Why
is my dog so frightened of loud
noises such as thunder, firecrackers
and loud vehicles?
Phobias
can develop from a single experience
(one event learning) or from
continued exposure to the fearful
stimulus. Although some dogs
react with a mild fear response
of panting
and pacing, others get extremely
agitated and may become destructive
or panicked. These dogs are
experiencing a phobic response
to the stimulus. These phobias
may develop because of an inherent
sensitivity to the stimulus
(i.e. a genetic predisposition)
or exposure to a highly traumatic
experience associated with the
stimulus (e.g. a carport collapsing
on the pet in a windstorm).
With multiple exposure to a
fearful event a dog may become
more intensely reactive if it
is reinforced by receiving attention
or affection by well meaning
owners who are merely trying
to calm the pet down.
What
can I do if my dog is phobic
in those situations?
Dogs
that experience phobias often
need professional intervention
by a veterinary or applied animal
behaviorist. These pets are
usually at risk of harming themselves
or property when faced with
the stimulus especially if their
owners are not home. If the
dog will be left alone in a
situation where it may encounter
the phobic stimulus, drug therapy
may be needed to prevent injury
and destruction.
Is
there any way I can treat my
dog myself?
Identify
the stimuli that evoke the behavior.
For gunshots, fireworks or a
car backfiring the stimulus
might be quite obvious. However,
for thunderstorms, it may be
the darkening of the sky, a
drop in the barometric pressure,
or high winds, all of which
occur prior to the storm. Naturally,
the storm itself and the rain,
wind, lightening, and thunder
can be the stimulus for the
behavior. Some dogs even become
phobic of going outdoors because
of certain sights or sounds
that you will need to identify.
In
order to set up an effective
retraining program you will
need to be able to reproduce
the noise. Finding a means of
reproducing and controlling
the stimulus is one of the most
difficult aspects of the retraining
program. A recording or video
might work for thunderstorms.
Unfortunately, as discussed,
many dogs are afraid of other
components of a storm that are
difficult to recreate. Therefore
it may be possible to treat
some, but not all aspects of
the phobic response. Recordings
may be useful for desensitizing
dogs to the sound of fireworks,
and the visual stimuli can be
minimized by confining the dog
to a brightly lit room with
light proof shutters or shades.
For gunshots, recordings or
a starter pistol set inside
4 or 5 nested cardboard boxes,
might be a way to reduce and
control the stimulus. Sometimes,
increasing the distance from
the stimulus or finding some
relatively sound-proofed room
to do the training might work.
If
a recording is used, you will
first need to ensure that it
does indeed reproduce the fear.
Then, to begin to desensitize
the pet you will need to begin
retraining with the recording
at a low enough level that it
does not evoke the response
and the dog is rewarded lavishly
for good (non-fearful) behavior.
Retraining should focus on the
use of rewards and training
the dog to lie quietly in a
favorite resting area to receive
these rewards even before the
stimulus (e.g. recording) is
first used. The resting area
should help to comfort and provide
security for the dog, and the
rewards are intended to teach
the dog to associate nothing
but positives with the low levels
of the stimulus. Gradually,
the volume is increased so that
the dog learns to tolerate the
"storm".
Another
reason why it is extremely difficult
to overcome fears and phobias,
is that while you are attempting
to desensitize and counter-condition
the dog to the noises, the dog
is likely to be exposed to a
recurrence of the actual event
(e.g. a thunderstorm). During
these times, do not reinforce
the fearful and phobic responses
with petting and reassuring
vocal intonation. This would
serve as reinforcement for the
behavior and make it continue.
For some dogs, placing them
in their favored resting area
in a room or area that has been
sound-proofed and playing some
calming music may help to decrease
the dog's reaction. Drug therapy
may also be useful in some cases.
Also see our two handouts on
fireworks and thunder phobias.
Why
would my dog become frightened
of certain places?
Lack
of early exposure to the sights,
sounds or perhaps odors of a
particular location, or one
or more traumatic experiences
associated with that location
could lead to fear. The fear
is aggravated by an owner who
tries to calm the dog down with
affection or verbal intonations.
This only reinforces the fearful
behavior. For example, dogs
may be frightened of traveling
in the car because they become
car sick or because the car
ride is always followed by an
unpleasant experience (such
as boarding or a veterinary
visit). Your dog may also become
fearful of the veterinary hospital
if it is always associated with
unpleasant experiences, or of
a particular room or area of
the house (such as a basement
or a cage) if an unpleasant
event has occurred in that area.
Some dogs even become frightened
of the outdoors, because of
unpleasant experiences that
have occurred there.
How can I treat my dog's fear of
places?
It
is necessary to place the stimuli
along a gradient, as well as
carefully observing what the
dog does. For example, the dog
may walk into the garage okay,
but begins to get agitated when
approaching the car. Or, the
dog may be okay approaching
the car and only upset when
forced to get in.
Desensitization
and counter-conditioning are
used to retrain the dog. Begin
with good responses to obedience
commands such as ‘sit'
and ‘stay' for favored
rewards. The goal, before beginning
the exposure is that a calm,
positive state can be achieved
consistently on command. Then
train and reward the dog in
situations where the fear is
very mild. With a fear of car
rides, the dog might first be
rewarded for not showing fear
when it is 8 feet from the car,
then 7 feet and so on until
the dog can approach the car
without showing signs of fear.
Eventually the dog should learn
to take rewards when it enters
the car, and at further sessions
the dog should learn to relax
in the car with the door closed,
and then when the motor is turned
on. In much the same way it
could take a few more sessions
until the dog learns to take
rewards in a moving car. For
the dog that is fearful of the
veterinary office you might
begin by taking the dog to the
veterinarian's parking
lot and doing some training
exercises for food rewards,
and progressing to the front
walkway or into the waiting
room. It may take many visits
to train the dog to enter the
examining room for rewards,
be greeted by the staff or sit
on the examining table. Similarly
a dog that is fearful of a cage
or particular room, may need
to be taught to lie in the doorway
for food and rewards. Then proceed
a step or two into the room
or a little farther into the
cage, to receive the reward
at each subsequent training
session.
In
treating fears you must have
sufficient control of the pet
so that there is no chance of
injury and the pet cannot run
away or escape from the stimulus.
Eventually, the pet will calm
down and accept that the stimulus
will cause no harm. Obedience
training for rewards is a positive
way to ensure that you gain
control. Begin in situations
where the stimulus is not present,
because if your dog will not
respect your control and take
rewards in non-threatening situations,
you will not be able to control
and settle your dog in problem
situations. Often a leash and
head collar is the best way
to maintain control and ensure
that your dog will perform the
desired behavior in the presence
of the stimulus. The leash and
halter prevents escape from
the stimulus; helps build the
dog's confidence; controls
the head and nose in order to
get the desired behavior (e.g.
sit, heel); allows the owner
to redirect the head away from
the stimulus and toward the
owner; prevents the possibility
of a bite or injury; and provides
a reward or release for each
proper response. It is also
necessary to control the stimulus
because it must not be removed
until your dog calms down and
realizes that it will cause
no harm. Always end each session
on a positive note!
This client
information sheet is based on
material written by Debra Horwitz,
DVM, DACVB and
Gary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB.
© Copyright 2002 Lifelearn
Inc. Used with permission under
license. March 11, 2004.
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