Does your pet hide when a thunderstorm rolls through or crouch in terror during a fireworks display? Many pets react fearfully to noise, and the condition can have a negative effect on their quality of life. Our Bayview Animal Hospital team doesn’t want your pet to live in fear, and we offer noise aversion management tips.

#1: Understand pet noise aversion

Noise aversion refers to a fear response to a particular sound. Common triggers include thunder, fireworks, crowds, traffic, vacuum cleaners, household appliances, construction, fire detectors, and doorbells. Numerous factors can contribute to noise aversion, including:

  • Improper socialization — Pets who aren’t properly socialized are at higher risk for developing anxiety issues, including noise aversion. Socialization is important to expose your pet to sights, sounds, and experiences to help them learn to adjust to new situations. Your pet should be introduced to each new situation in a positive manner so they aren’t afraid or stressed by the experience. Pets are most receptive to socialization between 3 and 14 weeks of age.
  • Traumatic events — Experiencing a traumatic event can lead to your pet making negative associations with the sounds they heard during the experience, and cause them to react fearfully when exposed to the noise again.
  • Pain — Pets who experience pain caused by conditions such as arthritis can develop a noise aversion if a sound startles them, causing them to move in a way that results in pain. 
  • Disease — Pets who have an underlying health condition may feel vulnerable and be more prone to noise aversion.
  • Cognitive decline — As pets age, they can experience cognitive decline that often leads to increased anxiety, putting them at increased risk for noise aversion.

#2: Realize that pet noise aversion is a serious problem

While some owners dismiss their pet’s anxiety in response to a noise, the condition is serious. Pets affected by noise aversion experience fear and anxiety at levels similar to a panic attack in people, and the condition can lead to serious consequences, such as:

  • Emotional distress — Noise aversion can cause significant emotional distress for an affected pet.
  • Additional anxiety issues — Pets who develop noise aversion are at increased risk for other anxiety issues, such as separation anxiety.
  • Health problems — The stress caused by noise aversion can lead to health issues such as dermatological problems and urinary tract disorders.
  • Injury — When triggered by a noise, some pets try to escape, which can lead to an injury. For example, if your dog is scared by a car horn, they may bolt and run into traffic.
  • Aggression — In some cases, noise-averse pets exhibit aggression toward people or other pets.
  • Destructive behavior — Pets may exhibit destructive behavior because of noise aversion.
  • Inappropriate elimination — Noise-averse pets may urinate or defecate inappropriately. 

#3: Recognize pet noise aversion

While some noise aversion cases are obvious, others are more subtle. Monitor your pet for the following signs when they are exposed to potential triggering noises:

  • Yawning
  • Lip licking
  • Panting
  • Lifting a limb
  • Pacing
  • Crouching
  • Shivering
  • Seeking attention
  • Hiding
  • Whining
  • Meowing or barking excessively
  • Trying to escape
  • Urinating or defecating inappropriately
  • Running in circles
  • Exhibiting aggressive or destructive behavior

#4: Create a pet-safe zone

Environmental modification can help some pets with noise aversion. This involves creating a quiet space where your pet can go if a noise scares them. A good example is confining your pet to a windowless basement before a thunderstorm or fireworks display. Provide them with all the necessary resources, and consider putting a recently worn piece of clothing in the area to help provide comfort. Leaving music playing can help blunt the offending noise, and offering a food-puzzle toy may distract them from the scary sound.

#5: Desensitize and countercondition your pet

In some cases, behavior modification techniques, such as desensitization and counterconditioning, are beneficial for noise-averse pets, but the process takes time and patience. Steps include:

  • Finding an appropriate soundtrack — Find a soundtrack that triggers your pet’s fear response.
  • Playing the track at a low level — Play the track at a low enough level that your pet isn’t triggered.
  • Offering a pleasant experience — Play the track during your pet’s mealtime or while playing their favorite game to help them make a positive association with the noise.
  • Incrementally increasing the volume — Over several weeks or months, incrementally raise the volume at every session to help your pet acclimate to the noise.
  • Turning the volume down — Turn the volume down immediately if your pet exhibits anxiety, and at the next session, don’t increase the volume as much.
  • Testing your pet — Once your pet stays calm when the track is played at full volume, test them in a real-life situation to see if the process worked.

#6: Consider medicating your pet

In severe cases, our team may recommend calming supplements, sedatives, or anti-anxiety medications to address your pet’s noise aversion. These products are typically most effective when administered before the triggering noise occurs.

Noise aversion is a serious problem that should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent your pet from experiencing distress. If your pet responds fearfully to a noise, contact our Bayview Animal Hospital team so we can ensure a medical condition isn’t contributing to the problem and determine the best strategy to help alleviate their anxiety.