Another webinar from a previous Love in Action Summit hosted by Marilyn Mele was ‘Noise Phobias in Dogs’ with Else Verbeek from Amazing Animal Minds.
We have had a long journey with noise sensitivity – and are still very much on that journey.
It was therefore interesting and helpful to learn more about noise phobia in dogs.
Else explained that it makes a lot of biological sense for dogs to be scared of sudden, loud sounds. They don’t often have the option to investigate the sounds and learn that it is safe. That means that the next time it happens they have the memory of the previous time, and it gets worse and worse.
Else explained the importance of early intervention. If we don’t take the fear seriously, it is going to get worse. I wish I had known about this sooner. It got pretty bad before I found out what to do.
Actions we should be taking are masking the sounds if possible, playing games with your dog when the sounds occur, having a treat party, and trying to make it a really positive experience.
I am doing this at the moment when our new dog neighbours bark. It works well if I am fast enough to intervene before the reaction!
She also recommends gentle exposure to the sounds they are scared of at a level that ensures they never get stressed, noting that this can take weeks or months. We are working on this with the doorbell and car horns. It is slow-going.
Else noted that fear is context-dependent. You can do all the work in the living room but when you step outside it is back to square one.
George finds it very difficult to listen to me when we are outside the house. For now, we are working on training in the garden as an in-between step.
I was reminded that fear responses are out of the dog’s control. They are not using cognitive decision-making. If your dog panics in a situation, get them out of that situation safely, head home and encourage calm.
Else explained that there is a difference between a dog that startles but is able to recover once they’ve been able to investigate, and a severe noise phobia.
I think George is more of the easily startled type. I recall the vet behaviourist saying he had a high startle reflex in one of our earliest visits. He is very curious. If he is able to investigate the sound, he does recover quickly. The medication has also helped massively with the recovery time.
We did reach a stage where I think George was at more of a “normal” alert barking level, although we’ve had some regressions over recent weeks with increased noise sensitivity.
Else recommended getting a qualified behaviourist for help if possible, particularly for severe cases.
I know from experience that noise sensitivity can be very difficult to deal with, not least because it makes it very difficult for both the dog and the caregiver to get sufficient rest.
I suspect that George may always be more noise-sensitive than some (most?) dogs. But we have definitely made progress.