Common Noise Anxieties in Dogs and Ways to Treat Them

Thunder, vacuums, and fireworks are a few noises that dogs get anxious from.

Noise anxieties are common with a lot of dogs. Every dog will probably startle when there is a sudden “bang” they weren’t expecting, but anxious dogs have a harder time. Their reactions to loud noises affect their normal behavior; and depending on their reaction it could be dangerous for the dog. As their owners, it breaks our hearts to see our pets so upset. While this list is not extensive, let’s take a look at some common noise anxieties and remedies.

Thunder Anxiety

For some dog owners, this isn’t an issue – their dogs could care less if a storm was approaching or not.  Owners with dogs that have the anxiety will tell a different story. When storms hit, they may see several reactions:

• pacing
• barking or whining incessantly
• destructive behavior
• run/hide – or worse – out an open door or fence gate
• “clingy” behavior.  

And depending on your personal definition of what is bad, annoying, or dangerous…some of these are worse than others.  Sometimes the trigger can be just a low rumble far away and sometimes they don’t react until it’s closer.

So, what are the causes of thunderstorm anxiety?  And how do you deal with it?  Let’s find out…

Thunder anxiety in dogs

Causes of thunderstorm anxiety are varied, but they all stem from the dog feeling uncomfortable in a situation.  Most of the time, they want to establish some sort of control over this situation, so they try different self-soothing techniques to figure out what will work best for them.  Sometimes the cause is known because you were there to see what triggered it.  For example, you were home when a loud clap of thunder occurred right above your house and scared you and your dog (or a transponder got hit by lightening, making a horrible noise).  Or, a clap of thunder hit and the power surged.  See the pattern?  Cause and effect – in the dog’s mind, thunder caused bad things to happen.  

Sometimes what caused the anxiety is a mystery because you have a rescue dog.  Who knows?  Maybe your dog was roaming the streets and was caught in a bad storm and couldn’t find shelter.  That would stress me out!  Maybe your dog was tortured with loud booming noises like firecrackers when it was young.

Research has recently suggested that dogs can feel the pressure changes and electromagnetic fields of upcoming storms. They can also be picking up on their owner’s cues – especially if an owner is scared of storms too.  The cues may be subtle to you – but to your dog, body language is everything!  So, pay attention the next time you know a storm is heading your way and see if you act any differently.

Vacuum anxiety in dogs

Another big trigger for noise anxiety in dogs is the vacuum. Dogs’ hearing is about 4 times more sensitive than a ours, so let’s put that into a bit more perspective:

• They hear things sooner than we do
• It can be louder to them than us
• They are closer to the source of the sound (a vacuum on the floor)
• The source of the sound moves

Similar to thunder anxiety, reactions for vacuums can vary. Some dogs don’t like the idea of a noisy machine “chasing” them when we push it (or your robot vacuum goes near them), so they attack it to keep it away. Other dogs will simply run/avoid the vacuum when you bring it out. If your dog has a high prey drive, it may chase after it either playfully or in an attempt to catch the “prey”. Whatever the reason, if your dog is biting your vacuum when you’re trying to get some cleaning done, you don’t want to have to keep replacing it.

Fireworks/Gunshot Anxiety

Not all dogs are bred to be hunting/retrieving dogs. Those that aren’t usually show some sort of anxiety when they hear gunshots, fireworks, or a car backfire. Of these options, fireworks is probably the most common, and since fireworks can last longer than the other two. Dogs show much of the same reactions to fireworks as they do thunder, so be on the lookout around major holidays that promote the use of fireworks (mainly July 4 and New Year’s).

Again, the cause of the anxiety can be known or unknown depending on what history you know about your dog. It could have been tormented by a neighbor with fireworks when it was young; their sensitive hearing escalates the sound to them; it’s a sudden noise they aren’t expecting (and it could be recurring).

Products to help relieve a noise anxiety in your dog

So, how do you deal with the anxiety?  There are many new products on the market to help, and you can always work with some behavior modification techniques to help curb the “habit” they have formed in their anxious behavior.

1. Pheromones.  There are several pheromone-releasing products out now that release calming pheromones into the air to help calm your dog naturally. I have seen everything from collars to wall plug-ins. Do your research and find what will work best for you and your situation. For example: don’t use a wall plug-in if you have a large space you’re going to put it in – the scent will disperse too much and it will not be as effective.
2. All-Natural Pill remedies. Several products on the market now provide help with anxiety. But every dog is different (just like we are) so what may work with one dog may not work with yours. You may have to try samples to find out what will work best.
3. Anxiety wraps and blankets. I have heard some of these work great with some dogs, and I have heard they didn’t work at all for others. The idea is that your dog feels the pressure of the wrap and that is soothing/calming to them. Most stores will let you fit your dog before you buy, so make sure you have a proper fit to get the best results. If you buy it online, make sure they have a good return policy in case it doesn’t work or you end up with the wrong size.

But, these products just focus on putting a “band-aid” on the problem, and don’t look at fixing the underlying cause.

Behavior modifications to help relieve noise anxiety in dogs

With some behavior modifications, you can try to stop the anxiety from happening in the first place. Even better – use these along with one of the products above to help get quicker results!

The idea behind all of these behavior modifications is to make the storm positive so they aren’t anxious about it.

1. Try a toy distraction. Get a toy they really love – and will only see when loud noises will occur. First get them to engage with the toy when there is no “stresser” (thunder, for example) to make sure they will play with it. Then, once they are in love with it, withhold the toy until you know a storm will be near. Give them the toy right before they start to show their signs of anxiety (and you as the owner will know what these are). For example: if you know they will start pacing as soon as they hear thunder, watch your weather app and give it to them a couple of minutes before the storm is supposed to get to you. If you miss your “window” here, you can try to give them the toy as soon as they start getting anxious to distract them, but you want to be careful you’re not rewarding the anxious behavior.
2. Clothes/items that smell like you. Sometimes, they just want to be clingy and sense your presence.  If this is your dog and having them that close to you all the time is aggravating, give them an old shirt out of the laundry or a stuffed animal you have stashed in the laundry basket to calm them down.
3. Desensitize them. Get a CD, playlist, or app and start playing it at low volumes. Play fetch with your dog, give them a puzzle toy, or click/treat good behavior to start associating storms with something fun. Over the course of several days or weeks (depending on how quick your dog picks this up), start increasing the volume gradually, until it is at a reasonable level and the dog doesn’t seem to be anxious anymore.
4. Obedience. Yes, this can actually help too. By knowing you are in charge and a trusted pack leader, it releases your dog from the pressure of needing to control the situation…the dog no longer has to, because you (as the pack leader) will control it!

We know it can be hard to deal with a noise anxiety, but please have some patience with your dog.  Just like the anxiety didn’t “occur” overnight, it won’t get “fixed” overnight.  But, with some training and help, your dog will be better!

Related: Tips for the 4th of July

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