Why is my dog scared of loud noises on our walk?

We all love walking our dogs, but sometimes, our pets can get anxious and flighty at the slightest noise. For those of us who live in cities and towns, this can be a fairly regular occurrence, even if your dog has been an urban dweller for a while.

Dogs interpret sound much differently than we do, so it makes sense that they get scared of things that don’t faze us. But what if yours is especially sensitive to loud sounds, and how can you help them?

Here, we answer “are dogs afraid of loud noises?”, discuss why your dog may be scared of loud noises on your walk, and provide methods to keep them calm.

Why your dog hears so much more than you

A dog’s hearing is much more sensitive to higher-frequency sounds, like loud noises; they’re naturally more sensitive to sounds than us.

The frequency range

Humans can hear sounds between around 20 and 25,000 Hertz (Hz), while dogs hear a range from 65 to 45,000 Hz. Because dogs can hear much higher frequencies than we can, loud or high-pitched noises can be far more intense and startling for them.

Their heightened hearing gave them evolutionary benefits for things like hunting. But the loud, sharp sounds of the modern world can make things overwhelming and hard to tolerate.

Anatomy

Their sensitivity to noise is to do with the structure of a dog’s ear, too. Outside of the frequency range, a dog’s ear has up to 18-20 muscles that control their ear movement. In reality, this makes their ears incredibly mobile, and their ears can even rotate 180 degrees.

Additionally, their ear shape acts as a funnel to capture sounds effectively. The presence of additional sensory hair cells in their cochlea helps them detect sounds, too. In essence, dogs have adapted to use their ears and nose over their vision, unlike us.

Why they may be scared

Sounds are much more intense for a dog, and, especially if they’ve had bad experiences early on, they can react very negatively.

Outside of intensity, other reasons why your dog may act very scared due to loud noises include:

Genetics

Certain breeds are more sensitive to loud noises than others.

Lack of socialisation

A lack of early exposure to these sounds, and a lack of socialisation generally, can lead to fear of everyday noises.

Negative early life experiences

Negative early exposure to loud sounds, like fireworks, can cause trauma for a dog, who will then associate noise with danger.

Underlying issues

Sometimes, underlying health issues, like pain or cognitive problems, leads to noise sensitivity. We wouldn’t panic about this too much, though, especially if there are no other symptoms.

Specific triggers on a walk

Your walk, especially in busy areas, can be full of triggers for your dog’s sensitive ears, like:

Construction

Noise from roadwork or construction is loud and sudden, which will scare some dogs.

Fireworks and human noise

Most dogs are afraid of fireworks, but the same goes for sudden human noise in general, like shouting or sudden, loud music.

Sirens

Emergency services need loud, abrasive sounds for good reason, but they can scare our dogs.

Traffic

Beeps, engine sounds, and sudden stops all cause noise that can scare dogs.

Weather

Weather, like thunder, can cause dogs significant fear.

How to calm down your dog on a walk

We know it’s stressful for you, too, when your pet is anxious or uncomfortable on their walk. Thankfully, there are steps you can take if you notice a sudden, immediate reaction:

Create distance or a barrier from the trigger

Move away from the trigger noise as soon as you can, back to a distance where your dog begins to act calm. If a trigger appears very quickly, you can place yourself between it and your dog, which creates a physical, calming barrier.

Redirect attention

Redirection is a very strong tool for calming down dogs, so use a command, like “watch me”, while maintaining eye contact. In emergencies, you can use treats, but be careful this doesn’t positively reinforce anxious, loud behaviour from your dog.

Reward calm behaviour

Once your dog is calm, give them praise or a treat. This positively reinforces being calm.

Stay calm and confident

Your dog looks to you for support, so try to stay confident and calm yourself. This will incentivise your dog to mirror you.

Long-term methods to help your dog

There are things you can do to ease your dog’s noise anxiety outside of just on walks. In fact, it’s probably more effective to do it when your dog is in a chiller state.

Choose shorter, quieter walks

Keep walks shorter initially, while steadily building up your dog’s confidence over time. Use lots of positive reinforcement, and try to pick slower parts of the day or quieter routes. The key here is to build confidence in a planned, gradual way, not to throw them in the deep end.

Engage in positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement is the best way to teach your dog anything, but it’s especially effective for undoing particular anxieties. Our positive reinforcement training guide discusses things more, but essentially, it involves rewarding your dog with praise or treats when they act calmly.

You can incorporate this into walks, where you periodically reward your dog when they’re calm on a leash. You should definitely do this if they encounter a trigger and act calmly.

Enrichment and exercise

Make sure your dog is getting enough mental enrichment and exercise so they aren’t anxious before the walk even begins.

Planned desensitisation

Desensitising your dog is important, but it needs to be gradual and, ideally, with the guidance of a behaviourist or vet in especially bad cases. Gradually expose them to triggers, and reward calm behaviour.

Are certain breeds more prone to noise anxiety?

Yes. Some breeds, like hunting breeds, have a higher risk of noise anxiety due to their background and genetics.

In total, these breeds are more likely to have noise anxiety:

• Bichon Frises

• Border Collies

• Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

• Cocker Spaniels

• German Shepherds

• German Shorthaired Pointer

• Jack Russells

• Lagotto Romagnolos

• Norwegian Behunds

• Poodles

• Shetland Sheepdogs

• Spanish Water Dogs

• Wheaten Terries

These dogs have strong noise sensitivity for different reasons. Smaller breeds, like toy breeds, can feel more at risk due to their size, making them more sensitive, while other breeds, like Poodles, can be more anxious due to their intelligence.

Are younger or older dogs more prone to fear of loud noises?

Yes, age is a factor in noise sensitivity. A study in the School of Clinical Veterinary Science by the University of Bristol found that older dogs feared noise more.

Dogs that were afraid of noises in the study had an average age of 4.2, while non-scared dogs had an average age of 2.1.

When is it noise phobia?

Noise anxiety crosses over to phobia status when your pet has a debilitating, persistent, and severe reaction to loud sounds or sounds generally. It will impact their daily life, and you’ll find that they’ll struggle to “get over” the shock.

It can lead to a host of behavioural problems, like destructive behaviour, excessive barking, hiding or trembling. We know this is a very difficult time for both you and your pet in these moments, which is why it’s essential you get help for them.

When to look for help

You ask a behaviourist or vet for help if your dog’s noise sensitivity on walks is severe, doesn’t go away with training, or you notice other symptoms.

As pet parents, we want the best for our pets and, sometimes, we need that extra support. Hopefully, you and your pet can enjoy your walks and outdoor time together more soon.

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