How to help your dog manage anxiety to noises

If you’re anything like me, you love spending July 4th with friends and family. Every year, we would go to a picnic and then spend our evenings at the Taste of Minnesota in St. Paul, eat way too many ears of corn, and watch the fireworks. I have always loved fireworks. But for many dogs, fireworks terrify them. The loud noises can be scary for many of our canine companions. Thunderstorms can also scare our pets.

Lance was terrified of loud noises and summertime, especially around the 4th of July, became a big trigger for him. Fireworks don’t only happen one night where I live. Between different towns around setting off fireworks on different nights and people in the neighborhood having their own celebrations, we often have a week of random fireworks going off at different nights during the week.

Here are some ways to help your pet deal with fear of noises:

1: Contact your vet.

Sometimes a fear of noises in your pets can be a symptom of something going on with your pet physically. An exam can rule out any health issues that may be causing your pet’s noise phobia. Once they examine your pet and rule out anything physical, they can offer you solutions to help your pet. Some of these solutions could be to use a medication during the event, supplements, and ways to help manage your pet while the fireworks are happening. Sileo is a newer oral medication specifically meant to help dogs with sensitivity to noises.

Because we already had an established relationship with a veterinary behaviorist, we were able to come up with a plan to help Lance. In our case, when we knew there was going to be fireworks going on or a thunderstorm was predicted, we would give Lance medication to help him relax during the event. I’ll talk about some of the other ways we would help him throughout the post.

2: Set up a safe place for your pet.

Is there a quiet spot in your home your pet can safely go to when the fireworks take place? It could be a bedroom, a closet, a crate wrapped in blankets, anywhere the outside noise can be lessened and make your pet feel safe. Look at ways your could soundproof the safe space.

In our home, if Lance wasn’t cuddled with one of us, his safe spot was under our dining room table. He would go under there during a storm or fireworks if things became scary for him. We would have one of his beds under there and would play his calming music to help drown out the outside noises. We would also pet him to comfort him.

For some pets, using an Adaptil spray or diffuser can be helpful to calm your pet. This would also be a good time to give your pet something to do to help distract them. A new puzzle game or toy could distract your dog. Letting your dog chew on a yak treat or some other long lasting pet safe chew could be beneficial to allowing your dog to calm themselves during this stressful event. A white noise machine, calming music, or turning up the tv a bit can also be ways to lessen the outside noise for your pet.

Another possibility would be to use a Thundershirt. For some pets it can help to calm them.

3: Gradually desensitize your pet to noises:

Desensitizing your pet to fireworks/thunder involves playing a recording of the noise at a low volume while proving positive activities for your pet while they are hearing the noise. This could involve treats, pets, or playing a game they may like. Start slow and work at your pet’s comfort level. Keep these initial sessions short and work up to a longer time. When your dog becomes comfortable with the volume the noise is being played at, turn up the volume a notch. You do not want to overwhelm your pet. And if you see your pet is getting stressed, stop the music and praise them for what they were able to accomplish. Keep working at it and keep praising your pet for what they can do.

After one of the times Lance got freaked out by fireworks, he refused to go outside at night. He got to the garage door and would go no further. We worked for several weeks to get him to go out at night. We would start by throwing a treat a couple of feet away from the garage and he would get it and then go back into the garage. We praised him for being such a brave boy. Then we would throw out another treat a little further away, working at Lance’s comfort level. There were many set backs along the way, a random noise or firecracker would send him running back home. But after a lot of work with Lance, he would go out at night again.

While your pet may never fully lose their fear of noises, talking with your vet and come up with ways to manage their fears, desensitizing your pet to noises, and helping your pet feel safe during a noise event, we can help our pets feel more secure and help them cope during these stressful events.