How do I control my dog’s phobic reaction to loud sound?
Dogs learn about things from their surroundings, they can pretty easily cope with things and stimulants that they are exposed to on a day to day basis.
The types of loud sounds that a dog is exposed to on a daily basis from the younger years do not induce fear reaction in the dog, no matter how loud or severe the sound is. But as dogs do not get exposed to loud sounds like cracker-sound, sound of lightning or such on a daily basis these sounds trigger fear reaction in them which may range from hiding to a corner of the house to continuous shivering.
Getting rid of this problem requires desensitization of the dog to the sounds she is afraid of. This involves exposing the dog to the sounds that she is not comfortable with. And doing this gradually from low intensity level to more and more powerful level will produce desired result.
Use a sound-system to reproduce the sounds that the dog is afraid of. Start with moderately low volume. Initially the dog will react with panic but with passing days, if you’re regular enough the dog will learn to remain composed with low level of sound. When this happens praise the dog, and treat with her favorite tidbit.
With passing time gradually raise the volume level and keep repeating the same routine. In course of time the dog will get sufficiently exposed to her fear triggering sounds and will be desensitized to similar sounds.