Getting ready for ‘noisy season’ with your dog

Most of us think only about Bonfire Night and the impact it has on our dogs, but depending on where you live, ‘noisy season’ can be a lot longer! Below are some of the events which can really impact our noise sensitive dogs:

• Game shooting season: 1st October until 31st  January
• Halloween: 31st October
• Bonfire Night: 5th November
• Diwali: Usually the week before or after Bonfire Night
• New Years Eve: 31st Dec
• Chinese New Year: January – February

Fear of loud noises, and noise sensitivities are very common. It is natural to be worried by a big bang for example, and our dogs have such sensitive hearing some may find such loud noise physically painful. These fears can range from shaking and panting when the fireworks are going off, to refusing to leave the house for months on end. Noise sensitivity typically gets worse year on year without help. Below we will cover some of the key information to help you best support your dog. 

Part of puppy socialisation

Ideally, all puppies would be carefully exposed to a variety of sounds while they are still young and in their prime socialisation phase.  If you are rearing puppies, start as soon as they are alert and engaging with their environment from around 4-5 weeks old. If you have added a puppy to the family, start within a couple of weeks of bringing them home.

There are some brilliant online resources available from organisations such as our partners Hearing Dogs for Deaf People or the Dogs Trust. Some even provide step-by-step guides on how to safely and effectively introduce your dogs to new sounds, some even supplying useful sound clips. You can also take a look at our guide on Preparing your pets for fireworks.

The first time

If you have a puppy or a new dog, you may not know how they will react. It is also important to note that many puppies don’t seem at all phased during their first ‘noisy season’ but it is common for issues to occur the second time around when they are 1-2 years old.

If we aren’t 100% sure how your dog will cope, presume they will be scared. It is far better to be over-prepared, than for them to have a traumatic experience if we can at all avoid it. So, for your first, and second, noisy season plan ahead:

• Do not leave your dog home alone when there are likely to be fireworks, or gunshots close by.
• Stay inside after dusk and avoid going out at times when you know shooting is likely.
• Create a safe space for them to hide, if they want to, such as a covered crate or under the bed.
• Use background noise to mask the external sounds.
• During fireworks keep the curtains closed.
• Provide plenty of distraction through toys, games and treats during noisy periods.

What to do if your dog is afraid

If your dog is showing any of the following signs when there are loud noises going on, it would suggest that they are afraid:

• Jumping / being startled
• Trembling
• Panting
• Drooling
• Wide eyes
• Pacing
• Hiding
• Running around
• Laying very still and not willing to move 

If your dog shows any of these signs, reassure them and offer them comfort, but do not force them to be touched, cuddled etc. if they would rather be alone. Stay nearby so they can come to you if they choose. Ensure they can get to the areas of the house where they feel safest. 

If you are on a walk, get home or back to the car straight away.

Try to muffle external sounds using music, white noise etc.

Allow your dog plenty of time to recover, and if they do not want to go into the garden before bed, or on a walk the next morning, that is fine, do not force them. 

Preparing for next year

If your dog has shown signs of being scared during the noisy season, it is important to start planning for next year early. Helping your dog to change how they feel about loud noises will take months. You should not try to expose your dog to any additional sounds for training until the main noisy period has stopped in the Spring.

If your dog shows mild or moderate signs, and is unaffected in day to day life, then you can try using some of the online resources mentioned earlier. Some have specific section for dogs who are worried by noise and who we need to help have a more positive emotional experience

If your dog shows severe signs of fear and is very distressed during the noise event, or if their fear is lasting for more than 24hrs after the noise event, you should seek professional support, initially by visiting your vet, and then quite likely by seeing a clinical animal behaviourist or veterinary behaviourist. 

What to do if you know your dog will be scared this year

As we said above, training to be less fearful of loud sounds takes months. So, what can you do if it’s only a few weeks until Noisy Season starts and you know your dog will be very scared (if they were scared last year, they will almost certainly be scared this year, and probably more so).

Contact your vet ASAP. Please do not leave it until the day before Bonfire Night!

If your dog is showing significant signs of fear and distress when there is shooting or fireworks, your vet may suggest the use of medication to help them. These medications can only be prescribed by your vet and which one is most suitable will depend on your individual dog as well as how predictable, long lasting and frequent the noise event(s) are likely to be.

Drugs can be a brilliant option to help your dog be less scared, and prevent their fears getting worse, but you must then follow up with training to try and improve things for next year. 

A note on adult dogs who suddenly become sound sensitive

If your adult dog has always been ok with fireworks and loud noises, but they suddenly start to show signs of fear there’s a few things to consider. 

• Firstly, has your dog had a traumatic event involving loud noise. For example, a bird scarer going off very close by causing distress. If so then it follows that they may now be more fearful, and the advice given above should be followed. 
• If you are not aware of any scary event, or reason for their new apparent fear of noise, please book an appointment to see your vets and ask them about the possibility your dog may be in pain. Research has shown that there is a strong link between dogs who have musculoskeletal pain (such as arthritis, hip dyplasia, back pain) and those who are scared by loud noise. It is thought this is due in part to the pain experienced if your dog jumps and is startled when they hear the noise. 

Remember it is not only dogs who can be terrified by loud noise, cats, rabbits, horses and farm animals can be very distressed too. Keep animals indoor and in secure enclosures, as far from the source of the noise as possible.

If any of your pets show signs of fear, please comfort them, and consider how to help them before next year comes around.