This dog had a terrible noise phobia for years. Found abandoned on a farm in California’s central valley as a puppy, the move to the big city came with many new (and often scary) sounds. Skateboards, loud motorcycles and cars, horns honking, sirens, and worst of all, fireworks! New Years Eve and the 4th of July were the worst nights of the year for him, filled with trembling, panic, and fear. The family would spend those holidays with him camped out in a blanket fort in their apartment bathroom (the furthest room from the windows) playing a marathon of action movies on a laptop to drown out the outside sounds. Not the best solution, and not even an effective one. He could still hear the “sky booms” sometimes, and his bathroom walks would re-trigger and traumatize him. He would shake, tremble, cower, pant, hide, and refuse treats.
A few weeks before the 4th of July, the family started him on an Ease treatment plan. Practicing the behavior modification exercises for just 15-20 minutes a day made a huge difference. About a week before the big day, fireworks started going off after a baseball game. Out of habit, the family ran to the dog’s favorite spot on the couch to comfort him… but instead of finding him panicking and trembling or trying to hide, he was resting peacefully. Just sitting there, wagging to see his family members coming to say hi to him. In utter disbelief, they recorded this video.
The change was so dramatic, the family actually couldn’t believe it.
“We thought he must have gone deaf because it just seemed like a more reasonable explanation. On some level, we knew he hadn’t, because he could still hear a treat bag opening in the next room, but it just seemed too amazing to be true. We even brought him into the vet to have his hearing checked and confirmed he hears just fine. He’s just not afraid of fireworks anymore, like at all. Instead of spending the 4th of July locked in our bathroom with him, we hung out on the couch like any other night. He slept through most of the fireworks show while we watched TV, never seeming bothered in the slightest.”
Believe it or not, over half of dogs experience a fear of sounds! We see a lot of cases for the usual suspects: fireworks, thunderstorms, smoke alarms, skateboards, and gunshots. The truth is that any sound could potentially trigger fear if it’s associated with something scary. The sound of the microwave going off, doorbells, or even the sound of breakfast sizzling in a pan on the stove.
If your dog seems afraid of sounds or storms, the good news is that treatment can be extremely effective. You can get started today by asking your vet for a referral to Ease.