Many dogs experience fear or anxiety when they hear certain sounds, like thunderstorms, fireworks, or even everyday noises. In fact, 67% of dogs exhibit at least one sign of noise aversion.1 This can affect their happiness and overall quality of life. Noise aversion is a real condition that can cause stress and lead to unwanted behaviors. In this article, you’ll learn how to calm a scared dog, recognize signs of noise aversion, and find solutions that help your pet feel safe and comfortable.
Signs of Noise Aversion in Dogs2
Watch for these signs if you think your dog is scared of noises:
- Pacing or restlessness
- Lip licking
- Trembling or shaking
- Panting
- Excessive alertness or hypervigilance
- Cowering
- Hiding
- Brow furrowed or ears back
- Freezing or immobility
- Owner seeking behavior or excessive clinginess
- Refusing to eat
- Yawning
- Vocalizing (whining or barking at the sounds)
- Escape behaviors
You may not recognize these behaviors as signs that your dog is frightened by the noise, so use this noise aversion checklist to see if your dog suffers from noise aversion. Take it to your veterinarian so that your dog can be diagnosed and start to receive treatment.
How To Calm A Scared Dog: Tips For Owners
- Mask the noise. Play soft style music, such as classical, audiobooks, or white noise to help muffle the triggering noise. Set the volume loud enough that it can drown out the noise but not so loud that you frighten your dog even more.
- Set up a safe space. Encourage your dog to go to an area such as a basement, closet, or bathroom, where the noise is not as loud. These areas can be safe havens for your dog; once the noise begins, your dog can retreat to this area and feel relatively safe. By feeding your dog treats or putting their favorite toys in the designated safe haven in between noise events, you can get your dog accustomed to going to these areas.
- Be present. Your presence is comforting to your dog.
- Act normal. Rather than paying attention to the noise, play with your dog, read a book or watch TV. Try not to get worked up or anxious yourself, as your dog can sense and feed off of your anxiety.
- Distract them. You can try to distract them from the noise by feeding them, having them work on a puzzle toy, giving them treats, or working on training.
If your dog typically gets scared during certain noise events (such as thunder or fireworks), you can proactively begin counterconditioning and desensitization training to help them get more comfortable and accepting of the sounds. Ask your veterinarian for help with implementing these techniques.
These recommendations will help you and your dog cope better during the noise event. But since noise aversion is itself a medical condition, your veterinarian, may also recommend medications to treat your dog’s noise aversion.
When To Seek Veterinary Help
Noise aversion is a medical condition that won’t go away on its own. If your dog’s signs are severe, or if home strategies aren’t working, talk to your veterinarian. They can recommend behavior modification, environmental changes, and sometimes medication. Medication can be one of the most humane and effective ways to improve your dog’s quality of life. Your vet will help you decide what’s best for your pet.
Don’t wait to get help — dogs do not outgrow noise aversion, and untreated cases can get worse or lead to more problems.
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Do not use Sileo in dogs with severe cardiovascular disease, respiratory, liver or kidney diseases, or in conditions of shock, severe debilitation, or stress due to extreme heat, cold or fatigue or in dogs hypersensitive to dexmedetomidine or to any of the excipients. Sileo should not be administered in the presence of preexisting hypotension, hypoxia, or bradycardia. Do not use in dogs sedated from previous dosing. Sileo has not been evaluated in dogs younger than 16 weeks of age or in dogs with dental or gingival disease that could have an effect on the absorption of Sileo. Sileo has not been evaluated for use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs or for aversion behaviors to thunderstorms. Transient pale mucous membranes at the site of application may occur with Sileo use. Other uncommon adverse reactions included emesis, drowsiness or sedation. Handlers should avoid direct exposure of Sileo to their skin, eyes or mouth. Always review INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE before dispensing and dosing. See Prescribing Information.
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- The Harris Poll: Custom Motion Sickness and Noise Aversion Omnibus Pet Owner Quantitative Research Report, December 2018.
- Zoetis: Foster Rosenblatt Noise Aversion Research; February 5th, 2016.
