Do Loud Noises Scare Your Dog?

Is your dog afraid of loud noises?

Many dogs are. You can not really blame them…they do not know that the noises will not hurt them. All they know is that the sounds seem to come from nowhere, and that they are very scary. Some dogs are so frightened by these sounds that they even have seizures. Loud noises are one of the top phobias that dogs experience. Some dogs will exhibit signs of fear that can include pacing, panting, trembling, salivating, trying to escape and/or barking. Many dogs will actually injure themselves when trying to escape.

What can you do to help keep your dog calm when there are loud noises around?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Consider not putting your dog in noisy situations. Make sure that your dog will be calm at home, or take them to a friend’s house where it will be quiet. Keep your dog confined in a comfortable location if possible.

2. Do not try too hard to reassure your dog during a fearful event with petting, soothing words, or extra attention. This can sometimes exacerbate the problem by reinforcing your dog's fearful response.

3. Some dogs are very sensitive to people's moods and may be influenced by the way that you react to the noise. It is best to act happy and upbeat or to redirect your dog's attention to some absorbing activity.

4. If you must leave your dog at home when there will be loud noises, consider what would make your dog most comfortable. Bring your dog indoors. Would he feel safest in a crate? Try turning on a fan or air conditioner as "white noise". Make sure you provide a comfortable hiding place or "safe place" for your dog in case he is scared.

5. Pet anxiety studies have shown that music can have a calming effect on a stressed out pet. Classical music can be relaxing or look for CD's that are specifically designed for calming pets such as Music My Pet.



So, the best way to deal with this issue is to be prepared. Before the noises begin, anticipate your dog's reaction to them. Whenever possible try to avoid exposing your dog to noisy situations. If this is not possible (such as with thunderstorms), do everything that you can to make your dog feel more comfortable and secure. Talk to your dog in a light, cheerful tone that sends a comforting message that the noise is no big deal. Encourage your dog to find a quiet restful place to wait out the noise.

Stress in Dogs?

April is National Stress Awareness Month.

Do you have stress in your life?

Do dogs get stressed out, too?

YES! Stress affects pets just as it affects humans, although they do not always show it in the same ways.


For example, some pets are just naturally more stressed out than others - their lives are faster-paced or filled with more stressful things. Different pets have different stress levels and, like us, they all handle stress in different ways.

Dogs are like that, too.

Some dogs are just innately "wound up" and very vulnerable to stress. Others are hard to rattle and remain calm and collected throughout almost anything.

One thing to note is that some dogs are very in tune with their people. These dogs pick up on the stress levels of the humans around them and in turn feel that stress. So if you have one of these kinds of dogs, your stress from a bad day might affect your dog as well.

How can we help our pets "de-stress"?

Some pet owners feel guilty about leaving their dog home alone, so they leave the TV or radio on to reduce stress and keep the dog company. For a long time it was thought that this would help keep the animals from getting stressed out. But studies show that this actually does more harm than good! Leaving the TV or radio on will certainly create "noise," but it will not necessarily create a relaxed environment for your dog. In fact, TV and radio can actually CREATE stress for our pets due to the drastic changes in programming content, volume level and the random mix of musical styles.

Interestingly, research shows that some music can actually soothe pets (similar to music soothes people). Studies prove that music helps relax our pets and researchers have even pinpointed some very specific characteristics in the music that work best.

Dogs seem to react best to classical music. Dogs will actually bark less - especially when they listen to the music of Bach. Classical harp music has been shown to help alleviate stress in cats, dogs, chimpanzees and other animals.

In recent pet anxiety studies, house pets responded favorably to classical music under stress-inducing situations, often slipping into a very serene and peaceful state of mind after only a few minutes of listening. Certain instruments and sounds were more effective than others. But for the music to actually calm our pets, it must create a consistently smooth, soothing dynamic from start to finish. That means there should be no abrupt changes in tempo, volume or rhythm.

A few years back I blogged about a music CD especially for dogs. Learn more........

Music For Your Pet This Holiday

Reduce holiday stress in your home.

A CD to play when your pets are home alone – or anytime they need to relax.

Tom Nazziola from Disney’s Baby Einstein, the highly acclaimed children’s music series, has created another CD for pets. Celebrate the holidays with his new Holiday Treats CD. This beautiful collection of holiday music was created using the same proven pet relaxation techniques that he used in his Music My Pet CD.

Specifically designed as a relaxation tool for pets, the Music My Pet CD follows the findings of recent pet anxiety studies to create beautiful music that soothes dogs, cats and other household pets. It uses only those core musical elements that were proven to have a calming effect on pets. Music My Pet has gotten rave reviews from pet industry experts and many satisfied pet owners.

Holiday Treats exquisite music will fill your home and your heart with a warm, magical holiday feeling of pure delight. Its calm, soothing dynamic will help calm your stressed-out pets (and you!).

So grab a cup of hot cocoa, curl up with your pet and relax to the soothing seasonal melodies you know and love.