Dogs, like humans, are born with fear of loud noises (the only other innate fear for humans is fear of falling). Some dogs and some breeds are more/extremely sensitive to the fear, though. And dogs, like humans, can be traumatized by an event that brings them great fear and remember and associate it or all their lives. If the horrible thunderstorm occurred while in the car, you dog does not have the reasoning to understand it was not the car that caused it. She or he will associate the car with the fear event.
Densitization and distraction training can be effective with some breeds and with some individual dogs, but once established, this fear is extremely difficult to desensitize. Even though you want to , try not to positively reward fear behavior with soothing word or touch. I kow this is counter to our nature, but in a dog's mind who cannot reason complex ideas or make this link, the dog will more often associate the rewarding behavior with his nervousness, and continue to act nervously to receive the positive reward of your attention. It will not allay his fear now or in the future.
That's not to say ignore your dog when they are frightened! Instead, try to engage you dog in his favorite games or distractions when he is frightened. Just like in humans, if one side of the brain is being engaged in thought and pleasure, the other side canot be simultaneously engaged in fear response.
Even if you are patient (and you will need to be), some dogs and some breeds still suffer from this overwhelming fear response. If that is the case, check with your dog's vet. There are mild sedative prespcriptions vets can offer to help with predictable moments such as fireworks displays and so forth, but that will need to be your choice. Also try to minimize exposure to situations where you dog will feel overwhlemed with fear at loud noises.
Densitization and distraction training can be effective with some breeds and with some individual dogs, but once established, this fear is extremely difficult to desensitize. Even though you want to , try not to positively reward fear behavior with soothing word or touch. I kow this is counter to our nature, but in a dog's mind who cannot reason complex ideas or make this link, the dog will more often associate the rewarding behavior with his nervousness, and continue to act nervously to receive the positive reward of your attention. It will not allay his fear now or in the future.
That's not to say ignore your dog when they are frightened! Instead, try to engage you dog in his favorite games or distractions when he is frightened. Just like in humans, if one side of the brain is being engaged in thought and pleasure, the other side canot be simultaneously engaged in fear response.
Even if you are patient (and you will need to be), some dogs and some breeds still suffer from this overwhelming fear response. If that is the case, check with your dog's vet. There are mild sedative prespcriptions vets can offer to help with predictable moments such as fireworks displays and so forth, but that will need to be your choice. Also try to minimize exposure to situations where you dog will feel overwhlemed with fear at loud noises.
