Stress Related Disorder and noise phobia

I have a male seven year old Bichon that has suddenly become very afarid of loud noises. He has always been afarid of fireworks and thunder storms but now it's everything from beeping noises (cell phones, timers,) to leaf blowers. This has just started in the last month. In fact he spent most of yesterday trying to climb in my lap and shaking because of some construction going on in the neighborhood. I don't feed into this behavior and cuddle him, in fact, putting him in his kennel in a dark room helps, but keeping him in his kennel all day can't be good for him either. Other than this, he seems to be perfectly healthy, peeing and pooping normally. Could this be a dietary embalance, maybe to much protein. I have had little success with Rescue Remedy in the past but I have not tried Melatonin. Any advice would be most appreciated or should I go directly to the Vet?

Did anything dramatic happen with noises to him? Comfort him whenever loud noises come, and just in case, bring him to the vet. Hope I could help you!

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Originally Posted by dog_pug123

Did anything dramatic happen with noises to him? Comfort him whenever loud noises come, and just in case, bring him to the vet. Hope I could help you!

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No DO NOT comfort him when it happens. This just shows him that there IS something to be afraid of!

whenever in a situation where loud noises may scare him, get REALLY excited and give him treats! This will teach him that in those situations its a GOOD thing and he will get rewarded!

But remember, as hard as it might be, you NEED to ignore him. If you baby him or coddle him it only reassures his fear and will make it worse!

But remember, as hard as it might be, you NEED to ignore him. If you baby him or coddle him it only reassures his fear and will make it worse![/QUOTE]

I Totally agree. My dog Holly, used to never have a problem with loud noises, however has developed skittish behavious as she has gotten older. I also think she was traumatised when we moved house, as that seems to be the pivotal point when this behaviour developed.

I found that it was best if I knew there were going to be distressing sounds around, just to keep her around me, but not pay any heed to her misbehaving (kept her around me, because she would end up hurting herself), and also to reward her when she becomes settled. We're still going through this so we'll see how it goes.

Best of luck and you'll need patience and understanding, remember their hearing is sooooo much more acute than ours!! :)

I might suggest also talking to someone that raises hunting dogs, or finding some literature on it. They are trained to become desensitized to loud noises (i.e. gunshots). You might find some useful tips, starting at square one, to desensitize yours to the noises.

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Originally Posted by Jessika

No DO NOT comfort him when it happens. This just shows him that there IS something to be afraid of!

whenever in a situation where loud noises may scare him, get REALLY excited and give him treats! This will teach him that in those situations its a GOOD thing and he will get rewarded!

But remember, as hard as it might be, you NEED to ignore him. If you baby him or coddle him it only reassures his fear and will make it worse!

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I totally agree. :)

:) My little dog is extremely stressed during storms after dark. The vet gave her tranquilizers and that has basically helped a little. When it storms during daylight hours, when I am busy, she doesn't seem to be as stressed as if it happens at night when she gets all of my attention. Therefore, I am in agreement that you should ignore them, but I can't seem to do that when I see the poor little girl in distress.

Absolutely do NOT comfort your dog when he or she is afraid of something. This only makes the situation worse. If your dog just started being afraid of noises and wasn't in the past, a trip to the vet would be in order. If everything checks out good there, you will have to start de-sensitizing your dog to noises. Start out by walking your dog around in noisy areas and give him a treat with praise if he shows no fear. Dogs can sense anxiety in people and if you are nervous for your dog, he will know it. When you walk your dog, be very calm and when he shows signs of being fearful, don't react. Keep walking. Pretend you don't hear the noise. Just be sure to bring a handful of little treats with you and treat him the very moment you see he is not acting afraid. Good luck.