Good evening! No, not all dogs have this reaction. I believe some individual dogs are more sensitive to these and other stressors, for a variety of reasons. For dogs that are sensitive to sounds/scents/concussive force of pyrotechnics, I think it’s a very threatening experience to be exposed to the sound of fireworks. Because we have know way to tell what parts of the experience an individual dog may or may not register as threatening, we have to consider that the sound, scents, the visuals - any component of the experience - may trigger the fearful reaction, even at low levels (below our ability to detect with our senses) or at a distance with low intensity fireworks.
During storms, we aren’t really clear on what triggers some dogs. It may be barometric pressure changes, it could be thunder - again, at a distance or a volume that we may not notice. I do believe that the more sensitive types of dogs (without specifically identifying individuals of specific breeds, for instance) are more likely to experience noticeable problems around thunderstorms and/or fireworks. There are plenty of dogs that are oblivious to thunder, fireworks, etc. It’s unusual for dogs with really solid temperaments, with a solid history of socialization to a variety of stimuli like these to suddenly become reactive. Unfortunately, many people unintentionally and unknowingly choose pets that are inclined to display fearful or needy behavior.
When we select dogs as potential service animal candidates (for instance) or pets, we try to avoid dogs that are at all timid, nervous, and overly needy. Confident dogs are more easily and safely integrated into a variety of environments without a lot of the adjustment problems related to sound sensitivities, weather, etc. These issues detract from the pleasure of the pet parenting experience and, depending upon how severe and frequent sound sensitivities are an issue, they may really negatively impact the dog’s quality of life, as well.
Hope this helped!
Have a great night...
DPO
