27/10/2025
A great idea for a fireworks night distraction below! 🐶🎇
🎇 Cardboard Chaos for Firework Season
Firework season can be tough for many dogs- Cardboard Chaos is a fun little activity that can really help your dog during fireworks!
Grab a cardboard box, fill it with scrunched-up paper, toilet roll tubes, old packaging- anything safe from your recycling (start simple then build up). Hide some of your dog’s favourite treats inside, then let them snuffle, dig, and shred their way to hidden treats.
Here’s why it helps 👇
🐶 Builds confidence- The mix of textures, rustling sounds, and movement helps dogs get used to novelty in a positive way, so when strange sounds happen outside, they’re less worrying.
🎆 Creates positive associations- Your dog hears rustling, bangs, and crackles while good things are happening (finding treats, having fun!). This helps teach them that unexpected noises don’t always mean danger.
🔇 Helps mask firework sounds- All that happy snuffling and shredding can naturally muffle the noises outside, while giving your dog something else to focus on.
🧠 Encourages calm and provides mental enrichment- Sniffing, foraging, and tearing things apart helps lower stress levels and release calming hormones as well as giving your dog a job to do.
If your dog struggles with fireworks (or even if they don’t), try a bit of Cardboard Chaos in the days leading up to Bonfire Night. It’s simple, enriching, and can really help your dog feel calmer and more in control 💛
