# Noise sensitivity



## Chum Bucket (Jun 15, 2018)

I've been training my dog since he was a puppy. He had fear problems when he was very young but these were fully gone by the time he was a year old. Now, seven months later and the reactivity is back. Even when relaxed, he will jump at any sudden noise that isn't background chatter. People running, objects dropping to the floor, and the oddest: deep, resonating sounds, like trash falling into a trash can. He's a year and seven months, so I think it's too late for the 2nd fear stage. What could be the cause? And how do I help him get over these fears? It's not like a fear of thunder that you can find desensitization videos online.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Bumping up


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Chum Bucket said:


> I've been training my dog since he was a puppy. He had fear problems when he was very young but these were fully gone by the time he was a year old. Now, seven months later and the reactivity is back. Even when relaxed, he will jump at any sudden noise that isn't background chatter. People running, objects dropping to the floor, and the oddest: deep, resonating sounds, like trash falling into a trash can. He's a year and seven months, so I think it's too late for the 2nd fear stage. What could be the cause? And how do I help him get over these fears? It's not like a fear of thunder that you can find desensitization videos online.



The important thing is: how quickly does he recover after the startle? It is not abnormal for a dog to start at a sudden loud noise, just as a human might, but the key thing is whether it sends them into a prolonged state of panic or anxiety, or whether they just move along and get on with it once they quickly establish there is no danger. The latter is normal behaviour. 

Also key is how YOU react. When your dog startles, do you react to your dog? Often, if a dog hears their person saying, "Awww, it's okay, don't worry, it's okay.." and they get a little bit coddled, they will eat into that and it almost reinforces their reaction. Best is to either ignore the dog's reaction or just very confidently say, "it's okay!", and just go on with life. Don't feed into the fear, if that makes sense? You want to demonstrate confidence and let your dog know all is well simply by the fact that YOU are not getting upset by anything. Usually if they see that their person is good, they feel good and secure.


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## Chum Bucket (Jun 15, 2018)

Well, he's always startled but it never concerned me for the very reason you mentioned above. Now, though, he's been acting very tense in general. He's training as a service dog, so it's not for any lack of exposure, but where he used to be pretty solid around new things, he's now much less affable. He's spooking at boxes being moved, people's footsteps from behind, little things like that. Overall, it means that he's been very hyper-alert on things he's never noticed before. I'm hoping it's a late stage fear period, but if not, I may have to rethink his working capabilities.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Chum Bucket said:


> Well, he's always startled but it never concerned me for the very reason you mentioned above. Now, though, he's been acting very tense in general. *He's training as a service dog*, so it's not for any lack of exposure, but where he used to be pretty solid around new things, he's now much less affable. He's spooking at boxes being moved, people's footsteps from behind, little things like that. Overall, it means that he's been very hyper-alert on things he's never noticed before. I'm hoping it's a late stage fear period, but if not, I may have to rethink his working capabilities.



Are YOU doing the training, or is he being sent to someone? That would concern me if he is being trained by someone other than you, out of your sight, and he is suddenly showing more fear and is overall more anxious and tense. I would worry that he is being mistreated, physically or verbally punished for things he may not have been taught properly. I hope this is not the situation, but it occurred to me when I read that in your post.


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## Chum Bucket (Jun 15, 2018)

Yes, i am doing the training, which is why his behavior seems so odd. He's normally quite okay with anything. I mean, I've taken him on the subway and through downtown of a large city, and he didn't spook then. He's been quite jumpy, not just scared but hyper-aware in general. I see him looking around at his surroundings more. He does not break heel for dogs or children, but he does watch them with concern. He is reacting to his name on a pin's drop and getting overexcited over nothing. It's really very much like when he was entering adolescence right before he was fixed. The more I watch him,the more I'm convinced it's a fear stage, just based on how sudden it came on.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Chum Bucket said:


> Yes, i am doing the training, which is why his behavior seems so odd. He's normally quite okay with anything. I mean, I've taken him on the subway and through downtown of a large city, and he didn't spook then. He's been quite jumpy, not just scared but hyper-aware in general. I see him looking around at his surroundings more. He does not break heel for dogs or children, but he does watch them with concern. He is reacting to his name on a pin's drop and getting overexcited over nothing. It's really very much like when he was entering adolescence right before he was fixed. The more I watch him,the more I'm convinced it's a fear stage, just based on how sudden it came on.



Good. I am relieved to hear he is not being potentially mistreated. It might be worth getting a board certified vet behaviorist to come and observe. He does sound more tense and anxious than might be usual fear stage behavior. It would not be good if he reacted out of fear and wound up biting someone. 

Another possibility - does he seem to be hyper protective of _you_? I wonder if, as he is being trained to help you, he is reacting to whatever vulnerability he is sensing in you. I had a bad cycling accident when my last dog was 10 years old and wound up with two casts on my arms. She got super protective of me during that 8-week period, also hyper alert to what was happening around me anytime we were out, and she would put herself between me and anyone who approached, even people she had known for years. I only figured it out after I got the casts off and she went back to normal. It was very interesting how she changed based on her perception of me.


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