The researchers hypothesize that when a dog suffering from pain gets startled or tenses up from a loud or sudden noise, it aggravates their pain. This causes a learned association between loud sounds and pain to develop, which can easily generalize to all kinds of situations where the dog has experienced noise. Chronic pain can also affect a dog’s social interactions, and a quick or aggressive movement to avoid an encounter with an approaching dog may hurt, so an association between other dogs and pain is learned as well. It should be noted that dogs don’t “understand” pain. They do not comprehend why their life is different than it was before, hence the anxiety and shivering associated with pain.
AKC is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to akc.org. If you purchase a product through this article, we may receive a portion of the sale.
The study, which was published in February 2018 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, looked at two groups of dogs that were brought to a clinical animal behaviorist because of fear or anxiety triggered by sound. One group was also diagnosed as having some type of musculoskeletal pain, such as hip dysplasia or a degenerative joint condition. The other, the control group, didn’t suffer from any painful problems.
The physical signs of fear were the same in both groups, mostly consisting of shaking, trembling, and hiding. However, significant differences were also found. Dogs that had pain tended to become more broadly fearful — along with being afraid of places where they had heard loud noises, they generalized the fear to new situations, people, and dogs.
The good news is that once the underlying physical problems are correctly identified, they can be treated. Dogs in the pain group were given treatment plans that included pain medication and management advice to avoid aggravating the pain. All dogs in both groups were given behavioral modification plans involving counterconditioning and/or desensitization to sounds, and most were also given anti-anxiety medication. While it’s possible that treating the pain alone might have helped, it’s likely that the learned associations and fear of noise would have persisted. For the sake of the dogs, the option of only addressing their pain wasn’t tested. The majority of the cases in both groups were improved to the owner’s satisfaction by the time of publication. https://www.akc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php Get Your Free AKC eBook
What noises are dogs scared of?
Loud, sudden noises or high-pitched sounds seem to trigger reactions in dogs that experience noise phobias, including:
Gun shots
Gun shots definitely strike fear in most humans as well as dogs. A gunshot is extremely loud, which is why people wear ear protection at shooting ranges.
Fear of Loud Noises | Cesar 911
It’s a familiar scenario for all too many of us. A sudden, loud noise – fireworks, thunder, gunshots bird scarers or even the vacuum cleaner or garbage truck down the block – causes your dog to react in panic. He or she may in response bolt so far as to get lost, run and seek a quiet place to hide or run to you seeking comfort. He may shake, tremble, drool and pant, embark on a bout of excessive barking or whining or may suddenly urinate or defecate indoors. In extreme cases, the ensuing panic may even cause aggressive behavior. None of these reactions are desirable, for you or for your dog.Noise phobia in dogs is relatively common and can be a source of great distress. A reaction that can develop in dogs of all ages, what may start as an acceptable short-term fear can in some cases generalize to other situations and develop into a full-blown phobia.