Fear Of Noises

[kayla1]

Since I've had Kayla (bc/lab mix) she has always been frightened of noises - thunder, fireworks, loud bangs and so on. She's about 10-11yrs old now and has become frightened of noises that previously didn't bother her. Perhaps her hearing is not as good and she can't distinguish between the 'scary' and non-scary noises as well as she used to. For example when I walk her she is now frightened of hammering/building noises/any sort of loud noise. When she gets a fright she bolts - as she is always on lead, she tries to drag me back to the car. When this happens we go back to the car and either go home or go somewhere else to walk.

I did try the Sounds Scary cd early on for her fear of thunder but found it didn't help much because with storms she reacts to changes in the atmosphere and not just the noise. Not sure if the cd would work with the range of noises that she reacts to now. She stays on lead for safety and I'm not bothered that our walks frequently get cut short etc, more just wondering if there is something else I could do to make things more pleasant for her?

[Aidan]

As you've noted, thunder is a special class because it is not just thunder, other things become paired with the fear. For noises such as hammering, doors slamming etc you will have more success. A tip is to look for a conditioned response before you increase the volume. So do as many repetitions at low volume as it takes - sound, food, sound, food etc until playing the sound at that volume will whip your dog's head around for a treat. You should get this response at any time, not just when you've been working on it.

[NaturallyWild]

I would highly recommend looking into TTouch as well as the response by Aidan. I have found this to be very successful.

There are thundershirts which are available in different places but you could use a t-shirt, knotted to help it fit snug (but not too tight), or a bandage. This is part of what is used with TTouch.

[kayla1]

Thanks for your replies. Will try that.