Treating Noise Phobia in dogs and cats

Many dogs have an extreme fear of loud noises, a condition known as noise phobia — and it’s far more common than you might think.

What triggers noise phobia?

It can be triggered by thunderstorms, fireworks, loud parties, children playing, or even household sounds like vacuums and blenders. And for some breeds like Border Collies, Kelpies, and other herding or hunting dogs, it can be especially intense.

If you consider that dogs hear nearly twice the range of frequencies we do, sounds that seem minor to us can feel overwhelming to them. And if a dog has had a bad experience, hasn’t been positively socialised to loud noises as a pup, or is already anxious by nature, it can spiral into a full-blown noise phobia.

As dogs age, it often gets worse — especially if they have arthritis or joint pain. That fear and tension can amplify physical discomfort, reinforcing the negative association with noise.

Signs of Noise Phobia

Look out for signs of anxiety like shaking, hiding, panting, pacing, or trying to escape.

Some dogs may toilet inappropriately, lick excessively, or cling to you for comfort. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to act.

Tips to help dogs with noise phobia

It is important to start with creating a safe space for your pet to keep them safe. Ideally a quiet room with their bed and favourite toys.

Keep windows and blinds closed to block visual and sound triggers.  Provide them with their bed, favourite toy or blanket.  Crate training can also help to keep them physically safe as well.

Zylkene or Zylkene Plus can also help with noise phobia. These natural, milk-derived supplements support calm behaviour and can be used long-term or during stressful events like storms.

They work well alongside other tools like pheromone products, Thundershirts, short-term vet-prescribed medication, or behaviour training.

Desensitisation and counter-conditioning, using downloads of thunderstorms or fireworks sounds at low volume while rewarding calm behaviour — can also reduce the fear response over time for dogs with noise phobia.  Learn more about keeping your dog safe during thunderstorms here, and fireworks here.

Just take it slow and monitor for signs of stress. You can find some videos of how to desensitise your dog to everyday objects, like vacuums, here.

Most importantly, never punish fear-based behaviour. Your dog is reacting to a very real threat in their mind.

If your dog shows signs of general anxiety, or you’re struggling to manage their response to noise, speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist about their noise phobia.

You can purchase  Zylkene and Zylkene Plus from your local Petstock store or online.

About the Author: Lara Shannon is a certified dog behaviourist and trainer, pet food nutrition specialist, Executive Producer and Host of Pooches at Play on Channel 10 and editor of Poochesatplay.com. Lara also runs her own dog training business in Melbourne’s Bayside area and is the Author of World of Dogs and Eat, Play, Love Your Dog