Tihar firecrackers and dogs: how to keep your dog calm

Tihar 2026 runs from Saturday 7 to Wednesday 11 November. This year Laxmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November, the same day as Kukur Tihar, so expect the loudest firecrackers that evening. In 2022 a Kathmandu animal-welfare activist told Nepali Times that people worship dogs in the morning and frighten them at night; some dogs run a long way from the noise and never make it home.

Here is what to do this month, on the night, and if your dog runs away.

Signs your dog is scared

Watch for whining or barking, clinging to you, heavy panting or drooling, a low tail, hiding, trembling, pacing, trying to escape, refusing food, and wide pupils (Dogs Trust). Some of these can also be signs of illness, so ask your vet if you are unsure.

Start now: four weeks before Tihar

Fear of loud noise doesn’t start overnight, and it doesn’t go away overnight either. Vets at UC Davis advise starting months ahead. With four weeks left, do what you can:

• Make a den. Pick the quietest room in the house, away from the street and the roof. Put your dog’s bed, a blanket and a toy there, and feed treats there so it becomes a good place. Leave it open all the time.
• Play firecracker sounds, softly. Play a recording of firecrackers at a very low volume while your dog eats or plays. Raise the volume a little over days. If your dog stops eating, looks worried or leaves, turn it down again. Go slowly: the goal is a dog that stays relaxed, not one that “gets used to it” by being scared (UC Davis).
• See your vet now if your dog panics. Your vet can check for pain or illness, refer you to a behaviourist, and talk about medicine. Some medicines take weeks to work, so don’t wait for Tihar week (Dogs Trust).
• Put an ID tag on the collar with your phone number, and check that the collar fits: two fingers under it, no more.
• Check your gate, walls and windows. A scared dog squeezes through gaps it ignores on a normal day.

On the night: Sunday 8 November and the other Tihar evenings

• Walk your dog before dark, and be home before the firecrackers start (Dogs Trust).
• Keep it indoors for the whole evening. Not on the roof, not in the courtyard, not on the street where people light firecrackers (Onlinekhabar).
• Shut the windows and curtains, and turn the lights on, so the flashes are harder to see (Dogs Trust).
• Play music or the TV to soften the bangs.
• Let your dog hide under the bed or in its den. Don’t pull it out.
• Comfort it if it comes to you. Calm stroking and a quiet voice help. Ignoring a frightened dog doesn’t (Dogs Trust).
• Stay calm yourself. Dogs pick up on your mood.
• Never punish fear. A dog that wets the floor or chews the door out of fear isn’t being naughty; punishment makes the fear worse (Dogs Trust).
• Never force your dog outside during firecrackers.
• Give any medicine your vet prescribed at the times your vet gave.

If you are out for Laxmi Puja or Deusi-Bhailo, leave someone your dog trusts at home with it.

Street dogs and your neighbours

Street dogs have no den to hide in. Never light a firecracker near any dog, and never throw one at a dog. If you light firecrackers, keep well away from animals, and tell neighbours with pets when you plan to (Onlinekhabar). Kathmandu activist Sneha Shrestha told Nepali Times that dogs left out in the open during Tihar sometimes have heart attacks.

If your dog runs away

1. Search straight away. A scared dog often hides close by. Walk the nearby lanes and call its name calmly.
2. Ask neighbours, guards and shopkeepers. Leave your phone number.
3. Post a clear photo with your area and phone number in your area’s Facebook groups.
4. Call the animal shelters in the Valley, and check again over the next days.
5. Leave its bed or a worn T-shirt at your gate. A familiar smell can help it find home.

After Tihar

Check the roof, yard and lane for burnt-out firecrackers before your dog sniffs or chews them. If your dog takes a long time to settle, or the fear grows year by year, see your vet before next year’s festival season.

Boarding over Tihar

If you are travelling for Tihar, Supreme Pet Home in Kapan boards dogs through the festival, 1 dog to a kennel. A stay doesn’t make Tihar silent: Kapan has firecrackers too. On firecracker nights our staff stay with the dogs, and dogs that are scared stay in their kennel or indoors. Tell us if your dog fears firecrackers, and bring its blanket from home. Kennels fill fast over Tihar, so book early; a deposit of 1 night holds a festival-week kennel.