Noise phobia
Extreme fear of specific sounds — fireworks, thunder, gunshots. Common, treatable, and often progressive if ignored.
Noise phobia is one of the most common behavioural conditions in dogs (less in cats). Affected dogs experience genuine fear bordering on panic: trembling, hiding, panting, drooling, destructive behaviour, attempts to escape. Untreated, the condition typically worsens with each exposure season.
Common triggers: fireworks (largest single source of veterinary panic cases each year), thunderstorms, gunshots, smoke alarms, certain music or vacuum cleaners.
Management has two timelines: - **Long-term:** desensitisation using recorded sounds at very low volume paired with food rewards, gradually increased over months. Done well, this changes the underlying emotional response. - **Short-term / situational:** anti-anxiety medication on storm or fireworks days (sileo, trazodone, clonidine, sometimes benzodiazepines), a "safe room" set up with white noise and the dog's favourite bed, calming pheromones, ThunderShirts.
Avoid: reassuring in a worried tone (some dogs read this as confirmation of danger), forcing the dog to "face it," punishing the fear-related behaviour, or letting the season pass without intervention — phobia typically worsens with repeated unmedicated exposure.