How to help my dog with noise anxiety and fear-induced shutdowns?

Oh dear, poor Axel! Some dogs have innately anxious and nervous personalities, and German Shepherds (it appears that Axel has a fair amount of Shepherd in him from the pictures!) are known for anxiety issues. Continue gently trying to socialize Axel with new people and surroundings, and offer small treats and gentle encouragement as he is introduced to a new situation. Some dogs also benefit from thunder shirts ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24037 ) for anxiety, as well as calming pheromone collars or diffusers ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=33000 ). If all else fails, consider consulting a veterinary behaviorist to discuss behavioral modifications to try at home, and possible anti-anxiety medication. I hope that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is commonly known as noise phobia. Actually one of my own dogs suffers from this so I will also tell you based on my experience. These types of behaviors can be modified with the help of dog behaviorists who specialize in these types of conditions. These specialists are hard to find as there are not many in the country. In my case, the thunder shirt helped my dog to the point that she acts pretty much normal with it on. There are medications like Trazodone that can help reduce anxiety. This is something that you can obtain from your veterinarian and is likely going to help reduce the anxiety caused by the thunder. Good luck and have a great day!

Poor Diesel! Fireworks and loud noises can be really scary for dogs. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure him. We think we are comforting him when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling him it's ok to be scared. I recommend getting him a thundershirt to wear when there are fireworks or loud noises. These have been reported to help dogs with anxiety. At home, you can put him in a dark quiet room by himself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. Finally, you can consider get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety.

Poor pup! One of the most important things to do is not comfort him. While you may think you are helping him by comforting him, you are acting telling him it's ok to react this way and are reinforcing the behavior. I would put him in a quiet dark room of his own to self-soothe, and when it's time to go outside, take him out on a lead. Acting normally, and he should relax following your lead.

You can buy a thunder shirt or something similar that is snug fitting to provide comfort. Leaving a white noise machine on or music can help keep her calm and drown out other noises so she will. It bear or react to them. You may need to talk to your vet about a daily medicine such as fluoxetine instead of as needed trazadone to help

These links may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/fear-of-thunderstorms-fireworks-and-noise-phobias/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-deal-with-noise-induced-anxiety-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/ I hope this helps.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Archie. There is a fairly new drug out for noise/sound phobias but it is actually a medicine that we have used for years to sedation and anesthetize dogs and cats. The drug company has now packaged it in an oral gel form and very small doses of the drug are very effective at curbing the fear that dogs experience. The drug in the United States is called Sileo (dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel). I would advise asking your veterinarian and find out if this preparation of the drug is available in the UK. The other thing you can do is behavior modification, or in this case hyposensitization to loud noises that cause him anxiety. Find recordings of thunder and loud noises but play it very softly at first when starting the medication if you can get it. You can then incrementally raise the volume of the recording to start lessening his response to the noises that bother him. I hope this helps and I hope this drug is available in this form in the UK. Good luck with Archie.