Sound Sensitivity, Fears & Phobias

If you're here, it's because your dog has veterinarian diagnosed noise phobia, or we are being proactive about your dog's sound sensitivity so it reduces the likelihood of it generalizing to full blown phobia.

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This problem is one that is very challenging. There is research that indicates that almost all fear of sounds generalize (gets worse). We will be following recommendations from the scientific community including veterinary behaviorists as we move towards helping your dog feel better. 

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What we need from you:

• We need you to follow this program and do the things we ask you to do. This problem will take effort on both our parts because there is not an easy fix for this. We are committed to helping your dog feel better, and we will work diligently together to make progress over time. 

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What you will get from us:

• We will work closely with your veterinarian and keep them in the loop. They are a very important part to success.

• We will not ask you do anything that is not based in science or anything that intentionally causes your dog fear, anxiety or stress.

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​Let's get started! 

This is the punch list for you:

• Please complete this Dig In form.  This form will take a broad look at sounds that are concerning for you dog. ​

• Please complete the Lincoln Sound Sensitivity Scale. We will use this to benchmark your dog's core sound concern. Do this form with the primary concern in mind. If your dog is sensitive to storms, fill this out in the context of storms.

• Read this flipbook. Wait a couple of days then read it again. This has a lot of detail, so it takes a couple of reads for the information to sink in. 

• Read this Article "Fear of Strange and Lous Noises" -- we highlighted some key points.

• Read this section of this veterinary textbook. We don't usually ask families to read textbooks, but this problem is serious, so we want you to have the most current information possible. 

• See your veterinarian.  We want to make sure that your dog is on the right medications. Here is a sample letter you can take to your veterinarian if you'd like. 

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Shopping List

Let's take a break from reading and get some stuff to be prepared for our work together. Here's the shopping list:

• Box fan with variable speed: We will use this in set up and conditioning of our safe space.​

• Mutt muffs: We will be conditioning these ahead of time to be able to use them if needed. If you feel like these are too expensive or you think your dog will have difficulty with them, the other option is a Happy Hoodie. If you choose the happy hoodie, please purchase the brand linked here. The copycat brands are not as good as the original.

• Thundershirt: We will condition this as well. Where we find that these products don't work is when families don't precondition them to associate them with the happy calm place. If this part isn't done, the products are unlikely to work.

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Medical Questions

There are a few big medical contributors to behavior concerns. The big ones are pain, gastrointestinal distress, and allergies. If you think your dog may have pain or are just curious if pain may be a contributor, check this out.  If your dog burps frequently, or has a lot of flatulence, tell your vet. If you are curious if your dog's poop is good, check this out. 

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The Plans

• We will be conditioning a safe space for your dog in your home and we will be practicing it like crazy. Ideally, I would like to have medicine started before we start!

• We will be doing sound desensitization work. I will show this to you in person. The way we do this is critically important so we don't make the problems worse. We definitely want medicine on board for this one. 

• We will be conditioning the mutt muffs and thunder shirt. We can start this before meds are on board.