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How to help your dog overcome fear of
thunderstorms, fireworks and other noises
Did you know that each
summer hundreds of dogs end up in animal shelters and vet clinics after
having escaped or injured themselves during a thunderstorm?
Did you know that due to the number of dogs that have attempted to run away
from the fearful sound of fireworks New Year's Day and Australia Day are the
busiest days of the year for shelters?
This information sheet is aimed to provide some helpful advice to people
that own dogs that react fearfully to thunderstorms, fireworks and other
noises. The good news is that there are things that you can do to reduce
your dogs fearful reaction to these noises. If left untreated, however,
your dogs fearful behaviour will probably get worse.
Understand why your dog is fearful
The most common canine noise related problem is thunderstorm phobia. Fear of
other noises can accompany thunderstorm phobias, such as fear of fireworks,
hot air balloons, lawn mowers, nail guns and a range of other noises. A dog
that is fearful of noises can display a number of symptoms including
destructive behaviour (especially directed at entry and exit points),
salivation, toileting, pacing, excess activity, trembling, vocalising,
escaping, self injury and depression.
When dogs become frightened they will try to reduce their fear by either
trying to escape the noise or by becoming more active as an outlet for their
anxiety, often resulting in destructive behaviour. A dog at large and
destructive behaviours increase the risk of injury to the dog.
Your dog may also associate other things in the environment with these
frightening noises. For example, many
 dogs that
are afraid of thunder may also become afraid of dark clouds, wind and the
flashes of light that often occur before thunder.
Sometimes the fear of these noises is associated with a traumatic event. For
example, a dog that is generally fine in storms may develop a fear if a tree
branch falls in a storm and injures it. This type of fear is more responsive
to treatment than those associated with a history of a gradually increasing
fear response.
Although most fear responses in dogs are learned, some dogs may be fearful
of thunderstorms and fireworks the very first time they hear them. Because
these fears are unlearned, they may not respond to standard treatment
efforts.
What Not To Do
Do not punish your dog for being afraid. Punishment will only make her more
fearful
Do not try to force your dog to endure or be close to something that
frightens them
Merely trying to prevent your dog from escaping or destroying things will
not properly address the problem.
Attending to the symptoms of the
anxiety, rather than the anxiety itself can result in your dog increasing
the
intensity of its response or find
another way to show their fears whether by digging, climbing, jumping,
chewing, barking or howling.
All of these techniques will not work at decreasing your dogs fear.
What you can do
Distract your dog
This method works best if your dog is showing subtle signs of anxiety or
before the dog has become really
anxious.
Encourage your dog to play a game or engage in activity that is going to
take their mind off the thunderstorm.
Chews or toys like Kongs, BusterCubes,
Treatballs or Aussie Dog products can be helpful.
As the noise builds you may find that you can no longer hold their
attention. Stop at this point.
If this technique is used frequently, you may find that it will work at
delaying your dogs response to the
thunder for longer periods each time.
 Create
a safe and predictable environment
Create a place that your dog can go when they hear noises that
frighten them.
If they attempt to get inside when they are scared, consider installing
a dog door.
If they hide under a table, give them access to that table.
Pay attention to where they go, or try to go, when they are frightened
and provide them access to that
place.
They should be allowed to come and go freely from this location,
confining them in this area can cause
further problems.
This may not be suitable for some dogs, as they would prefer to move and be
active when they are
frightened.
Behaviour Modification
By desensitising or counter-conditioning your dog to the sounds of the
thunderstorm you may, in time,
reduce your dogs fearful response to
noises that had previously frightened them.
This technique involves gradually exposing your dog to the frightful
stimulus.
You need to begin at a level that does not frighten your dog and pair it
with something
pleasant like a treat or game.
Gradually increase the volume of the noise as you continue to offer
something pleasant.
You are aiming to associate good things with something that your dog
previously feared.
If not done correctly, this method will not be successful and can make the
problem worse.
Recommended Training Resource : Dr Cam Days Frightful Noises CD
(available at RSPCA Veterinary
Clinic)
Prevent rehearsal of the unwanted behaviour
One of the critical steps in treating any behavioural
problem is to prevent the animal from
exhibiting the
unwanted behaviour. Repeated exposure
to something
that your dog finds stressful means
that your dog
will have a memory of how bad it felt
when it last
occurred. As a result your dog will
be likely to be more
upset, more quickly, next time the
stressful event
occurs.
Whilst it may be manageable to avoid the triggers for
many of the behavioural problems
dogs exhibit, it is
very difficult to avoid thunderstorms
and fireworks. For
this reason, medication is often warranted.
Consult your veterinarian
If attempts to redirect or relax your dog are not successful then the use of
medications should be explored.
Your veterinarian is the only qualified and authorised person to prescribe
medication for your dog.
It is important to consider your dogs welfare in these circumstances. It is
better for your dog to be drowsy
and safe, if the alternative is that
it is very fearful and could potentially hurt themselves.
You will generally need to combine several suggestions for the best outcome
for your dog. With patience and understanding many dogs can learn to cope
more effectively with those sounds that can seem so very scary. If you are
unable to achieve success with these techniques, you should consult your
veterinarian, your local RSPCA shelter or a Veterinary Behaviourist for
further advice.
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