Noise Phobias in Pets to Thunderstorms, Fireworks and Other Sounds

Understanding noise phobias in pets, including dogs and cats

Noise phobias and sound sensitivities in pets are common behaviour issues. Our dogs especially may react to unwelcome sounds including thunder, fireworks, sirens, lawnmowers and even pots and pans banging. Cats may run and hide. It help to understand these sensitivities, fears, anxieties and phobias.

If your pet is sensitive to sounds, you are not alone. Noise phobias are one of the most common problem that pet owners face. Noise phobias can, however, be overcome.

We tend to talk more about these phobias in our dogs as their outward signs are more obvious. Similar causes are found in cats too.

Most dogs learn, early on in life, that sounds and noises are relatively predictable and not particularly stimulating, therefore do not react to them. Dogs that react to particular noises tend to do so when they have not been introduced to that sound when young. They have had no experience of that sound or they have possibly had a negative experience.

Common noise anxieties include thunderstorms, fireworks, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners and other sounds only heard irregularly such as party music or dropping pots and pans.

Read more about dog anxiety

Symptoms of noise anxieties

Symptoms that dogs may express when they are sensitive to noise include:
– Trying to escape
– Avoiding the noise e.g. hiding under a bed
– Howling or barking at the sound
– Lowered body posture, tail between legs and ears back
– Running around frantically

Solving the noise phobic problem

Long term solutions for the noise phobic dog

1. Prevention is better than cure

The best long term solution for noise phobias is prevention. We can ensure our dogs do not develop anxiety towards noises by socialising them to lots of different noises when they are puppies. Introduce them to noisy household objects. Take them out into the streets, visit the vet clinic and so on.

It is not so easy to organise a thunderstorm, however! It may be worth downloading sounds of storms and playing these to your puppy. Combine them with a positive experience such as dinner time, play or pats to create a pleasant association with these sounds.

2. Be more noisy!

If your dog is scared of noises, it could be that you have a very quiet household. Your dog will benefit from having lots of noise around, while you behave normally. If this is too stressful for you, try leaving music playing or talkback radio on or record noises and play them back to your dog while you are away from home.

3. Desenitisation

If your dog is afraid of thunder or other noises, the long term solution is to desensitise your dog to the sounds. This involves playing the noises to your dog at a very low level, then gradually increasing the exposure to the noise. The experience should be kept as positive as possible for your dog.

Commercially available CDs of sounds for dogs are available, or you can make recordings of noises, and play these back to your dog while you pair them up with dinner or a play session in the backyard. Remember that you should place speakers at different locations around your home.

Thunderstorm noise tends to come from outdoors so locate your speakers there. Sound desensitisation should begin months before the storm or firework season for best effects but with consistent application you should see improvements in your dog’s anxiety within a month.

There is little we can do to recreate atmospheric pressure changes that may be associated with storm build up and to which your dog may be highly sensitive. Some of the canine anti-anxiety capes claim to have anti-static properties which may help.

Adapt your desensitisation plan according to your dog’s sensitivities. If they hate the sound of traffic light crossings, for instance (yes, this is more common than you might think!), record these sounds on your phone and stay to play them at home. after your dog is used to this, then take them our in the streets but keep a distance from any crossings, until you are sure that your dog no longer reacts.

Desensitisation is all about going at your dog’s pace.

Here are more tips for thunder storm phobic pets.

Short term solutions for the dog with noise phobias

The following strategies may help your dog cope with noise:

• Try relocating your dog to a different area of your home so they cannot hear the noise. Bring your dog indoors or into an internal laundry or utility room.
• Build a few den-like areas for your dog to retreat to. These could be cupboards, under tables, under your house or a covered crate.
• Close your blinds and curtains, leave the lights and radio or television on, so that outdoor noises and flashes are masked.
• Leave your dog with a lavender heat pack, a warm hot water bottle or a cuddly toy for comfort. Behave normally. Reward your dog for calm behaviour.
• Try an Anxiety Wrap on your dog, but start long before any thunder storm starts.
• Consult your vet for medication, both for on the specific day of the thunderstorm and a longer term option to reduce the anxiety.

Is your dog scared of loud noises? New research shows that there could be a link between canine noise phobias and pain in our dogs…

Canine Noise Phobias and Pain could be related

Animal behavioural scientists from the UK and Brazil examined dogs who were sensitivity to noises and found that those which also had associated pain formed a greater sensitivity to noise.Why would this happen?

Well, if your dog is sensitive to noise, as many are and they react by moving or by tensing up their bodies when the noise occurs, this may exacerbate any existing pain, as extra stress is put on already inflamed muscles or joints. That pain is then associated with the noise, making them fear it more. A painful, noisy cycle for your dog!

The researchers also found that this condition appeared later in the dogs’ lives. Of course, dogs can be scared of noises at any age and it is worth seeking treatment if your dog has a sound phobia. If your dog is older and begins to be sensitive to noises, then you should ask your vet to check for muscular-skeletal pain in your dog.

Dogs with or without pain show typical behavioural symptoms of shaking, trembling and hiding with exposure to sounds but those with a diagnosed pain issue also showed a higher level of avoidance of places that they had a bad experience with noise. So your dog may avoid going along a street where they know that a siren may go off or they may avoid the kitchen at home, if you routinely make bangs and crashed as you cook.

Dogs with fears often tend to generalise fears too, making the situation worse. So not only does the noise sensitive dog start to avoid the location where they may hear the noises they dislike, they also avoid anything within that area. Perhaps they begin to have an aversion to the dog park, if the gate clangs shut near them but this extends to avoiding contact with any dogs in the park. Dogs with chronic pain often cease playing with other dogs and aggression towards dogs can increase.

How to alleviate the pain-sound canine case

If your dog has sound sensitivities, you should discuss this with your vet. If you suspect your dog in is pain, you should not only get it treated but also look at any concurrent behavioural changes that you have observed. Veterinarians and behaviourists should carefully assess dogs with noise sensitivities for pain-related problems.

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