So my 1+ year old lab has a fear of loud noises that has gotten worse over time. We are pretty sure this developed when he was a puppy (we were walking him during the day and someone let off poppers just as went around the corner and terrified him). Now when he hears a loud noise on a walk (loud truck, construction, horns etc) he immediately drags us inside whether he has done his business or not and hides under the bed for a few hours. Sometimes this ruins his whole routine as he refuses to eat breakfast until he has gone to the bathroom. He is well behaved 99 percent of the time and listens, but when this happens there is not much we can do except let him take us back inside. If we try to make him stop dragging he lays down and refuses to move. Today we had a worse case scenario where there were roofers doing repairs for our adjoining neighbor. It was not necessarily loud but definitely spooked out my guy. He stood by the door tail tucked in and shaking (which he has never done) so I took him out and he dragged me as far away from our apartment as he could get and laid down, refusing to move or go back toward the apartment. I eventually had to get our maintenance guys (who love him) to help carry him home. I feel so bad for him but also he is a little embarrassing when he gets like this. Any advice on how to help him overcome this? He has a few other irrational fears (skateboards and smoke for example) but this one definitely concerns me the most and makes me worry about his safety!
I really feel for you, my boy also has this, it started with fireworks being let of very near us when he was about 1.5yrs, he is 5 next week and he does still have this fear of noises, he done excately the same and still does now if he hears a loud noise, we always have treats with us so that we can distract him until we reach home. We talk to him in a loud voice telling him how good he is, getting him to spin, throw a treat on the floor and get him to find it, just so he is distracted enough to get hone without dragging you. Don't get me wrong it wasn't easy it was extremely hard and frustrating for a very long time, but in the end we just went with him , didn't try to make him walk towards the noise, instead just turn round and come back home, and let them de-stress. Even last week we had builders near us banging as soon as we stepped outside we heard the banging and we just turned round and went back in side and played with him until he was ok. It does get easier, although not cured we just make sure that Buster is ok we watch for his body language and thankfully for Buster when he's uncomfortable he looks at us so we know.
I don't wish to be rude but something in your descrption jumped from the screen. I don't think the fears are irrational. Smoke means fire. Fire can be dangerous. All animals including humans become anxious when they smell smoke. Skateboards make an awful din. Avoidance seems apt. Getting knocked over is something to avoid. Why make a deal of this? Because you have to view the issues from the viewpoint of the dog. It is an issue of attitudes. Calling something irrational may stand in the way of understanding. A belief that the dog has no rational reason to be fearful. Put aside questions of rationality and irrationality. The dog's fear, as you recognise, is debilitating. And has to be just accepted as a given. Loaded adjectives just don't help. Now to your main issue. It is important that note that noise desensitisation is not always successful. But it is certainly worth attempting. There is a folder devoted to the issue of noises. It includes sound samples, and detailed instructions of how to implement desensitisation. https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/sounds-scary-resources-now-available-free-from-dogstrust.11810/ I suggest you read through the material and raise queries here. Only too willing to help. And the other members share the disposition. What to do in the interim? Although it does not work on all dogs, buy an adaptil collar and see whether that will help your dog to relax. You can also try going off to the country for walks where loud noises are less likely. You have to do things to lower the dog's cortisol levels.
Sorry I should have been more clear with his "fears". When it comes to skateboards, it's never when someone is on them, just if he sees one on the side of the sidewalk in our community (lots of kids) and this goes for bikes as well! We always run into people actually riding them and he enjoys them and always wants to run and play! With smoke, we have taken him camping where there was a small fire near us and he has been around fireplaces with no reaction or interest, but he gets scared if we are on a walk and there is, for example cigarette smoke or smoke from a grill. Maybe it is more to the smell or the unknown? We don't encounter it enough to be sure why exactly it scares him! I guess that is why I worded it "irrational" because I just cannot figure out why it upsets him so much! But his reaction is not nearly as bad as it is with noise. Thank you for the advice! We currently live in the city and loud noises are hard to escape, but we are hoping to go somewhere more peaceful soon!
Thanks for the update. Hmm. I'm not sure he enjoys it when he runs after the riders. I'd like to see his body language. My guess is that he is classically conditioned to dislike them, so that when one is on the footpath, the anxiety quickly rises. I'd be inclined to buy one. Find the distance that elicits the fear response, then back away so that he calms down. Give him a treat when he shows any calming signals. Over many repetitions see if you get a bit closer to the dreaded skateboard. and carry out the same process of keeping your dog below threshold and rewarding calm behaviour as you get closer and closer to the skateboard. To read more about this technique, get hold of a copy of Grisha Stewart's BAT 2.0. You can apply the same technique to bicycles. And you can use same technique with the BBQ to change his attitude towards smoke. I'm sorry I am recommending a suite of desensitisation and counter-conditioning but it's better to act now. It can get much worse if left untreated.
Cooper is opposed to skateboarders also, or anyone who looks (to her) like a skater. I have no idea why, but I am going to try to introduce her to our neighbor who is a skater. I just bought a new SEBO D4 vacuum which has an incredibly long cord. If the cord is piled up in the hall, Cooper thinks it is dangerous and does not want to cross it, but if it pulled out flat, it is OK. What goes on in the minds of dogs??
