Objective To develop a new method to expose the stellate ganglion to increase the success rate of establishing a dog model of atrial fibrillation indinced by sympathetic stimulation. Methods A total of 28 adult dogs were randomly divided into traditional group and improvement group, 14 dogs in each group. The stellate ganglions were separated by the two different methods, respectively, to establish a sympathetic stimulation induced atrial fibrillation model in all the dogs. Changes of vital signs, survival rate of the dogs and the voltage required to stimulate the stellate ganglion were recorded intraoperatively. Changes of cardiac electrophysiology were recorded before and after electric stimulation. The levels of released neurotransmitters were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The survival rate of the improvement group was 100% (14/14), significantly higher than the 64.3% (9/14) of the traditional group (P<0.05). The operation time of the improvement group was 122.71±3.62 min, significantly shorter than the 269.44±8.79 min of the traditional group (P<0.05). The threshold voltage of the improvement group was significantly lower than that of the traditional group (P<0.05). Conclusions Our modified surgical procedure can effectively reduce the mortality of dogs, significantly shorten the operation time, and reduce the intraoperative blood loss, keeping a more intact stellate ganglion, and maintains a more stable voltage of electric stimulation, Therefore, it is a new method more suitable for establishment of a sympathetic stimulation induced atrial fibrillation model in dogs.