Dog noise anxiety, or fear of loud noises, such as fear of thunderstorms or fireworks is very common: it is estimated to affect 33% of ALL dogs.

Single traumatic experiences or repeated exposure to frightening stimuli can cause reactions ranging from mild fear to extreme phobic reactions. Mild fear responses may include panting, pacing, and attempts to hide, whereas phobic responses may include panic, extreme agitation, attempts to escape and/or destructive behavior.

Dogs have especially sensitive hearing. Veterinarians have estimated that your dog can hear 10 times better than you can. The loud crack of thunder is terrifying to many dogs. In some cases, the loud noise has been associated with an unpleasant experience. My family dog Max had his tail slammed in a door by the wind during a thunderstorm; any subsequent storm produced a hiding, shaking Max.

Most of us are aware of the signs and symptoms of a dog with noise anxiety. Your pet changes her personality in response to noise, especially thunderstorms. She may cry and whine, hide in the basement, begin to chew anything in the house or run away. Some dogs become destructive, and many a house has been damaged during a thunderstorm or fireworks. Other dogs may just tremble, pant excessively, or constantly whine or bark.

Prevention is key.

Early socialization experiences (e.g., handling and environmental exposure) should incorporate use of positive reinforcement (food treats), and those experiences must occur during the socialization period (the first 3 to 12 weeks of age) and beyond. Early exposure should include positive exposure to noises that may be experienced later in life.

Avoid exposure to traumatic experiences as it is difficult to learn to ignore these experiences with repeated exposure to fear inducing stimuli. While early and appropriate socialization is important for shaping a dog’s future behavior, socialization is not beneficial if repeated experiences induce fear responses.

Avoid using punishment or correction as a way of mitigating fear or phobic reactions. Discipline is unlikely to reduce fear and it is likely to make the situation worse.

Treatment

For long term success, effort must be put into training your dog to be less anxious in addition to anti-anxiety supplements. Do not positively reinforce the fearful behavior by being too kind. The next time that Lewis reacts to noise, give him a quick scratch then go about your normal household routine. If you act calm, then he may act calm.

The next time that your pet begins to act nervous, distract her with a favorite squeaky toy or tasty treat. You are teaching your pet to associate noise with a positive experience. When your pet acts less nervous, then give her lots of praise, then next storm could become far more pleasant.

Many dogs tend to be less fearful in a small confined space, such as a crate. Crates act like a den in nature, making your pet feel safer and more protected. This does not work for all dogs, as some may hurt themselves in an effort to get out of the crate. Try to crate train your dog before a storm, then stay close by to let him out if things do not go so well.

Natural Options

Acupressure. This is you putting pressure over top of the Acupuncture points. The one I have found MOST helpful for anxiety/noise is the YIN TANG point. It is located between your dog's eyes, at the bridge of the nose. (It also works well for people!) Hold your finger over that point for 60 seconds every time your dog is shaking/nervous, and see if it helps them calm down. This point works VERY well in Acupuncture for me personally, and I have seen my dog Tula respond very well.