The research, by Dr. Stefanie Riemer (HundeUniBern) is published in PLoS One, and has important implications for dog owners and dog trainers.

Dr. Riemer told me in an email,

“From this study, perhaps the most important takeaway for dog owners is not to wait for problems to appear but to be proactive. Teaching dogs to associate loud noises with something positive appears to be highly effective in preventing a later development of firework fears. This is especially true for puppies, but it also has beneficial effects in adult dogs. 

And maybe the other point is, if you have a dog affected by noise fears, I highly recommend to seek professional help to find the best strategy to help them to cope. “

52% of dogs in this study were said to be afraid of fireworks, and most of them developed this fear at a young age, including 45% during the first year. Given the early onset, it seems possible that there is a genetic component. From 6 years of age, few dogs went on to develop this fear.

One of the interesting findings from this study is that fear of fireworks was not necessarily static: it could improve or get worse. 39% of dogs who were afraid of fireworks had improved or improved greatly, while 27% had got worse or much worse.