Part 2 Of What We Can Do To Support Sound Sensitive Doggos
Last week’s blog post described sounds that your pooch might be concerned about and hopefully illustrated that concerns about sounds are really reactions of fear and our dogs are looking to us for help or to be their advocate. This week, I’m sharing some myths and some actions you can take.
Myth #1 - Put on some calming music to relax your dog through the thunder storm
There is a small industry formed around “dog music” ie a whole bunch of vendors want to sell you a product while there is little empirical evidence to support that music calms stressed-out dogs in homes. But the more critical issue is to understand the difference between why we are adding a sound to our dog’s environment, is it to calm or is it to mask out the stressful sound. You would be better served to do the latter. With sound masking, we are kind of drowning out the sound(s) that your pooch finds disconcerting or make the sound(s) less obvious. One of the easiest ways to do this especially during the summer is simply to run a box fan which offers a kind of white noise at the right lower frequency range for dogs. There are also apps or Youtube recordings of brown, pink, or white noise.
Remember each dog is an individual so these are general suggestions and I recommend trialing them with your particular dog to see how they respond. If you play the masking sound, does your dog leave to go out of the room where it is being played? This might indicate that your dog actually finds that added masking sound to be itself something they don’t care for so try another sound.
Myth #2 - Put your dog in their crate during a thunderstorm and cover it with blankets to kind of sound proof it
Generally speaking we can’t lessen sounds from entering our house though a basement might be a slightly better space except if the lightning strike is very close then basements aren’t much better. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have a “safe space” for your dog, I advocate that all dogs should have at least one or more safe spaces in their home, ie a place where they have associated being calm, secure, and feeling safe there, for example, when guests come over and your dog wants some space. Our dog See Kao loved the cave-like feel of her crate so it was available with an open door for her to go into anytime she wanted.
Myth #3 - Put on something like Rex Specs Ear Pro muffs
These devices were made for working dogs or those riding in planes or choppers to reduce ear damage from chronic aviation noise, but will not significantly reduce low frequency sounds like thunder. Hugo the pupster sporting a pair in the pic is wearing them appropriately on his plane ride – isn’t he an adorable model?!
Things to consider during a thunderstorm, for 4th of July fireworks or to address other sound sensitivities:
Trialing the sound masking discussed above;
If your dog isn’t alarmed by tennis shoes in the dryer or something like taiko drum music, this can be additional masking options though there is no empirical evidence just anecdotal
Talk to your vet about short acting medication options like Sileo which is specifically a short acting prescription med for sound aversion
Make a management plan to keep your dog safe, ie sending your dog out for an unaccompanied potty break in the middle of the fireworks may be asking for trouble and your dog being frantic and jumping fence so e.g. take them out for a long walk with ample bathroom break opps before the evening fireworks show
Do comfort your dog because they aren’t just being silly, they are stressed out
Work with a behavior professional to desensitize your dog to sounds or get help in creating a management plan to help your dog be more comfortable
Cheers, Tracy
