Dog noise phobias helped by Sounds Programme

Article donated by Dr. Paula Short, Tasman Bay Vets, Mapua

Those of you who read this column regularly will probably remember an article that I wrote last November about noise phobias in dogs. At that time of the year Guy Fawkes is a big issue for us, with lots of dogs coming down to the clinic for medication to keep them calm through what is a most stressful time of the year for many animals.

Recently one of our suppliers has introduced a CD to help dogs with noise phobias. The Sounds Scary programme has been developed to treat phobic pets using desensitisation and counter conditioning. Desensitisation works by simply quietly playing a specially designed CD of the sounds the dog is fearful of each day for 5-10 minutes and then building the sound level up gradually until the animal stops reacting to the sounds even at the loudest level. Counter conditioning is where you train the dog to react happily when he/she hears the noises. This is done by either playing with or feeding the dog while it listens to the noises on the CD - it will then associate the noises with a pleasurable experience.

Many dogs benefit from the use of Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) whilst they are on the programme as this helps to calm them, putting them in a better state for learning. Each animal is different and the key is not to rush this programme and thus it needs to be started well in advance of the fireworks season to give you time to work through the whole programme successfully before the "scary" time of year.

If you have a dog who is noise phobic and are interested in starting the programme this year, please contact us at the clinic. We do recommend a consultation with the vet before starting the programme to rule out any health factors that may be contributing to their behaviour.