Dogs and fireworks aren't always a great match. If you have an anxious dog, by now you know the drill: As soon as the bright flashes and loud bangs start erupting on the evening of the Fourth of July, your dog alternates between cowering and howling. We spoke with Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, DVM, medical director of Behavior Vets of NYC, about the best ways to keep your dog calm. Dogs’ potential fear of fireworks is due, in large part, to the sound: A dog’s ears are significantly more sensitive than a human’s, so the booms of fireworks can be downright painful. So how do you help your dog through a fireworks display? One method is fairly simple: Don’t expose your pet to fireworks—and the crowds, noise and smells that go along with them—in the first place. But that, of course, is sometimes easier said than done. In some cases, you’ll want to make a "sound bunker" for your dog and look into some other calming accessories that may prove useful during storms, too. An ideal doggy sound bunker is a room in your house that’s as far from the commotion as possible, like a basement, laundry room or bathroom with blackout window shades. In addition to carpeting, pillows and blankets in front of windows can act as a good noise buffer. Tu also recommends adding a white noise machine or purchasing “Through a Dog’s Ears,” a classical music collection engineered to a pitch and speed that’s calming for dogs. If your home remedies aren’t proving effective, take your dog to the vet to discuss options for fear mitigation and possibly anxiety medication—ideally, as soon as you can.