Dogs can develop phobias to many sounds beyond thunder including fireworks, gunshots, and traffic noise, with welfare impacts that require proactive management throughout the year.
Noise phobias cause genuine suffering that is often minimized or trivialized. Fireworks nights can be nightmarish for phobic dogs - acute panic responses lasting hours, with dogs hiding, trembling, panting, and sometimes injuring themselves. Working dog breeds, herding dogs, and some individuals are particularly affected. The predictable nature of fireworks events makes it unconscionable not to prepare proactively with medication and environmental management. The welfare cost extends beyond the events themselves - anticipatory anxiety may begin hours before fireworks start as dogs pick up on environmental cues. Year-round prevalence of noise phobia requires ongoing management strategies.