These household noises may stress your dog more than you think, UC Davis study finds
Some dog owners may be failing to recognize when their pups get frightened by strange noises, according to a recent UC Davis study.
While thunderstorms and fireworks are well-known anxiety triggers for dogs, the survey-based study, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, found that some more common household noises may be scaring dogs unbeknownst to their owners.
In particular, noises like the beeping a fire alarm makes when it’s running low on battery — or anything that is similarly high-frequency and intermittent — might be more stress-inducing for dogs than we realize.
“The survey results revealed a mismatch between the owners’ perception of fearfulness in their dogs, and the amount of fearful behavior exhibited by their dogs, suggesting that many owners are underestimating fearfulness and anxiety in their dogs,” the study found.
Common household stressors
In addition to fire alarm sounds, here are some other noises that might stress out your dog:
- Microwaves
- Vacuums
- Sonic pest repellent devices or other devices that produce ultrasound
- Beeping or screeching from vehicles like trash trucks
- Crying babies
- Car alarms
- Sirens
- Airplanes flying overhead
What are the signs of distress in a dog?
While some signals of puppy stress may be obvious, others aren’t as well known. These are the signs you need to pay attention to in order to gauge if your dog is bothered:
- Cringing
- Trembling
- Retreating
- Panting
- Lip licking
- Turning their head away
- Turning their ears back
- Stiffening of the body
- Lowering the head below the shoulders
- Whining, barking or growling
- Pacing
My dog is scared. How do I help them feel better?
The first thing to do is to remove the dog from the stressful situation. Take the dog to a quiet place where they can regroup, the Veterinary Centers of America advises.
Taking your dog through routine commands followed by rewards may help too, according to VCA, because it can distract the dog with an activity that feels more normal and therefore calming.
Swaddling your dog in a calming coat or t-shirt can help, too, according to the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
How can I reduce my dog’s exposure to frightening noises?
Staying ahead of the situation is the best way to prevent stress. That fire alarm example? Stay on top of it and replace those batteries more frequently. Try to remove dogs from potentially frightening situations as much as possible by learning to understand your dog’s body language.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 10:37 AM.