Why Is My Dog Suddenly Scared of Noises? Understanding Noise Phobias in Dogs
How can I help my dog with noise anxiety?
Photo by Owner
"I have a nearly 4-year-old miniature bull terrier named George. He has always loved to go out (still does) for rides or walks. All of a sudden, though, he is scared of vehicle noises, and we walk along a highway. He never has reacted to the vehicles before. So I thought I would avoid the highway and walk down our road. He always walks ahead of me on the lead, and yesterday he was startled by me. When he does that I turn around and go back home. Unfortunately, my last bully turned very aggressive towards me, so I get anxious that George will get frightened and attack me. He has a fur brother who has been away for the last few weeks, so I don't know if he is missing him and his human brother too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!"—Lisa and George
Why a Sudden Fear of Noises?
A dog’s sudden fear of noises can certainly be perplexing, especially when the affected dog has never exhibited any apparent discomfort or startle response before even in the presence of loud highway sounds. Let’s take a closer look at what may trigger an acute onset of noise sensitivities in dogs.
Potential Medical Disorders
Anytime there is a drastic change in behavior, particularly when it is uncharacteristic for the dog, it's a good idea to start with a veterinary visit.
There are several medical conditions that can cause behavior changes in dogs from low thyroid levels (which miniature bull terriers are predisposed to) to hearing and vision problems or even painful disorders.
According to a new 2018 study, published in the journal “ Frontiers in Veterinary Science” dogs who suffered from some type of musculoskeletal pain, such as hip dysplasia or a degenerative joint condition, where found to develop fear which generalized easily to new situations, people and dogs.
How can musculoskeletal pain lead to fear of noises though? How can there be a connection? Turns out, this can all happen courtesy of a dog’s uncanny ability to associate one event with another, a process known as “associative learning.”
In a nutshell, it may happen that a dog hears a noise and reflexively startles, which in a dog suffering from musculoskeletal pain may aggravate any existing pain, especially in some body areas where the muscles are already tightened.
Such startling can therefore cause the affected dog to associate the noise with pain, explains lead researcher Ana Luisa Lopesca Fagundes from Lincoln University.
Did you know? As dogs age, they become more predisposed to noise sensitivities. According to research, each additional year of a dog’s life subjects dogs to a 3.4 percent increase in the likelihood of developing a fear of noises.
An Aversive Experience
Another culprit for a dog’s sudden onset of noise aversion may be enduring some type of aversive/traumatic experience. For example, being exposed to a loud and sudden bang such as a vehicle backfiring may lead to the onset of fear triggering startling responses to similar sounds.
Changes in a Dog’s Life
Even when a dog is habituated to a noise, there is no guarantee that a noise aversion won’t emerge. It’s important to consider the concept of ”dishabituation” which is the opposite process of habituation to a sound.
Changes in a dog’s life can trigger stress, which puts their bodies into an alarmed state due to the impact of hormones secreted by the dog’s adrenal glands.
During these moments of stress, exposure to a noise or startling event may result in a fear response and the potential onset of noise sensitivities and noise phobias over time.
What happens in these cases is that, because the dog is stressed, his coping mechanisms are lowered and this may cause the dog to react differently to triggers compared to when the dog is in a relaxed state.
This vulnerable state can be compared to when a person catches a cold when his immune system is lower compared to when he is in a healthier condition.
You mentioned your dog’s fur brother and his owner being away. If your dog is very attached to them, this change can certainly trigger stress. Some dogs also significantly depend on their littermates/housemates for a sense of security and their absence may cause them to feel distraught and confused.
Interestingly, a study has found that many dogs suffering from noise aversions were predisposed to comorbidities (other conditions occurring simultaneously).
The most common comorbidity associated with noise aversion in dogs was separation-related distress, which was found to occur in 43 percent of dogs in one study. In another study, it was found that in dogs with separation distress, 52 percent developed a storm phobia and 63 percent a noise phobia.
How to Reduce a Dog’s Fear of Noises
Treatment of noise phobias requires a multi-faceted approach often involving environmental management, behavior modification and possibly adjuvant drug therapy. Any form of punishment (including reprimands) should be avoided to prevent noise aversions from getting worse.
While no guarantees can be ever given in the treatment of noise aversions, in many cases, the level of fear can be effectively managed.
The outcome depends to a great extent on several factors such as the severity of the problem, how long the dog has suffered from it (the earlier treatment is initiated, the better), its predictability and the level of time the owner is willing to commit.
Following are several strategies that are commonly employed to tackle noise aversions in dogs.
Environmental Management
Management entails not exposing the dogs to fear-inducing stimuli or events. In a dog with a fear of noises, this may include the use of noise masking machines or keeping the dog at a distance from the sound. On walks, avoiding the noisy highway for now is a good first step.
If fear routinely presents on walks though, despite avoiding triggers, the best option may be to hold off walks until we find at least some ways to make the dog less fearful.
While we all know the saying “ a tired dog is a happy dog” a stressed/fearful dog is a very unhappy dog as stress/fear has a deep impact on a dog’s emotional and physical well-being to the point of being considered a welfare problem.
By holding off walks, we prevent dogs from rehearsing fearful behaviors and prevent their fears from generalizing further.
Exercise can still be provided through play and training, and the mind can be kept stimulated through environmental enrichment and mental stimulation. Here are some ideas: 17 ways to keep dogs mentally stimulated.
Desensitization and Counterconditioning
Fear and anxiety-related problems in dogs are mainly treated by employing behavior modification techniques based on desensitization and counterconditioning.
- Desensitization entails systematically exposing dogs to low-intensity versions of their fear. For fear of noises, this often starts with recordings of the feared noise played at a low volume.
- Counterconditioning entails creating positive associations with the feared stimulus. These associations often involve pairing the noise with treats, so that the noise becomes the predictor of good things.
A dog may therefore be exposed to a recording of the fear-inducing sound played at a low volume while treats are fed contingent upon hearing the sound. The goal is obtaining what’s known as a positive conditioned emotional response.
You can see some of my case studies using desensitization and counterconditioning in my article on the “hear that method.”
Once the dog does well with the recording played at a low volume, it can be played at a higher volume, before progressing to the real-life exposures starting at a distance and feeding treats to confirm to the dog that the scary sounds predict treats.
Extra care must be taken to prevent exposures that evoke fearful responses. Such evocations lead to setbacks which may undermine the treatment program.
It’s important to point out that recordings may not always work well. Some dogs may respond well to the recording, but may then struggle with the live event. It is also possible that dogs perceive audio and live versions of the same sound as very different and therefore struggle in the generalization process.
In this case, a different approach may be needed. Some dog owners have noticed increased success by moving the speakers of the audio equipment being used so that the sound appears to come from the outside.
In other cases, it may help to work on the visual aspect of the triggers as well, possibly using the visual version of the “hear that method,” which is Leslie McDevitt’s “Look at That” exercise.
Use of Supplements/Medications
Your vet/veterinary behaviorist may suggest the use of calming aids in the form of supplements (L-theanine has been found to be a valid support for behavioral therapy in the presence of noise phobias) or prescription behavioral medications to take the edge off.
Medications come in handy for those cases where dogs are in an excessively fearful state where they are unable to stay under threshold which impacts their ability to overcome their fear.
This can help when the noises are unpredictable or when a dog’s fear has generalized to other sounds and situations, making them difficult to predict and work on.
With the aid of medications, dogs may be better equipped to tolerate sudden noises while we work our best to create positive associations with them (by always carrying high-value foods/treats with us).
Trial after trial, the dog may come to generalize that any sudden noise is followed by treats, which leads to reduced startling and faster recovery responses and a better ability to cope.
Nowadays, there are several medications to help manage and treat noise aversions in dogs. One of them is Sileo, which is FDA-approved for the treatment of canine noise aversion.
Work With a Professional
Seeking professional help for sudden noise aversions in dogs is important. A specialist in dog behavior such as a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) can help rule out medical problems that may be contributing to the problem.
A professional can also provide guidance on recognizing the early signs of stress in dogs so as to prevent the dog from going over threshold and ensuring the correct implementation of a behavior change plan that is customized to meet the specific needs of the dog.
Most of all, working with a professional prevents untreated noise aversions from worsening over time. Early intervention is important to prevent the escalation of the noise aversion, potentially leading to more severe anxiety and additional behavior problems.
Watch Your Emotions!
If you become tense when your dog acts fearful, your tension may travel all the way through the leash. Your dog may detect this and this may confirm in his mind that there is truly a reason to act scared.
It’s important to try to stay as calm as possible and maintain an upbeat mood as dogs look up to us for guidance and reassurance.
Don’t Fall Into the Food Trap
While it may be tempting to use food to lure a dog to walk when frightened, food used this way can prompt dogs to eat the food and then feel trapped, reducing its value over time and getting dogs stuck in approach/avoidance behaviors.
It is best instead to use food to create positive associations (counterconditioning) with low-intensity triggers and to reinforce desired behaviors.
For example, if a dog predictably stalls at a certain part of the walk, it’s best to avoid walking to that point and just do some happy walking for ½ a block, feed treats to reinforce that, and then turn around and go back and repeat the process over several days.
If the dog does well with this, then criteria may be raised by adding a few steps past the ½ block, feeding treats to reinforce that, and then turning around again, repeating this over several days. The main goal is to not push the dog to the point of balking and keep progressing at the dog’s pace.
Can a Fearful Dog Become Aggressive?
Generally, dogs who are fearful of noises or other stimuli on walks, react by attempting to escape and try to go back home or to a safer area. Aggressive behaviors tend to be seen if a fearful dog’s desire to escape is thwarted such as by physically restraining the dog, cornering him or blocking his escape routes.
Trigger stacking is also a phenomenon to be aware of in dogs displaying fear, which takes place when a dog is exposed to too many stressful events one after another.
If your dog becomes fearful of you, this too can evoke aggressive responses, but notice how all these situations share a common denominator: a dog being placed into situations that are too overwhelming, which is something that can be easily avoided by the strategic application of management and behavior modification conducted under the expert guidance of a professional.
The Impact of Noise Aversions and Fear in Dogs
Promptly treating noise aversions in dogs is important. When dogs develop a fear of a particular noise, there are risks that such fear generalizes to other noises.
It is also possible that any other stimuli and events associated with the sound may come to elicit fear. For example, dogs with an established fear of thunderstorms may start fearing other related things such as changes in barometric pressures, rain, lighting and electrostatic disturbances.
With a fear of vehicle noises on walks, there are chances that a dog’s fear may generalize to other surrounding stimuli such as the road, being on leash and even the owner’s presence on some occasions.
Fear may also morph into chronic anxiety and even a phobia, which is a disproportionate, irrational fear response to a specific stimulus or situation.
Generally, the more a dog is exposed to the sources of their fears, the more the behavior exacerbates and becomes more established with each exposure.
Be Patient!
Addressing noise aversions in dogs is important. They should be taken seriously and treated as an illness that requires healing and lots of patience. If the dog is pushed past his level of comfort, this potentially creates setbacks.
Working at the dog’s pace will take time and understanding, but the good news is that patience pays off in the long run and when it does so it offers the biggest dividends.
References
- Lopes Fagundes AL, Hewison L, McPeake KJ, ZulchH and Mills DS (2018) Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Front. Vet. Sci.
- Mills DS, Demontigny-Bédard I, Gruen M, Klinck MP, McPeake KJ, Barcelos AM, Hewison L, Van Haevermaet H, Denenberg S, Hauser H, Koch C, Ballantyne K, Wilson C, Mathkari CV, Pounder J, Garcia E, Darder P, Fatjó J, Levine E. Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs. Animals (Basel). 2020 Feb
- AKC Canine Health Foundation: Noise Phobia in Dogs
- Storengen, LM, Boge SCK, Strøm SJ, Løberg G, Lingaas F. A descriptive study of 215 dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2014
- Overall KL, Dunham AE, Frank D. Frequency of nonspecific clinical signs in dogs with separation anxiety, thunderstorm phobia, and noise phobia, alone or in combination. JAVMA 2001
- Linn Mari Storengen, Frode Lingaas, Noise sensitivity in 17 dog breeds: Prevalence, breed risk and correlation with fear in other situations, Applied Animal Behaviour Science,Volume 171, 2015
- Ballamwar, & Bonde, & Mangle, & Vyavahare, N.. (2008). Noise Phobia in Dog. Veterinary World.
- Ali, Abdul. (2020). Noise, Fears and Phobias in cats and Dogs and Their Treatment
- Mills, Daniel. (2005). Management of noise fears and phobias in pets. In Practice. 27
If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs' behaviors against you or others.
© 2023 Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA, Dip.CBST
