Do you have a dog that suffers from noise anxiety or noise phobia?
It is estimated that approximately 20-30% of all dogs suffer from or develop noise anxiety and noise phobia throughout their lives.
Studies indicate that there are several factors at play when we talk about fear of noise.
Fear is something most species are born with as it helps ensure the individual's survival, fear of loud noises is one of them.
It makes sense because they have to react when there is a sound and be aware of whether they might be in danger.
Normally, there are many sounds in everyday life that we or our pets do not react to because they have become accustomed to them through habituation.
For example, a Copenhagener does not notice the city noise as much as someone from the countryside, but when the person from the countryside has lived in Copenhagen for a while, the person will no longer hear the noise; he or she has become accustomed to the noise.
The same learning also applies to our animals. However, if the individual develops stress and fear to the noise, then they become overexposed daily (called flooding) and can develop anxiety and/or phobia.
Fear is therefore an instinct but on the other hand also temporary and usually disappears again when the danger is gone. Anxiety is not a temporary feeling and the individual finds himself in a continuous feeling of fear, this condition is destructive to the individual's quality of life. It may be the dog that does not want to go for walks due to fear that noises may occur. This means that the fear spreads to non-specific situations.
Phobia is a severe overreaction of the fear response to specific situations, such as a phobia of the vet or being left alone at home. The line between fear and anxiety is fluid, and in both cases the physical symptoms can be similar.
For many dogs, and dog owners, we are now facing a fearful time, New Year's Eve!
But the good news is that up to 90% of dogs with fear and anxiety can be helped.
Good tips for what you can do in situations of sound anxiety right now
1. Arrange the environment for your dog
The best thing you can do in situations where your dog becomes stressed and shows fear is to adapt and arrange the environment.
Think of yourself as a designer, whether it's in clothing or decorating a room or a garden. Whatever it is, you are a designer to create something for others to enjoy. Think of yourself as a dog's environmental designer, creating an environment where your dog can remain calm and safe, as much as possible, while thunder and fireworks are roaring outside.
Make sure
2. Shelter
Use the dog's favorite place (under the bed, inside the closet, out in the bathroom) and make a den around it.
3. Well-known scents
Feel free to use something that smells like you (your duvet, pillow, blanket, clothes or shoes).
4. Shielding
Roll down curtains and blinds, blocking out view and sound as much as possible.
Tip!
Earmuffs for dogs can help block out the dangerous sound. There are some on the market called Mutt Muffs that are specifically made for dogs and keep out all sounds. However, you must be prepared to train your dog to wear the MM beforehand so that your dog does not see them the first time when he is scared and frightened.
5. Spending time with you or someone else your dog has a close, trusting relationship with
Never leave a dog that is scared! even if it is New Year's Eve or you have another appointment. Your dog should be the focus and needs you and your presence.
6. Soothing music
Many people have a good effect from calming music, such as "Throug a dogs ear", which is specifically developed for the dog's sense of hearing. Read more at www.icalmpet.com where you can also hear various music samples.
You can also find calming music on YouTube that you can try out.
Tip! As with Mutt Muffs, it's a good idea to associate the music with a relaxed and happy dog beforehand so that the result has a strong positive effect.
If your dog is very anxious on New Year's Eve and you live in an environment where there are a lot of fireworks, it would be a good idea for your dog if you could borrow or rent a secluded summer house.
This will be extra good for your future training to make your dog indifferent to the previously frightening sounds.
7. Derivation
King with delicious filling, activity toys, playing with familiar and beloved toys or other forms of nose work such as NoseWork and searching exercises inside.
You've probably tried many things to reduce your dog's anxiety before.
Some have helped a lot, some a little and some things have had no effect on your dog.
We rarely find one thing that makes all the difference, in fact it is the combination of different techniques that has been shown to have the very best effect (Crowell-Davis et al. 2003).
So even if your neighbor has tried a certain product and it has had no effect, it does not mean that it will not work on your dog when combined with other products, techniques and measures.
In this mini-guide, Betina will discuss several measures that are important players in this combination of techniques.
In the upcoming part, you can look forward to reading more about counter-conditioned training for sound anxiety.
This guide is made by
Betina Sabinsky, professional behaviorist & animal instructor.
In her everyday life, she runs DogWise and has been helping dogs and their owners with behavioral therapy, counseling, and training for the past 15 years.
Betina is a BAT expert and also regularly gives a number of popular lectures on noise anxiety, home alone, BAT, etc.
Mini guide part 1 - Dog's noise anxiety
Do you have a dog that suffers from noise anxiety or noise phobia?
It is estimated that approximately 20-30% of all dogs suffer from or develop noise anxiety and noise phobia throughout their lives.
Studies indicate that there are several factors at play when we talk about fear of noise.
Fear is something most species are born with as it helps ensure the individual's survival, fear of loud noises is one of them.
It makes sense because they have to react when there is a sound and be aware of whether they might be in danger.
Normally, there are many sounds in everyday life that we or our pets do not react to because they have become accustomed to them through habituation.
For example, a Copenhagener does not notice the city noise as much as someone from the countryside, but when the person from the countryside has lived in Copenhagen for a while, the person will no longer hear the noise; he or she has become accustomed to the noise.
The same learning also applies to our animals. However, if the individual develops stress and fear to the noise, then they become overexposed daily (called flooding) and can develop anxiety and/or phobia.
Fear is therefore an instinct but on the other hand also temporary and usually disappears again when the danger is gone. Anxiety is not a temporary feeling and the individual finds himself in a continuous feeling of fear, this condition is destructive to the individual's quality of life. It may be the dog that does not want to go for walks due to fear that noises may occur. This means that the fear spreads to non-specific situations.
Phobia is a severe overreaction of the fear response to specific situations, such as a phobia of the vet or being left alone at home. The line between fear and anxiety is fluid, and in both cases the physical symptoms can be similar.
For many dogs, and dog owners, we are now facing a fearful time, New Year's Eve!
But the good news is that up to 90% of dogs with fear and anxiety can be helped.
Good tips for what you can do in situations of sound anxiety right now
1. Arrange the environment for your dog
The best thing you can do in situations where your dog becomes stressed and shows fear is to adapt and arrange the environment.
Think of yourself as a designer, whether it's in clothing or decorating a room or a garden. Whatever it is, you are a designer to create something for others to enjoy. Think of yourself as a dog's environmental designer, creating an environment where your dog can remain calm and safe, as much as possible, while thunder and fireworks are roaring outside.
Make sure
2. Shelter
Use the dog's favorite place (under the bed, inside the closet, out in the bathroom) and make a den around it.
3. Well-known scents
Feel free to use something that smells like you (your duvet, pillow, blanket, clothes or shoes).
4. Shielding
Roll down curtains and blinds, blocking out view and sound as much as possible.
Tip!
Earmuffs for dogs can help block out the dangerous sound. There are some on the market called Mutt Muffs that are specifically made for dogs and keep out all sounds. However, you must be prepared to train your dog to wear the MM beforehand so that your dog does not see them the first time when he is scared and frightened.
5. Spending time with you or someone else your dog has a close, trusting relationship with
Never leave a dog that is scared! even if it is New Year's Eve or you have another appointment. Your dog should be the focus and needs you and your presence.
6. Soothing music
Many people have a good effect from calming music, such as "Throug a dogs ear", which is specifically developed for the dog's sense of hearing. Read more at www.icalmpet.com where you can also hear various music samples.
You can also find calming music on YouTube that you can try out.
Tip! As with Mutt Muffs, it's a good idea to associate the music with a relaxed and happy dog beforehand so that the result has a strong positive effect.
If your dog is very anxious on New Year's Eve and you live in an environment where there are a lot of fireworks, it would be a good idea for your dog if you could borrow or rent a secluded summer house.
This will be extra good for your future training to make your dog indifferent to the previously frightening sounds.
7. Derivation
King with delicious filling, activity toys, playing with familiar and beloved toys or other forms of nose work such as NoseWork and searching exercises inside.
You've probably tried many things to reduce your dog's anxiety before.
Some have helped a lot, some a little and some things have had no effect on your dog.
We rarely find one thing that makes all the difference, in fact it is the combination of different techniques that has been shown to have the very best effect (Crowell-Davis et al. 2003).
So even if your neighbor has tried a certain product and it has had no effect, it does not mean that it will not work on your dog when combined with other products, techniques and measures.
In this mini-guide, Betina will discuss several measures that are important players in this combination of techniques.
In the upcoming part, you can look forward to reading more about counter-conditioned training for sound anxiety.
This guide is made by
Betina Sabinsky, professional behaviorist & animal instructor.
In her everyday life, she runs DogWise and has been helping dogs and their owners with behavioral therapy, counseling, and training for the past 15 years.
Betina is a BAT expert and also regularly gives a number of popular lectures on noise anxiety, home alone, BAT, etc.