How to Detect and Treat Noise Anxiety in Dogs

Surely, you’ve seen at least once how scared your dog gets at NYE during the fireworks show. And you’ve probably deduced that loud noises scare dogs so much so that they choose to hide under the bed until the noises go away. But many dogs aren’t just scared of the noise. Some are struggling with noise anxiety.

Young kids also struggle with noise anxiety. The advantage is that you can always try to explain what’s wrong and comfort them in the process. But you won’t be able to explain to a dog why the noises are so loud, and why they shouldn’t be scared.

When it comes to noise anxiety, the less extreme cases manifest in displays of fear, like your dog running and trying to hide from the noise. These dogs might shake, pace, pant, and hide. Their eyes can get wide, and their ears can get pushed back. In more severe cases, they might refuse to move, whine, have potty accidents, engage in destructive behaviors, and try to escape from the house.

Storms, fireworks, loud sounds from people, the TV, or the radio, fire alarms, sirens, traffic, and many others can trigger noise anxiety. Specialists agree that you shouldn’t cuddle, pet, or otherwise try to console dogs when they are anxious, as this might make things worse. The best way to treat these symptoms is by reducing exposure to triggers. If you need to, change their environment. Sometimes pressure wraps can help. But if this behavior becomes unbearable, you need to contact a vet.