For a lot of dogs, Halloween is not about costumes. It is about the bangs. Fireworks are still permitted in Burnaby around Halloween under city rules, so even if you do not set any off, your neighbours may. This year October 31 falls on a Saturday, which usually means a louder, later night.

Here is the plan we would give any owner of a noise-sensitive dog.

Two weeks out: talk to your vet

If your dog has panicked at fireworks before (shaking, hiding, trying to bolt, refusing food), call your vet now, not on the 30th. There are anxiety medications and supplements that help, but they often need to be started ahead of time, and some need a trial run to find the right dose.

This is also the moment to check the basics:

ID tag on the collar, with a current phone number.
Microchip details up to date. More dogs go missing around fireworks nights than almost any other time of year, and a chip only helps if the contact information on file is right.

The week before: build a den

Pick a quiet interior room, ideally with few windows. Put their bed there, a worn T-shirt of yours, water and a long-lasting chew. Let them use it on ordinary evenings this week so it is a familiar place by Saturday, not a strange room they are shut in.

If your dog already has a spot they retreat to, like under a desk or behind the couch, build around that instead. They have already told you where they feel safe.

On the day: tire them out early

A dog who has had a full, busy day is far more likely to sleep through the evening than one who has been waiting at home. That is true every day, and it matters more on this one.

Weekend hours at Lucky’s are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so a daycare day on the Saturday means morning enrichment, play, a proper nap and afternoon enrichment, and you are home before it is fully dark. (Sunset in Burnaby on October 31 is just before 6:00 PM, and most fireworks start after that.)

If daycare is not an option, give them the longest walk of the week in the afternoon.

At dusk: walk, then lock down

Take the last toilet break before dark, on leash, even in your own yard. A startled dog can clear a fence you thought was secure.
Close the curtains and windows to cut the flashes and muffle the noise.
Turn on background sound, like a fan, the TV or calm music. It does not need to be loud; it just needs to blur the sharp edges of each bang.
Keep doors closed when trick-or-treaters come. If your dog is anxious, keep them in the den room rather than greeting at the door.

During the fireworks

Be boring. Sit with your dog if they want you close, speak in a normal voice, and let them hide if they want to hide. Comforting a frightened dog does not reinforce the fear (that is a myth), but a calm person in the room helps more than an anxious one hovering.

What not to do: do not punish shaking, barking or accidents, and do not force them out of their hiding spot to “face it.”

The next morning

Check the yard and your walking route for firework debris before you let your dog out. Spent fireworks and casings can be harmful if chewed or swallowed.

If this year was hard, write down what happened while you remember it and take it to your vet. Next October will be easier with a plan made in March.

If your dog is new to Lucky’s

A daycare day only works as a calm-down strategy if your dog already knows the place. If you would like that option for Halloween, book the free assessment now. The process is on our Get Started page, and here is what the assessment involves.

Halloween fireworks and your dog: a calm-night plan