crowds and the kids and excitement.

That's great! Really wonderful pictures! Thanks for that. It's been almost 12 years since we got Tucker as a puppy, and I think I'm forgetting just how versatile they are, and just how cued in they are to us.

[LucyTudeOn4Feet]

I love your posts and pictures of your experiences with Hemi. I think you are an AMAZING dog owner, and caregiver.
.
However, I don't think it is wise to post pictures like this, giving people the idea that it is appropriate to take dogs to fireworks displays. Statistics show that lots of dogs are lost during holidays of high fireworks use, dogs become frightened and bolt.
.
Imagine a family with kids AND their dog at a fireworks display and the dog gets upset, even though every one else is having a grand time. Most people aren't going to be willing to drag the kids away from the fireworks because the dog is having a serious issue with them.
.
Heck, many people would even be clueless to their dog's body language until it's too late. The responsible thing, for most, is not put the dog in that situation to start with.

[MightyThor]

Thor was 6 months old last 4th of July. Our neighborhood usually gets together and has a BBQ in the street (cul-de-sac), and of course there are lots of fireworks going off in the general area. We have these get togethers a lot throughout the summer and the dogs are usually loose - they are all good friends and play together in the yards with the kids all the time. Our trainer had a recommendation that worked out really well. We gave everyone a little bag of kibble, and whenever a loud bang went off the person nearest him would give him a treat. The kids especially loved this. We actually started this earlier in the summer when we noticed people were starting to set off fireworks on the weekends. I think it also helped quite a lot that there were so many other great things that he loves going on - people and kids and other dogs - that it was just a positive experience overall.

We did the same thing for gunfire training - took him out to our shooting pit in the desert and while my husband shot about 500 yards away I would treat with every bang. Thor is really good with loud noises now and doesn't even flinch. The only problem with this is that now whenever there is a loud noise Thor comes running to me and nudges my hand for treats!

[sparky]

Got to agree with everyone else. You don't react, your puppy will pick up on that and not react. They read our reactions and respond.

[POPTOP]

Totally agree. If your pup sees that it does not bother you, he will be much more relaxed.

We home older dogs and fortunately, none of them have had a problem at all.

Was just outside, full daylight, and some crazies are already setting off fireworks. Gonna be another booming year.

[Labradorks]

I've never had a dog afraid of fireworks. I ignore it, so they ignore it. I did not treat them or give them anything special. I'd just act like it was any other day, any other noise. Noise from the TV was more exciting for them as puppies and then they got used to it. Every once in a while they will startle if maybe they were sleeping and it's really sudden and loud or when I lived on the east coast and sometimes lightening would smack the street right outside my house (so it seemed) or the house would suddenly shake from the hit. In those cases, I startled, too! We have fireworks going on year around and if you go outside on the 4th or on New Years it's like a war zone.

I have a friend with a dog that is noise reactive and when a noise happens she gets this high-pitched weird voice trying to be positive and shove food in her dog's mouth. Even though she is trying to get the dog to associate the noise with something good, she is being weird, and in turn the dog is freaking out. She only acts like this when there's a noise that freaks the dog out, so when she acts this way, the dog freaks out on cue.

I'm also convinced that if you get a Lab (not sure about other breeds, but can assume any gun dog) from a good breeder with well-bred dogs, you'll have fewer problems. When I introduced Linus to gunfire he was curious and I just looked at him and said, "Wow, that's crazy, huh?" We stayed and watched/listened for a bit until he figured out that gunfire meant something drops from the sky and "oh yeah, THAT'S what I'm supposed to do!" and he was bolting with the sound of gunfire before he even knew what it was that was falling.