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Fear of Thunder and Other Loud Noises
Myth: Dogs eventually outgrow fear of thunderstorms or other loud noises.
Daisy is a 4-year-old Dalmatian-German shepherd mixed breed that is afraid of thunderstorms. Her fear has gotten progressively worse. At first, she simply shook when it thundered, but now she hides either in the bathtub or in a corner of a closet. If her owners are not home, she reacts more frantically and tries to escape from the house, desperately digging at the door, windows, or floor until her paws bleed. Her owners have tried tranquilizers, but they only help if she is so sedated that she has difficulty walking, and even then she seems afraid. Her owners have begun racing home if it looks like rain because they are afraid she will either injure herself or damage their house.
Phobias
Phobias are intense fear responses that are out of proportion to the real threat of the situation. Fear of thunderstorms is common, and in areas where thunderstorms occur frequently, dogs experience many traumatic episodes yearly. This fear generally gets progressively worse. Usually, there is no clue as to what started the thunderstorm phobia. Perhaps some dogs are biologically predisposed to developing such fears at a certain age, or events of which the owner is not aware may have led to the fear response. Although it is valuable to know the original cause of a particular phobia, fortunately this information is usually not necessary to treat it. Many of the same behavior modification techniques that are used to treat fears and phobias in people can be used in dogs as well. Two very important concepts to remember are that (1) a dog's fearful reaction is proportionate to how similar a stimulus is to the original frightening situation and (2) the fear response is also proportionate to the intensity of the stimulus - in this case, loudness.
Treatment of Fears
The treatment of fears, phobias, and anxieties is based on identifying and manipulating the fear-producing stimulus so that the animal eventually perceives it without experiencing fear. Only by experiencing the fearful stimulus in a nonanxious state can the animal learn or "realize" that the stimulus is not actually harmful.
 Desensitization
Exposing an animal to a fearful stimulus without evoking fear should be done very gradually. Desensitization occurs when the stimulus is presented at such a low intensity that it does not evoke fear. Gradually, without ever evoking fear, the intensity of the stimulus is increased until the dog accommodates the complete, intense stimulus.
Although gradually exposing a dog to a real thunderstorm is impossible, most of the time it is possible to find a controllable stimulus, such as a high-quality stereo recording of a thunderstorm, that is similar enough to a real thunderstorm to use in desensitization procedures.
Counterconditioning
Counterconditioning is a behavior modification technique that is usually performed in conjunction with desensitization procedures. It is usually used to facilitate the elimination of a fear response. Counterconditioning is a process whereby an individual is conditioned to respond to a stimulus with an emotion or behavior that is incompatible with an undesirable emotion or behavior. For example, a dog afraid of thunder or other noises is gradually exposed to these sounds while experiencing pleasant sensations, such as petting or delicious tidbits. Treatment of Noise Phobias in Dogs
Gradual exposure, desensitization, and counterconditioning have been used successfully to treat dogs with thunderstorm phobias. The procedures are straightforward but must be done with great care. If the dog is made apprehensive as the procedures are implemented, it will only make things worse. Getting Ready
A stereo recording that sounds similar to a real thunderstorm must be used. Also needed are high-quality equipment and speakers to accurately reproduce the sound of the storm. The recording should first be played fairly loudly to determine if the dog reacts to the simulated thunderstorm. To make the experience more realistic, it may be necessary to darken the room and even add a strobe light, which can be obtained at many electronic or record stores. Once the "artificial storm" has been set up, it should be played for a few minutes to determine if the dog shows any signs of fear or anxiety - panting (or at least an increase in respiratory movements), salivation, or what can best be described as a "worried look." It is not necessary to make the dog shake, shiver, pace, hide or dig frantically. A full-blown fear response is not the goal of this test. If the dog shows some signs of becoming anxious, the recording should be turned off. The purpose of testing the dog's fear response to the recording is to ensure that it is an effective stimulus for desensitization. If not, the desensitization procedure will have no effect on the dog's fear of real thunderstorms.
Before starting the treatment sessions, it is helpful to teach the dog to sit and stay for delicious tidbits. Remaining quiet is incompatible with pacing and digging. Some behaviorists recommend that the sit/stay and lie down/stay exercises be practiced using both tidbits and a specific item, such as a throw rug. The theory is that the dog associates being quiet and eating delicious treats with the rug; therefore, the rug acquires the properties of pleasantness and relaxation. This might be called the dog's "security blanket." The efficacy of a "safety rug" in helping with the desensitization program has not been proven, but its use will certainly do no harm.
It is important to use delicious tidbits. No matter how much a dog likes ordinary dog biscuits, they are not as effective as mouth-watering morsels, such as deboned chicken, pieces of cheese, or dime-thin slices of hot dogs. It is also helpful to conduct practice sessions when the dog is slightly hungry, for example, before its daily meal, not after.
The Treatment Sessions
Have the dog sit or lie down (on the rug) and give it a tidbit or two. Then turn on the stereo recording. Play it so softly that you cannot even hear it. Remember, a dog's hearing is better than yours. Give the dog a tidbit every 5, 10, or 15 seconds. When it is clear that the dog is not paying attention to the recording, turn the sound up a little. Again, periodically give the dog treats as the recording plays. After 5 minutes or so, turn the sound up a little more. Proceed very, very slowly.
If the dog shows any signs of fear (e.g., panting), wait a short time to see if this response stops. If the dog stops panting, then give it a tidbit. (We do not recommend giving the dog a treat while it is panting heavily or looking anxious, because it might be interpreted as a reward for its anxious behavior. Give the dog tidbits only while it is relaxed.)
If the dog does not show any signs of relaxing after 1 to 2 minutes, turn the volume down. When the dog again appears relaxed, give it a tidbit and keep the recording at that volume level for at least 5 minutes before increasing it.
After practicing for 20 to 30 minutes, gradually decrease the volume until the sound is gone. In effect, an artificial mini-storm has been created that, like a real storm, has come and gone.
We suggest that each session be 30 to 45 minutes in duration. The dog will not forget what it has learned between sessions. However, the more frequent the practices, the sooner the dog will be treated. Sessions can be practiced more than once a day. If the dog experiences a real storm before it is completely desensitized, there could be regression in treatment.
After the volume level at which the dog was originally tested has been passed - and the dog remains relaxed - the locations of the sessions should be changed. After practicing in several rooms at a high volume without evoking any fear, the recordings can be played at low levels at any time of the day without giving the dog any food rewards or asking it to sit and stay. Initially, this might be during the dog's dinnertime, because then it will be eating (enjoying something pleasant) while it hears the sounds. Next play the sounds at other times when you are home but are not paying attention to the dog. Whenever you change something about a practice session, begin at a low level and gradually increase the loudness.
Once the dog demonstrates that it can ignore the recording at various times when you are home, set up your stereo on a timer and have it play at a very low volume while you are outside. Be prepared to come back within a short time, in case the dog becomes frightened. If this happens, the next time use a lower sound level and do not stay out as long.
The dog will gradually learn to tolerate - and maybe even enjoy - the thunderstorm recording that originally frightened it. After the dog is reliably ignoring the recording, begin the practice sessions using tidbits once again. This time, add another aspect of storms. Darken the room. Use flashes of light such as a camera flash attachment or a "disco" strobe. Be sure to introduce these stimuli slowly to avoid evoking a fear response. You probably will not have to proceed as slowly as you did when you were desensitizing the dog to the sound effects.
Although other stimuli, such as the sounds of rain and wind and atmospheric pressure, might contribute to a dog's thunderstorm phobia, the thunder itself seems to be the most powerful stimulus. Therefore, you do not have to duplicate all aspects of a storm to treat most thunderstorm phobias successfully.
After the dog has successfully completed the course of treatment, it is likely to be much less afraid of real thunderstorms and sometimes might not be afraid at all. Initially, during a real thunderstorm, it may be helpful to have the dog lie down on the "safety rug" and/or give it tidbits or play with it. If the dog's fear response to the storm is still present but mild, this probably will work to eliminate it altogether. A Real Thunderstorm During the Course of Treatment
If a real thunderstorm occurs during the course of treatment and the dog again experiences an intense fear response, you might have to start treatment procedures over again or go back a few steps. You will, however, progress faster than originally (if not too many storms occur between sessions).
If an anxiety drug or tranquilizer can be found that reduces your dog's fear response, the drug should be used whenever a storm occurs during the several weeks of treatment. The use of a specific drug should be discussed with your veterinarian, and an appropriate dosage compatible with your dog's physical status should be determined.
If possible, do not use the drug during practice sessions, because it may interfere with the learning process.
Dogs That Do Not React to Recorded Sounds
Try several different recordings or make a tape of combinations of recordings. Be sure to use very high-quality equipment. Such effects as darkening the room, strobe lighting, and the sound of rain can also be added.
If you cannot find an effective recording or combination of effects that works, set up the most realistic situation you can and practice anyway. Sometimes phobic dogs that do not appear to be reacting to the artificial storms still benefit from them and are less frightened of real storms.
Spontaneous Recovery of the Fear Response
If a long time elapses between completion of therapy and a real thunderstorm, the dog may again manifest fear of storms. Likewise, if there is a long interval between thunderstorms, a dog that has successfully gone through a thunderstorm session without being afraid might react to storms the next season. This phenomenon is called spontaneous recovery.
It is important to periodically expose the dog to simulated thunderstorms off-season or if there is a long lapse between treatment sessions and a real storm. After dogs are exposed many times to real storms without experiencing fear, the phenomenon of spontaneous recovery should begin to diminish.
Concerns About the Use of Food
Using food during the treatment sessions of phobias does not mean that food will be required later to keep the dog unafraid. You can gradually decrease the use of food rewards during the course of treatment.
Fear of Other Noises
If your dog is afraid of other noises - firecrackers, doorbells, sirens, backfiring cars - the principles of treatment are the same as previously described. Make a recording of sounds to which the dog will react, then follow the same procedures as outlined above. Another option is to expose the dog to the real stimulus gradually, without evoking fear. For example, a dog afraid of firecrackers might be desensitized to their sound by first hearing a single firecracker set off at a long distance, for example, 100 yards. Set off a single firecracker progressively nearer to the dog without evoking any fear. Next, start over again at 100 yards with two firecrackers and repeat the process with increasing numbers of firecrackers. The same principle could be applied with gunshots. Fear of engine sounds from motorcycles, trucks, or lawn mowers can be treated by first exposing the dog to very short durations of these sounds (a few seconds only) and then gradually lengthening the duration. Alternatively, the distance of the sounds from the dog can be progressively decreased. Food, play, or petting can be used during the above techniques.
The treatment of noise phobias is highly successful if the dog can gradually be exposed to a stimulus that produces a response. If the treatment procedure does not seem to be working, do not give up. You may be doing something just a bit wrong or your case may be a little unusual. On the whole, fears and phobias are very treatable behavior disorders. If you have problems following these suggestions, contact an animal behaviorist in your area for specific help. Back to top
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