Fear of thunderstorms and fireworks affects a significant proportion of dogs and causes acute suffering that many owners underestimate or address inadequately.
Thunderstorm and fireworks fear causes genuine suffering that is not trivial or simply trainable away without appropriate support. Dogs experiencing noise phobia suffer acutely during every event. Combination approaches including medication to reduce the fear response, desensitisation training, and environmental management provide the most effective welfare protection. Leaving dogs to cope alone is not an acceptable approach.