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.

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.

A Balanced Life

Just like humans, animals need a certain "balance" in their lives. Again, just like us, pets can become easily stressed.

Our pets exhibit stress in various ways ... some are easy to see, while others can be a bit challenging to recognize. One way that you can help alleviate undue stress for your pets is to balance the play and relaxation in their lives.

Studies have shown that playing relaxing music for your pet can help decrease stress behaviors, especially when it is played following stressful situations.

According to Webster's Dictionary, "stress" is a constraining force or influence of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. When you think about stress, it is important to remember that not all stress is considered "bad".

To help bring balance back to your pet's life, you can play relaxing music after you have finished a fun-filled play session. It will help bring your pet's heart rate back to a normal rhythm and alleviate tension in the body, just like it does for us.

Studies in shelters have shown that music helps relieve stress in dogs. In shelters, relaxing music was played after feeding and walking times. These are very exciting times in a shelter ... and you routinely see dogs jumping up and down, barking and getting very excited. When relaxing music was played after the tasks were completed, it was common to see the dogs sit down, relax and even curl up for a nap. This new routine has now been implemented within shelters across the nation.

A great music CD that can help soothe your pet's mood is the Music My Pet CD. It was specifically designed to calm pets, based on the results of those recent pet anxiety studies. The music on this CD uses only those sounds and instruments that were proven to relax pets. After playing with your pet you can turn on this great CD and both of you can relax. This CD is also quite helpful to calm pets during stressful situations, like when they are left home alone or during thunderstorms.


So remember, the less stress for you and your pet, the happier you both will be.

Music for Dogs?

Recently, I discovered a new music CD called Music My Pet. It was developed for the specific purpose of calming our pets and the science behind it is very sound. It re-orchestrates classical pieces by popular composers like Bach, Beethoven and Brahms using the instruments, sounds and musical dynamics proven to calm dogs, cats and other household pets.

To be an effective relaxation tool, it is said that music must have a consistently smooth, soothing dynamic from start to finish with no abrupt changes in tempo, volume or rhythm. Radio broadcasts or most "off-the-shelf" classical music CDs are not the same and do not have the same affect.

The musical genius behind this pet-friendly relaxation CD is Tom Nazziola, the award-winning musician who was the principal performer on Disney's acclaimed Baby Einstein children's CDs and DVDs.